The comparison exposes key differences between the two solutions that are worth considering, namely digital signature and document management for e-signing and document generation and management. Both solutions can be used by different types of businesses and industries, but a few factors such as pricing and templates can help with making the right choice and leveraging the software to its fullest potential.
Overview of Services
PandaDoc is known for its document automation: for being more than a way for users to sign documents. It creates, manages, tracks documents from the proposal to the payment. A key area of focus for PandaDoc is small and medium-sized businesses with one to 500 employees, which want a complete solution for proposals, contracts and approvals.
Adobe Acrobat is a paid application that is part of the Creative Cloud suite of products from Adobe. With Adobe Acrobat (or just Acrobat as it’s sometimes called), one can create PDFs, manipulate PDFs, and sign PDFs. The feature in Acrobat where you can sign and send documents is known as Adobe Sign. Anyone who signed contracts or completed schoolwork or tax forms online during the COVID-19 pandemic almost certainly used Adobe. Acrobat is widely used by anyone who works with PDFs, but especially by legal, academic or creative professionals whose work relies heavily on PDF.
Key Features Comparison
As far as the features go, PandaDoc and Adobe Acrobat provide a solid range, but there is a major distinction between them:
PandaDoc provides a document workflow from creation to electronic signature, a built-in payment processor and even CRM integration, which makes it suitable for businesses that need a full-blown document management platform rather than a simple PDF editor.
Adobe Acrobat allows you to manage PDFs more effectively, and make or convert, edit and organise PDF files. Acrobat is developed for industries that need a secure and versatile way to handle documents, such as compliance and long-term document preservation. Adobe Sign also has high compatibility with Adobe Acrobat in that it allows you to sign and track your documents.
Pros and Cons
PandaDoc:
- Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface with customizable templates.
- Comprehensive document creation and automation.
- Integration with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce.
- Built-in payment collection functionality.
- Cons:
- Limited PDF editing features compared to Acrobat.
- More expensive for small businesses that only need e-signatures.
Adobe Acrobat:
- Pros:
- Extensive PDF creation and editing tools.
- Strong document security and compliance features.
- Well-integrated within the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem.
- Acrobat Reader is widely used and familiar to most users.
- Cons:
- With higher volumes of signatures, Adobe Sign becomes significantly pricier than PandaDoc.
- Not as focused on business workflows or automation outside of PDF management.
Pricing Comparison
PandaDoc charges $19 per user/month for its Essentials package, which includes unlimited document uploads and e-signatures. Other pricing plans are available with more features including integrations with CRM software, workflow automations and custom branding.
Pricing for Adobe Acrobat starts at $12.99 a month for Adobe Acrobat Standard, which allows PDF editing and e-signatures, but businesses that need the entire Adobe Sign feature set and want advanced document management capabilities can expect to pay more, typically around $39.99 a month for Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Use Cases and Ideal Users
PandaDoc is a great solution for small to mid-sized businesses and, in particular, sales, marketing and customer service departments. It can be integrated with CRM, which means sales proposals, contracts and customer agreements are easily managed by teams.
For legal firms, academic institutions and creative companies, Adobe Acrobat is a preferred PDF solution as it has the most powerful PDF tools and enables documents to retain integrity over time. It is particularly appropriate for those teams working in organisations that need to manage and distribute official documents in a particular format, such as government contracts or academic paperwork.
Competitors
PandaDoc and Adobe Acrobat are the trailblazers in e-signatures and document trails, but they have competition from the wider document management and e-signing solutions:
- DocuSign: DocuSign is best known for its e-signature product, and it’s a formidable competitor to both Adobe Sign and PandaDoc. Because of that, it tends to be aligned with larger enterprises and industries that have strict security requirements like healthcare and real estate.
- HelloSign: A slimmer, cheaper e-signature option for the smaller business or freelancer who doesn’t really need all the bells and whistles that a PandaDoc or Acrobat account offers.
- SignNow: a relatively cheap option that offers basic e-signature features along with some ability to create workflow processes for documents (competitor to PandaDoc and Adobe Sign).
Which Platform Should You Choose?
The right choice between PandaDoc and Adobe Acrobat depends on your business needs:
If you are looking for an all-in-one document workflow and automation solution complete with e-signature functionality, we recommend PandaDoc, which has been specifically designed for organizations that need to automate their proposal and contract process, track document status in real-time, and create templates for collaboration within their existing CRM systems.
Unless your primary requirements are e-signature, PDF creation, editing or secure document storage, Adobe Acrobat will serve you better. It’s the tool of choice for industries that handle document-heavy workflows.
Final Verdict
The PandaDoc document-management software has its counterpart in Adobe Acrobat, the popular PDF editor and management tool. While each option can handle document management, they serve different purposes. PandaDoc is designed as an all-in-one solution for automating documents and streamlining e-signatures for businesses, while Adobe Acrobat is for advanced PDF management and editing. When you know what you and your business require, you can pick the right tool to optimize your business.