PDFelement 8 Review: The Affordable Adobe Acrobat Alternative You Need

Wondershare’s PDFelement has always been the darling of those who desire a no-nonsense PDF editor that doesn’t burn a big hole in their pockets. Its makers have now decided to enhance its offerings greatly with the release of PDFelement 8, which is available now just for Windows. This new version is a nifty blend of satisfying functionality and a smooth user experience thanks to the big UI changes that have been introduced to it. These changes not only make it an all-in-one PDF solution but also simplify the way you usually interact with PDF documents. Let us give you a thorough look at what this software brings to the table.

Big changes in performance

The first thing you’ll notice on opening PDFelement 8 is the speed with which it performs its operations. The application can launch itself in just one second, which is a huge jump from the 4.5 seconds that its predecessor used to take on an average. You’ll experience the quick nature of the program even while opening PDF documents for editing them. While earlier versions used to take around 1.5 seconds to complete this process, PDFelement 8 does it in just about 0.5 seconds. This might not look like a big difference but it does make a huge impact on the user experience. The fast speed improves your workflow and lets you perform all your tasks swiftly. Whether that includes, using markup tools for editing a PDF, altering the text inside a PDF, password protecting a document, or just converting a PDF to a Word file.

The many backend optimizations that the developers of the software have pushed inside it lead to a reduction in RAM consumption as well. PDFelement 8 claims to consume nothing more than 40MB at a time, which is significantly lower than the 120MB requirement of its predecessor. And there’s even a 50 percent reduction in the application’s crash rate, which is another big backend feature that’ll be adored by users.

Cloud support

A mainstream program is never fully ready these days without robust cloud support that allows users to access its features no matter where they are in the world or what device they are using. Once you start editing a document on PDFelement 8, you can pick up wherever you left off on any other device. Moreover, since the program works across platforms on a single purchase, you can rest assured that files saved on one platform can work seamlessly on the others. This can really work in your favor if you happen to perhaps use Windows PCs at home and Macs in the office. And even if you wish to open your files while you’re traveling, you can use the Android and iOS apps to do so. That said, another very important feature that cloud support brings with it is the ability to collaborate with others. Your friends and colleagues can view the changes you make to your PDF files live using this feature. That’s an excellent way to work together, especially during the time of the pandemic, when working from home has become a norm.

Sign documents

Electronic signatures are really important for those who need to sign documents regularly for their work. They usually rely on expensive programs for the same. If you’re one of them, then PDFelement 8 will definitely help you save money as it incorporates this feature as well. You can draw and save your signature for use in umpteen documents, making them just as legally-binding as they would be if you signed on them with a pen. And since your signature will be stored safely in the cloud, you can rest assured that only you will have access to it and no one else.

New intuitive user interface

The makers of PDFelement 8 have simplified its user interface even further to provide a smooth user experience. Starting from the opening page itself, things have been simplified a great deal. Tiny thumbnails greet you at the top, asking you what you want to do with your PDF files. At the bottom, you’ll find gorgeous graphics well, which were not part of the previous version of the software. The menus inside the application have been kept minimalistic as well. And you’ll notice that the overall interface looks way more attractive this way.

The basics are still there

While all the above-mentioned features come as new additions to PDFelement 8, at its core, the program still remains the same powerful and affordable Adobe Acrobat alternative that it was. In fact, it happens to be 4 times cheaper than the said program and is also way more simple and easy to learn. Another big advantage is that a one-time purchase makes you the perpetual owner of the software, unlike Adobe products that work on a subscription model.

PDFelement 8 can perform every major task that you can ask from software aimed at editing PDF files. Just open your desired file and you’ll be met with a detailed menu up top for dealing with the document in a myriad of ways. The Comment section is meant for marking up the PDF file with tools like a highlighter, a text box, a pencil, and more. Then there’s the all-important Edit section that lets you make all kinds of changes to your PDF files, like altering the text, adding images, and more. You’ll also find a Convert section that can be used to simply convert an existing PDF file to any other format. The Tool section holds the superb OCR option that recognizes text that’s already present inside a PDF file and converts it into editable text. The View section is dedicated to the overall appearance of your projects, while the Protect section allows you to sign a document.

Bottom line

PDFelement 8 has really left us impressed with its top-notch new additions. We’d definitely recommend this program to those who regularly use Adobe Acrobat to deal with their PDF files. It’s a much less expensive piece of the software and it can even be bought as a one–time purchase. Moreover, a special offer is being provided by the makers during its launch period, which allows you to get PDFelement 8 in exchange for just under $60. This is a limited time deal, so you really need to hurry up in case you’re buying it.

PDFelement 8 is just a new member of Wonderhshare PDFelenent family which release at the end of Nov. Actually their family member includes Mac, iOS and Android version. They support a single account to buy all-platform.