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Adobe Acrobat vs PandaDoc - Comparison 2025

Adobe Acrobat vs. PandaDoc

Last updated on

Reviewed by Paddy Stobbs

Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO

PS

PandaDoc and Adobe Acrobat represent two distinct approaches to eSignature solutions. PandaDoc is the more comprehensive platform, ideal for medium to large businesses requiring advanced workflow automation, extensive integrations, and detailed analytics. Its superior customization options and robust feature set make it particularly well-suited for sales teams and enterprises with complex document processes.

Adobe Acrobat, while offering excellent field auto-detection and easier setup, is better suited for small businesses or individuals who need basic eSignature capabilities and prefer a simpler, more straightforward solution. The choice between the two largely depends on whether you need a full-featured document workflow platform (PandaDoc) or a basic eSignature tool (Adobe Acrobat).

Adobe Acrobat Product Logo

Advantages of Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat has superior field auto-detection compared to PandaDoc
Adobe Acrobat's auto-detection consistently and accurately places fields with optimal sizing and positioning, making it faster to prepare documents for signing compared to PandaDoc. This is particularly valuable for users who frequently convert existing documents into signable forms.
Adobe Acrobat is easier to set up than PandaDoc
Adobe Acrobat offers a more straightforward initial setup process with self-serve purchasing for most tiers. We find it particularly accessible for small businesses or individuals needing quick implementation, with a smoother onboarding experience compared to alternatives.
PandaDoc Product Logo

Advantages of PandaDoc

PandaDoc is significantly more customizable than Adobe Acrobat
While Adobe Acrobat offers basic customization, PandaDoc provides extensive customization options including custom roles, user permissions, and granular control over workflows. This is particularly valuable for enterprises requiring specific security protocols and complex approval processes.
PandaDoc has more advanced document handling features than Adobe Acrobat
Unlike Adobe Acrobat, PandaDoc allows users to edit and re-issue documents without voiding them, and offers bulk sending capabilities. This makes it more efficient for teams handling high volumes of documents or needing to make frequent adjustments.
PandaDoc offers vastly superior integration capabilities compared to Adobe Acrobat
Unlike Adobe Acrobat's limited integrations, PandaDoc connects with major platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Stripe, and Slack, plus offers Zapier integration for thousands more connections. This makes it ideal for businesses needing to integrate eSignatures into their existing tech stack.
PandaDoc provides superior reporting and analytics compared to Adobe Acrobat
While Adobe Acrobat offers only basic document status tracking, PandaDoc provides comprehensive analytics including completion rates, user activity, and content library usage. This makes it significantly more powerful for teams needing to track and optimize their document workflows.

Adobe Acrobat is best for

  • Businesses with straightforward document signing needs
  • Who need highly accurate automatic field detection and placement
  • And/or who need basic document security with audit trails but not advanced verification

PandaDoc is best for

  • Businesses with sales teams requiring extensive document customization and workflow control
  • Who need granular permission controls and role-based access for large teams
  • And/or who need advanced pricing tables with tax calculations and quantity adjustments

Adobe Acrobat is less good for

  • Businesses with complex document workflows requiring multiple integrations
  • Who need advanced reporting and analytics on document performance
  • And/or who need to edit and reissue documents after sending

PandaDoc is less good for

  • Businesses with simple document signing needs and limited budget
  • Who need quick setup without a demo or sales conversation
  • And/or who need direct integration with Google Drive or Dropbox without Zapier

Gallery

Adobe Acrobat logoAdobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat screenshot
PandaDoc logoPandaDoc
PandaDoc screenshot

Pricing, features & ratings

PandaDoc logo

PandaDoc

Starting at

$35

user / month

Billed monthly

Pricing calculatorVisit Website
Stackfix Verdict
Functionality
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>Adobe Acrobat is a good eSignature solution with amazing auto-field detection. It supports web forms, payment collection (via Braintree), and has a mobile app. However, it's not great for large-scale sending, as it lacks bulk send and auto-fill features. There's no witness or in-person signing, and reports are almost non-existent, offering minimal insights beyond document status. Security includes password protection and audit trails, but no ID verification or KBA.</p>
8

Functionality

8/10

<p>PandaDoc provides a complete eSignature solution with web forms, payment collection, and a drag-and-drop builder for customizable fields with validation. Users can control signing order, delegate signers, enable e-witnessing, and in-person signing. It includes rooms with pre-set content for collaboration and tracking insights. A workflow automation builder lets users configure automations with integrations, supported by pre-made templates. The reports dashboard tracks completion rates, and security features like password protection and ID verification.That said, it lacks certain advance functionality such as a dedicated eWitness workflow.</p>
Ease of Use
6

Ease of Use

6/10

<p>The platform is easy to use, though advanced document preparation takes some learning. Its clean, modern design and excellent field auto-placement speed up document creation. However, it lacks bulk sending and auto-fill from integrations, limiting workflow efficiency. A file upload field eliminates the need for separate document requests, and payment collection is available via Adobe Acrobat. However, documents cannot be edited and resent without voiding, making corrections less seamless.</p>
8

Ease of Use

8/10

<p>The platform is easy to use, though advanced document preparation takes some learning. The clean, modern design and field auto-placement speed up document creation. The drag-and-drop builder keeps everything—custom fields, payments, integrations, data merge, and content blocks—in one place, making it easy to manage. Bulk sending, auto-reminders, and auto-fill from integrations streamline workflows. A file upload field removes the need for separate document requests, and PandaDoc allows payment collection when sharing documents. You can also edit and resend without voiding, making corrections quick and simple.</p>
Look and feel
6

Look and feel

6/10

<p>Although Adobe Acrobat has a solid set of features, the interface is simple, modern, and has a nice theme. Navigation is straightforward, but it’s more of a file management platform than a typical layout for managing eSignature documents and tracking them. The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use.&nbsp;</p>
10

Look and feel

10/10

<p>Although feature-rich, PandaDoc has a delightful interface with a well-balanced theme and color usage. Advanced controls are neatly hidden, ensuring smooth navigation.</p><p><br></p><p>In our opinion, it has the best drag-and-drop builder, keeping fields, payments, integrations, data merge, and content blocks all in one place, making management of all of them easy. When creating a document, you can set a theme and apply it throughout. It has a beautiful workflow overview too, making the platform both powerful and user-friendly.</p>
Customisability
4

Customisability

4/10

<p>Adobe Acrobat handles basic e-signatures but lacks advanced customizability like e-witnessing and in-person signing, limiting signing flows. User roles cannot be customized, and with no Zapier or API access, creating custom workflows isn't possible.</p>
10

Customisability

10/10

<p>PandaDoc is highly flexible, offering control over branding, field properties, signing order, and team permissions. Users can customize themes when creating documents. It supports formula fields, custom fields, and conditional logic to show or hide objects based on inputs. Signing flows include in-person signing, e-witnessing, and signer delegation. Granular role-based permissions allow precise control over user access and actions. Custom reports provide deeper insights. Best-in-class for custom roles and user permissions, making it easy to manage security and workflows at a detailed level.</p>
Ease of Setup
8

Ease of Setup

8/10

<p>Adobe Acrobat offers a free trial with self-serve purchasing for all tiers except Acrobat Sign Solutions, a separate product with extended eSignature features. Onboarding is simple, allowing users to create eSignature documents in 5–10 minutes. Custom branding is easy to set up, and other integrations are quick to configure, but there's no Zapier or API access. Setting up reusable templates, security settings, and signer roles may take a few hours.</p>
5

Ease of Setup

5/10

<p>PandaDoc offers a free trial, but higher-tier plans require a demo request, and enterprise plans require speaking with sales. The onboarding process is simple, allowing users to create eSignature documents within 5–10 minutes. It integrates directly with many platforms, though Google Drive and Dropbox require Zapier. Custom permission profiles and branding are easy to configure. Despite its many features, the help docs are well-organized and detailed. Setting up reusable templates, security settings, and user roles takes a few hours, while enterprise-level setup may take 1–2 weeks.</p>
Customer Support
7

Customer Support

7/10

<p>Personalized Q&amp;A is available via phone, live chat, and request submission. Higher-tier plans get 24/7 support. Self-serve support includes a comprehensive Help Center and community forums with high-quality guides and tutorials.</p>
9

Customer Support

9/10

<p>Support is available 24/7, 365 days a year via live chat or by submitting a request. Users can access personalized Q&amp;A through in-app chat, where friendly human agents provide helpful responses within minutes. The platform also offers self-serve support with high-depth, high-quality resources.</p>
Integratability
1

Integratability

1/10

<p>Integrations are severely limited, with only Google Drive and Dropbox supported. It doesn’t integrate with platforms like Salesforce or Slack, and there’s no Zapier or API access, making custom integrations nearly impossible.</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>PandaDoc natively integrates with popular platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Stripe, PayPal, and Slack. Google Drive and Dropbox require Zapier, which also enables access to thousands of additional integrations. Microsoft 365 integration is limited, covering basic functions. An API is available for custom integrations and automation.</p>
Ease of Migration
2

Ease of Migration

2/10

<p>Adobe Acrobat offers minimal data export options, partly due to no Zapier or API access. Finished documents and audit trails can be exported as PDFs, and another major drawback is the lack of downloadable reports for tracking insights across multiple documents.</p>
8

Ease of Migration

8/10

<p>PandaDoc offers multiple ways to export completed document data. Finished documents can be exported as PDFs, audit trails are available in CSV format. A wide range of reports can be downloaded as CSV. Native CRM integrations allow seamless data syncing, and additional data can be exported through the API for further customization and automation.</p>
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