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Adobe Acrobat vs SignNow - Comparison 2025

Adobe Acrobat vs. SignNow

Last updated on

Reviewed by Paddy Stobbs

Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO

PS

SignNow emerges as the more robust eSignature solution, particularly excelling in customization, integrations, and reporting capabilities. It's better suited for medium to large businesses requiring comprehensive document workflows integrated with their existing tools.

Adobe Acrobat, while offering excellent field auto-detection and easy setup, is more appropriate for individuals or small businesses with basic eSignature needs who are already in the Adobe ecosystem. The functionality gap between the two is significant, with SignNow offering more advanced features like bulk sending, custom workflows, and detailed analytics that Adobe Acrobat lacks.

Adobe Acrobat Product Logo

Advantages of Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat has superior field auto-detection compared to SignNow
Adobe Acrobat's field auto-detection consistently and accurately places fields with optimal sizing and positioning, while SignNow's 'Magic Fields' feature doesn't always work reliably. This makes Adobe Acrobat more efficient for quickly preparing documents for signature.
Adobe Acrobat offers better ease of setup than SignNow
Adobe Acrobat provides a more streamlined setup process compared to SignNow, with users able to create eSignature documents within 5-10 minutes. This makes it particularly suitable for small businesses or individuals needing quick implementation.
SignNow Product Logo

Advantages of SignNow

SignNow offers superior data export capabilities compared to Adobe Acrobat
SignNow provides comprehensive export options including PDF exports with history and attachments, CSV reports with completion metrics, and cloud storage integration. Adobe Acrobat's export capabilities are limited to basic PDF exports, making SignNow better for businesses needing detailed document analytics.
SignNow has vastly superior integration capabilities compared to Adobe Acrobat
SignNow offers native integrations with major platforms like Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Slack, while Adobe Acrobat only supports basic cloud storage integrations. This makes SignNow much better suited for businesses needing to connect their document workflows with existing business tools.
SignNow is significantly more customizable than Adobe Acrobat
While Adobe Acrobat offers basic customization, SignNow provides extensive customization options. This includes granular control over signing sessions, view modes, and email notifications, which is particularly valuable for enterprises needing to maintain brand consistency across all touchpoints.
SignNow provides much better customer support than Adobe Acrobat
SignNow offers 24/7 support across multiple channels with quick response times and high-quality self-serve resources. This level of support is particularly valuable for businesses that need reliable assistance for 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

SignNow is best for

  • Businesses with teams needing flexible document workflows and customizable signing processes
  • Who need robust integration capabilities with major business platforms
  • And/or who need comprehensive document security and audit trails

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

SignNow is less good for

  • Businesses with complex security feature needs
  • Who need granular role-based permissions
  • And/or who need advanced ID verification methods

Gallery

Adobe Acrobat logoAdobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat screenshot
SignNow logoSignNow
SignNow screenshot

Pricing, features & ratings

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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>SignNow is a solid eSignature solution with a few limitations on advanced features. You can’t edit and re-issue documents, and there’s no signer delegation. It also lacks advanced security like ID verification and knowledge-based authentication, but if passwords are enough, 2FA adds extra protection. The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use with highly customizable fields, and the reports dashboard tracks completion rates, making it easy to handle high document volumes, although advanced reporting isn't available.</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>
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p>The platform is easy to use, though advanced document preparation takes some learning. The clean, modern design and field auto-placement make document creation faster. The builder supports custom fields, so you can reuse validation across documents. Bulk sending, auto-reminders, and auto-fill from integrations help speed up workflows. A file upload field means you don’t have to request documents separately, and SignNow lets you collect payments when you share documents. You can also edit and resend documents without voiding them, 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>
8

Look and feel

8/10

<p>SignNow keeps things simple—the interface is clean and modern, with everything right where you’d expect. The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use, and while it lacks advanced reporting, the simple reports view makes tracking document status quick. There’s also a handy preview of the email and document before signing while customizing the signing order.</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>
9

Customisability

9/10

<p>SignNow is highly flexible, offering control over branding, field properties, signing order, and team permissions. Users can customize themes, use formula fields, custom fields, and conditional logic. Signing flows include in-person signing and e-witnessing, but API access is needed for deeper customization of signing sessions, view mode, and email notifications. However, custom permissions can’t be defined, limiting role customization. Still, it’s a strong choice for managing security and workflows in detail.</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>
6

Ease of Setup

6/10

<p>SignNow offers a free trial, and higher-tier plans are self-serve. The onboarding process is simple, allowing users to create eSignature documents within 5–10 minutes. It integrates directly with many platforms, though HubSpot and PayPal 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 via live chat or by submitting a request. They also offer phone support for corporate accounts. 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>SignNow natively integrates with popular platforms like Salesforce, Pipedrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Stripe, Microsoft 365, and Slack. HubSpot and PayPal require Zapier, which also enables access to thousands of additional integrations. 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>
9

Ease of Migration

9/10

<p>SignNow offers multiple ways to export completed document data. Finished documents can be exported as PDFs, with options to include history, attachments, and document ID on every page. Reports can be downloaded as CSV but only include basic fields like documents sent, pending, signed, average completion time, completion rate, signers, and templates. You can also send via fax, easily print, and export to the cloud with quick-access buttons. Native CRM integrations allow seamless data syncing, with additional API export options.</p>
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