PDF Market/Industry Revenue and Growth Statistics (2024)

Key PDF Market/Industry user stats. Includes data on market share, products, and more.
PDF Market/Industry Revenue and Growth Statistics (2024)
Last updated on:
December 29, 2023
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PDF Market/Industry Overview (About)

Are you having trouble looking for the best PDF software for you? Then look no further, this information might help you. In this section, we will be talking about the best PDF Software/Products, the most budget-friendly ones, the easiest ones to use, and more.

Most popular companies whose main products are PDF software

These are the most popular companies whose main products are PDF software. The list is not in any particular order.

CompanyPDF Product/s
ABBYYABBYY FineReader PDF
Adobe Inc.Adobe Acrobat PDF
Apowersoft Ltd.LightPDF (ApowerPDF)
DocsCorppdfDocs
Foxit Software Inc.Foxit PDF Reader
iSkysoftFoxit PDF Editor
JotformJotform PDF Editor
KOFAX INC.Kofax Power PDF
Nitro Software, Inc.Nitro PDF
PDF Technologies, Inc.PDFTechLib
PDFRun.comPDFRun
Red SoftwareRAD PDF
Tracket Software Products LtdPDF-XChange
Wondershare Technology Co., LtdWondershare PDFelement
Icecream AppsPDF Editor
 PDF Converter
 PDF Split and Merge
pdfforgePDF Creator
 PDF Architect
pdfFillerpdfFiller
SmallpdfSmallpdf

Sources: ABBYY, Adobe, Apowersoft, DocsCorp, Foxit, Kofax, PDF-Technologies, RedSoftware, Tracker Software, Wondershare, Icecream Apps, pdfforge, pdfFiller, Smallpdf

Global PDF Editors Market Share

An estimation by a research study stated that by 2025, the Global PDF Editor Market Share will rise up to $2.94 billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.68%.

YearEstimated Growth
2019$1.84 billion
2020$1.94 billion
2021$2.18 billion
2025$2.94 billion

Source: Research and Markets, GlobalNewsWire

What is the best PDF Editor Software/Product?

The best PDF Editor software at the time is definitely Adobe Acrobat based on the customer’s satisfaction and the product’s market presence.

PDF Editor ProductIndustriesMarket Segment
Adobe Acrobat- Information Technology and Services- 43% Small- Business
 - Higher Education- 32% Mid-Market
Foxit PDF Editor-Construction- 67% Small-Business
 -Accounting- 23% Mid-Market
pdfFiller-Real Estate-83% Small- Business
 -Insurance-13% Mid-Market
Smallpdf- Information Technology and Services- 46% Mid-Market
 -Computer Software- 41% Small-Business
Wondershare PDFelement- Information Technology and Services- 68% Small-Business
 - Education Management- 16% Mid-Market
Nitro PDF Productivitiy- Information Technology and Services- 48% Small-Business
 - Education Management- 32% Mid-Market
Adobe PDF Pack- Information Technology and Services- 41% Small-Business
 - Accounting- 32% Mid-Market
FineReader PDF- Translation- 76% Small-Business
 - Higher Education- 14% Mid-Market

Source: G2

Best Budget-Friendly PDF Editor Software/Products Under $15

If you are a student or a small business owner, then the best budget-friendly PDF Editor Software or Product would probably be Smallpdf, it starts with a free subscription per month. The main selling point of Smallpdf is that it removes unnecessary extra features and focuses more on customer experience. Aside from Smallpdf, there are others that might suit your needs.

PDF Software/ProductStarting Price (Per month)
SmallpdfFree
pdfFiller$8.00
Adobe Acrobat$14.99
Foxit PDF Editor$14.99
Nitro PDF Productivity$9.99
Coolnew PDF$6.49
Lumin PDF for G SuiteFree

Source: G2

Easiest PDF Editor Software/Products to use

According to G2, the easiest PDF Editor product to use would be pdfFiller with an average usability score of 9.3. Following closely would be Foxit PDF Editor with 8.9 usability score.

RankPDF Product/SoftwareUsability Score
#1pdfFiller9.3
#2Foxit PDF Editor8.9
#3Smallpdf8.8
#4Adobe Acrobat8.8
#5Nitro PDF Productivity8.7
#6Wondershare PDFelement8.7
#7PDF-XChange Editor8.7
#8FineReader PDF8.5
#9Jotform - PDF Editor8.4

Source: G2

How many PDF documents are created each year?

According to Adobe’s 2021 annual report, there are trillions of PDF documents created each year. We don’t have the official exact number for the recent years. However, in 2015, Phil Ydens, Fellow and VP of Adobe Document Cloud, estimated that there were 2.5 trillion PDF documents created each year.

Source: PDFA, Adobe

How many types of PDFs are there?

Did you know that there are more types of PDFs than the ones you are familiar with? Yes, there are a total of 6 different types of PDFS according to International Standards Organizations (ISO). Some PDFs are designed to be stored for a long time while other types have improved features on certain sections over the others. Let’s have a look.

PDF TypeDescription
PDFGeneral PDF standard that are used for sharing and viewing files online.
PDF/AIdeal for long-term storage. Often used by records manager, archivists, and etc.
PDF/EComes with features like multimedia, large-format drawings, and so on which is suitable for engineering needs. Mostly used by construction experts, engineers, architects, and etc.
PDF/XHave features that improve images, font embedding, color profiles, etc. Ideal for graphic designers and print experts.
PDF/VTSimilar with PDF/X, the difference is that it has additional customization features that allows for more flexibility. Ideal for graphic designers and print experts.
PDF/UAGrants "Universal Access" technologies that help users read and navigate.

Source: Ink It

Best PDF Readers for Android 2024

According to TechRadar, these are the best PDF readers for Android in 2023.

RankPDF ReaderProsCons
#1Adobe Acrobat Reader"Advanced tools available""Advanced features could be overwhelming for beginners"
  Excellent document compatibility 
  Reliable form filling 
  Access scanned documents via free app 
#2Xodo PDF ReaderVersatile PDF reader- Can be laggy sometimes
  Edit and annotate documents +Sync edits with cloud services 
#3Foxit PDF ReaderSpeedy and straightforward viewer- No OCR in free version
  Fill out PDF forms and import/export data 
  Easy document sharing 
#4All PDFMerge and split PDF files- Ads
  Free app 
  Organize files 
#5Gaaiho PDF ReaderComfortable reading environment- Not updated very often
  Share files with any WebDAV servers

Source: Tech Radar

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About the author

Ch Daniel is the co-founder of SignHouse and chairman of the CH Group. Daniel is leading the development of SignHouse's product, as well as strategising how else the company can reach its main mission: empowering 100M+ to use the world's most efficient document organisational tools.