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Top Rated PDF Editor Software with Commenting/Notes in 2026

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Verified reviewer profile picture

All user reviews are verified by in-house moderators and provider data by our software research team.  Learn more

Last updated: April 2026

Commenting and notes allow users to annotate documents, facilitate collaboration, and provide feedback without altering the original content. This improves document review, communication, and organization within projects. Our reviewers in PDF editor software rated this feature as important.

3 Best PDF Editor Software with Commenting/Notes

  • pdfFiller
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader - Highest rated for commenting/notes
  • Adobe Acrobat

See other top PDF Editor products with commenting/notes

How we picked the 3 top rated products

We chose the high-performing solutions on this list based on verified user ratings on our site. Depending on available data, qualifying products either had to be among the most user-reviewed or the most searched-for products in the pdf editor software category. They also needed to have sufficient reviews about commenting/notes, have a minimum user rating of 3 out of 5 for that feature, and show evidence of U.S. market presence. We then added a distinction for the product with the highest rating for commenting/notes based on our proprietary ratings and reviews. Sponsorship or client status has no influence on the selection of these products, but it may impact the order in which products appear.

Details for the 3 best products

pdfFiller logo
4.6
(991)
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User insights about the commenting/notes feature

Reviewers find pdfFiller's commenting and notes capabilities useful for adding remarks to documents, though many do not use this feature frequently. They appreciate the simplicity and ease of adding notes, which enhances their ability to analyze and discuss documents. Some users highlight the value of this feature for improving their learning experience and organizing feedback. However, several reviewers mention that they do not need this function in their work or have not used it extensively.
“I do read ebooks and some of my study materials are in pdf so being able to comment and write notes improves my learning experience.”
LM

Llana M.

Online Instructor

“I like the ability to add notes to the documents”
EG

Edward G.

Owner

PDF Editor key features coverage

pdfFiller offers 6 out of the 6 key features for PDF Editor software identified by reviewers:

Convert to PDF4.8
Text Editing4.7
Merge/Append Files4.4
Delete Pages4.9
Electronic Signature4.8
Rearrange Pages5.0

Pros and cons based on 991 verified reviews

71% of users rated pdfFiller 5 out of 5 stars, while 3% gave it 1 or 2 stars. To determine these pros and cons insights we analyzed 991 reviews and identified the topics where users expressed positive and negative sentiment.

Pros:

Efficient document signing

Streamlined office productivity

Cons:

High cost concerns

See pros and cons details

Pricing

Starting price:$8 flat rate/per month|Free version:Not available|Free trial:Available

Prices may vary depending on the number of users and features.

Adobe Acrobat Reader logo
4.7
(10.5K)
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User insights about the commenting/notes feature

Reviewers appreciate Adobe Acrobat Reader's commenting and notes capabilities for their ease of use and efficiency in enhancing document review and collaboration. They find it straightforward to add comments and notes, which is particularly valuable for providing feedback and organizing information. Users mention the ability to highlight text, use different colors, and leave remarks for future reference. They also note that this functionality is helpful for remote teamwork and streamlining project workflows, although some users wish for more customization options.
“I love the "Commenting/Notes" feature in Adobe Acrobat Reader because it makes reviewing and collaborating on PDFs super easy. You can add feedback directly on the document, keeping everything organized in one place.”
pk

pradeep k.

Creative Director

“Being able to add comments to a PDF document allows me to re-open the document and just review the highlights I need”
SC

Shirita C.

Owner

PDF Editor key features coverage

Adobe Acrobat Reader offers 5 out of the 6 key features for PDF Editor software identified by reviewers:

Convert to PDF4.6
Text Editing4.3
Merge/Append Files
Delete Pages4.5
Electronic Signature4.8
Rearrange Pages4.7

Pros and cons based on 10,525 verified reviews

70% of users rated Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 out of 5 stars, while 1% gave it 1 or 2 stars. To determine these pros and cons insights we analyzed 10,525 reviews and identified the topics where users expressed positive and negative sentiment.

Pros:

Efficient document sharing

Convenient document signing

Effective PDF commenting

Comprehensive PDF management

Versatile PDF reader

Cons:

Slow performance speed

Limited free version

High cost and limited free features

Frequent software updates

Limited text editing

See pros and cons details

Pricing

Starting price:$1.95 /per month|Free version:Available|Free trial:Not available

Prices may vary depending on the number of users and features.

Adobe Acrobat logo
4.7
(4.1K)
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User insights about the commenting/notes feature

Reviewers indicate that Adobe Acrobat's commenting and notes capabilities are highly beneficial for providing clear instructions and organizing feedback. They appreciate the ease of adding notes and comments, which are listed in a sidebar for easy navigation. Users find this feature essential for team collaboration, proofreading, and document review, with customization options like different colors and text highlights. However, some users mention that the feature could be more intuitive and streamlined, and placing comments can sometimes be challenging.
“Commenting and leaving notes is very important and that's the reason I use Adobe Acrobat. It allows to give different colors and highlight text while adding comments. In the picture files, you can easily add notes and store your information. ”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Ryan H.

HR Manager

“Being able to comment and make notes right in my PDF is very important. I like to use this to create instructions with screenshots for other employees or my clients. It makes it a lot easier to get my point across.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Jessica K.

Staff Accountant

PDF Editor key features coverage

Adobe Acrobat offers 6 out of the 6 key features for PDF Editor software identified by reviewers:

Convert to PDF4.7
Text Editing4.4
Merge/Append Files4.5
Delete Pages4.6
Electronic Signature4.7
Rearrange Pages4.6

Pros and cons based on 4,165 verified reviews

73% of users rated Adobe Acrobat 5 out of 5 stars, while 1% gave it 1 or 2 stars. To determine these pros and cons insights we analyzed 4,165 reviews and identified the topics where users expressed positive and negative sentiment.

Pros:

Efficient document sharing

Seamless integration with other tools

Comprehensive PDF editing features

Robust document security

Convenient diGital signing

Cons:

Inconsistent font editing

Slow performance and high resource usage

High cost concerns

Frequent updates and version issues

Complicated page navigation

See pros and cons details

Pricing

Starting price:$19.99 per user/per month|Free version:Not available|Free trial:Available

Prices may vary depending on the number of users and features.

Other Top Rated PDF Editor Software with Commenting/Notes in 2026

Adobe Acrobat Reader logo

Cloud-based PDF reader for viewing and editing PDF documents

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Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is a cloud-based software designed to help businesses view, sign, and annotate PDF documents from desktops, browsers, or mobile devices. Users can create customizable forms by adding various tools such as drop-down lists, barcodes, signature fields, list boxes, and more.

Read more about Adobe Acrobat Reader

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Adobe Acrobat logo

PDF editing with e-signatures and document review tools

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Adobe Acrobat is PDF editing software that can be used to create, convert and share PDF documents. It can convert documents in Microsoft Office formats to PDFs, and vice versa. PDFs can be viewed, annotated, and signed using Adobe Sign and the free Acrobat Reader mobile app.

Read more about Adobe Acrobat

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Adobe Express logo

All-in-one design photo and video creation tool

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Adobe Express is an all-in-one design, photo, and video tool that enables users to create social media content, logos, flyers, and marketing materials. The platform features drag-and-drop functionality, professionally designed templates, and AI-based tools including an AI Assistant for editing and content generation. It offers image editing capabilities such as background removal, resizing, and format conversion, along with video editing tools for trimming, merging, and captioning.

Read more about Adobe Express

Users also considered
Smallpdf logo

PDF document management and conversion suite

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Smallpdf is a desktop, mobile & cloud-based PDF document management and conversion tool, providing a suite of 21 tools to create, convert and edit documents.

Read more about Smallpdf

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pdfFiller logo

Online PDF form filler & editor

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pdfFiller is an online form and document management system for editing, printing, downloading, sending, and converting documents. The cloud-based system offers eSignature capabilities, a PDF editor, form builder, authentication features, and native Android and iOS mobile applications.

Read more about pdfFiller

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Edit Pdfs logo

Smart PDF editing tool with automatic text recognition

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Smartest Online PDF managing tool !

Enjoy our trial offer : €0.99 for 7 Days then €7.50/month - Annual payment.

Edit your PDF with the same font, color and size. Simple and fast.

Advanced technology with recognition of text, font, color, size and text typology.

Read more about Edit Pdfs

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ABBYY FineReader PDF logo

PDF solution for document editing and digital collaboration

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FineReader PDF empowers professionals to maximize efficiency in the digital workplace. Featuring ABBYY’s latest AI-based OCR technology, FineReader PDF makes it easier to digitize, retrieve, edit, protect, share, and collaborate on all kinds of documents in the same workflow.

Read more about ABBYY FineReader PDF

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Nitro PDF logo

Document generation and management software

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A robust, user-friendly Adobe Acrobat alternative. Offers seamless PDF creation, editing, collaboration, and secure workflows. AI-powered tools enhance productivity with features like summarization and data extraction. A cost-effective solution for individuals and businesses.

Read more about Nitro PDF

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iScanner logo

Making your documents better than they are! PDF Scanner App

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iScanner is a scanning and document management tool that helps businesses create PRO documents on the go. It is a must-have for those who work remotely or on the go, students and educators, and anyone involved in a small business, including accountants, realtors, managers, or lawyers.

Read more about iScanner

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PDFelement logo

Cloud-based and on-premise PDF editor tool for teams.

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PDFelement is a cloud-based and on-premise PDF editor that assists users in creating, editing, protecting, and signing PDFs across desktop, mobile, and web platforms. The tool allows users to modify PDF content similar to a word processor, incorporating text, images, shapes, and the ability to import and edit layers. Users can also adjust the size, color, and font styles, insert links, and apply watermarks to their documents.

Read more about PDFelement

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Lumin PDF logo

PDF platform for annotating, splitting and sharing documents

learn more
Lumin PDF is a PDF platform designed to help businesses collaborate on, annotate, share, synchronize, sign, and highlight documents from within a unified cloud-based interface. Users can merge and split multiple files into specific parts for removal, compress documents' size and remove passwords from PDFs according to requirements.

Read more about Lumin PDF

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Tungsten Power PDF logo

Tungsten Power PDF: Built on 20 years of Innovation

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Tungsten Power PDF is a productivity software designed to help businesses of all sizes create, convert, compile, and share PDF files. Buy it once and own it forever.

Read more about Tungsten Power PDF

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LiquidText logo

Multi-touch document manipulation system

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LiquidText brings all documents with your highlights, annotations, observations and notes into a unified workspace and allows you to make live connections among, between and within anything in the project by just drawing lines.

Read more about LiquidText

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Able2Extract Professional logo

Everything PDF

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All-in-one PDF solution for Windows, Mac, and Linux with perpetual licensing.

Read more about Able2Extract Professional

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FormatPDF logo

A Fast, Easy Way To Modify Your PDFs

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If you're looking for a secure, convenient way to modify your PDFs, you've found it. FormatPDF allows you to edit, compress, convert, draw on, and write on PDFs, plus 28 other ways to get your documents looking like you to need them.

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Foxit PDF Editor logo

Create, edit, and manage PDF documents from any device.

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Foxit PDF Editor is a powerful desktop solution for creating and editing PDF documents. Offering seamless integration with Foxit eSign, it enables users to create, edit, and collaborate on documents within and outside the organization.

Read more about Foxit PDF Editor

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Goodnotes logo

The leading AI-powered digital note-taking app

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Goodnotes is a powerful note-taking app designed to provide a seamless, natural handwriting experience on digital paper. Import PDFs and images to annotate, edit, highlight, and mark up important documents anytime, anywhere.

Read more about Goodnotes

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Xodo logo

Cross-platform PDF viewer and annotator for businesses

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Xodo is a document creation software designed for businesses to automate text editing, annotation, digital signature, PDF sharing, and more. It can be installed on-premise and offers cloud support to enable online collaborations.

Read more about Xodo

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Soda PDF logo

Simplifying PDFs with powerful, easy-to-use software

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Soda PDF is a powerful, all-in-one solution for creating, editing, converting, merging, and securing PDFs. With advanced OCR, e-signatures, batch processing, and cloud integration, it streamlines document management for professionals and businesses. Work smarter with Soda PDF today!

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PDFLiner logo

Online Platform for Editing All Kinds of PDF Documents.

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PDFLiner helps you to fill out forms, edit PDFs, convert images to PDF and back, create your own fillable documents and more.

Read more about PDFLiner

Users also considered
Adobe PDF Library logo

Solving Complex PDF Workflows

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Fully automate the creation, editing and management of PDFs and document workflows.

Built with reliable Adobe technology, easy-to-use APIs, and with expert support, Datalogics Adobe PDF Library lets developers build faster, smarter, and with confidence.

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PDF Editor Pro logo

PDF editing and format converting app with OCR for macOS

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PDF Editor Pro is an editing and format converting app with OCR features for macOS. It can be used to edit, convert, and annotate scanned files as well as create new PDFs. Users can add, update, move, and delete text and images from pages. The app is available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and others. PDF Editor Pro is compatible with macOS 10.6.6 and later versions.

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Desygner logo

Graphic design tool for content creation

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Desygner is a graphic design tool, which helps businesses design social media posts, presentations, advertisements, flyers, and other content using predefined templates.

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iLovePDF 2 logo

Where managing PDFs is as easy as pie.

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Master PDF management effortlessly with ilovepdf2. Merge, split, convert, and edit seamlessly. Compress for easy sharing, and protect with encryption. Access anywhere, anytime. Experience convenience with our free toolkit and browser extension. Join millions worldwide!

Read more about iLovePDF 2

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UPDF logo

PDF editor tool

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UPDF is a PDF editor across all platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. From annotation to commenting on PDF documents, this PDF annotator lets users mark important things within a document. Teams can convert documents into the necessary file format without restricting the quality of the PDF file.

Read more about UPDF

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Key features for PDF Editor software

Based on GetApp's analysis of verified user reviews collected between July 2021 and August 2024.

  • Convert to PDF: Reviewers appreciate the ease and speed of converting various file formats to PDF while maintaining high quality and consistent formatting. 90% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.
  • Text Editing: Users value the ability to add, delete, and customize text directly within PDF documents, enhancing document presentation and accuracy. 88% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.
  • Merge/Append Files: Reviewers highlight the convenience of combining multiple PDF files into a single document, making file organization and sharing more efficient. 85% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.
  • Delete Pages: Users find it useful to remove unnecessary or sensitive pages from PDF documents, streamlining the document and reducing its size. 85% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.
  • Electronic Signature: Reviewers appreciate the convenience and security of digitally signing documents, which saves time and simplifies remote approvals. 84% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.
  • Rearrange Pages: Users like the ability to reorder pages within a PDF document, ensuring logical flow and organization without altering the content. 83% of reviewers rated this feature as important or highly important.