PDF XChange Viewer: A Surprising PDF Tool to Help You

PDF is a common file type. Schools and businesses alike use this for reports, reviewers, theses, and many others. That said, you'd likely receive one. It would be best if you had a tool to view and edit the PDF handy. PDF XChange Viewer is one of your best choices.

Editor's Verdict:

What is PDF XChange Viewer?

PDF XChange Viewer is a light but powerful PDF tool published by Tracker Software on June 21, 2007. You can use it to view, edit, convert, or mark up a PDF. Many tech reviewers graded PDF XChange Viewer as a reliable tool and a top candidate for PDF editing software.

Tracker Software stopped further development of PDF XChange Viewer to focus on another tool, PDF XChange Editor. Thus, its latest version was released years ago - way back in 2018. It is version 2.5.322.10.

PDF XChange Viewer does not ask much for system requirements. It supports all 32/64-bit Windows operating systems from Windows XP and later. However, if you are using Windows 7, ensure you have the latest release and all available fixes. Otherwise, you may encounter problems.

PDF XChange Viewer is free. However, if you want to access some features and functionalities, you must get the paid version. The Single User License for PDF XChange Editor starts at US$56.00. Meanwhile, PDF XChange PRO Single User License starts at US$121.00.

Differences Among PDF XChange Viewer, PDF XChange Editor, and PDF XChange Pro

PDF XChange Pro has all the features a Tracker Software PDF tool could provide. PDF XChange Editor has some missing features, and some are even unavailable in the free version. On the other hand, PDF Xchange Viewer works as a PDF reader with limited PDF annotation features.

For example, PDF XChange Pro can convert Microsoft Office Table of Contents "Clickable Links" to PDF. PDF XChange Editor doesn't have this functionality on either the free or paid version. PDF XChange Viewer is not equipped with the PDF page organization feature, PDF content extracting feature, etc.

Creating fillable PDF forms, dynamic stamps, and more features are available only on the paid version of PDF XChange Editor.

All these are available on PDF XChange Pro.

Features of PDF XChange Viewer

PDF XChange Viewer is a handy PDF tool. First of all, it has markup tools for selecting, highlighting, and striking out text. That's useful when suggesting edits to your colleagues or highlighting important parts in a reviewer.

On top of that, PDF XChange Viewer provides you with a selection of stamps and commenting functions. You can even add audio comments! These allow you to stay on top of changes in the document. PDF XChange Viewer is special because these tools are often included exclusively in paid versions of PDF tools. Meanwhile, PDf XChange Viewer gives them to you for free.

Do you have a printed document you wish to convert into PDF? You don't have to type the content in a document to recreate it. Just scan the document, and with PDF XChange Viewer's OCR, it will convert that into editable text.

That's not all. PDF XChange Viewer comes with a slew of other valuable tools, and even more when you purchase the paid version. It's easy to see why this is many people's go-to PDF tool.

Performance of PDF XChange Viewer

For a free PDF tool, PDF XChange Viewer is surprisingly very useful. One of the things you'd like about it is how easy to use it can be.

Admittedly, PDF XChange Viewer's interface is not aesthetically pleasing. Thankfully, we care more about the function. You would appreciate how all tools are shoved on top of the screen. That gives plenty of space for the document. Low-vision individuals would greatly appreciate that.

You can even customize the layout of the top menu. With that feature, you can display only the tools you often use and hide the ones you don't find that helpful. It's a good way to minimize clutter, allowing you to find the tools you need more easily. That increases your productivity.

PDF XChange Viewer allows you to open multiple PDFs at once. You'd appreciate that when researching and using multiple papers as reference materials.

PDF XChange Viewer gives you the tools you would expect a PDF viewer to have. But please note that it does not allow creating PDFs from scratch. It only enables you to view or edit existing ones.

As mentioned above, PDF XChange Viewer has a wide range of helpful tools.

What if you encounter problems while using PDF XChange Viewer? It rarely happens, but when it does, all you need to do is make a quick Google search. Several people consider this the best free PDF tool. And so, you will see a surprising number of support forums.

The teams at PDF XChange also have chatbots, and there are other ways to contact product support. They will help you quickly solve your problem.

And with all that, we can say that this free pdf tool has a great performance. It's a lot better than what you'd expect from free software.

Users' Review on PDF XChange Viewer

Users love PDF XChange Viewer for its power despite not being expensive. It has almost all the tools you would need to view, edit, and manipulate PDFs.

They also love how little PDF XChange Viewer asks for system resources. A user at Capterra website said that they used another PDF viewer in the past. The said tool is more expensive than PDF XChange Viewer. However, it crashes numerous times. So, editing PDFs was a pain. Then, they tried PDF XChange Viewer and got the tools they needed for a lower price. The best thing is that PDF XChange Viewer "allows more customization" and "hasn't crashed" since they used it. Thus, their workflow was flawless.

PDF XChange Viewer is not a perfect tool, though; it still has some imperfections. For example, some users at Capterra believe the interface is outdated. Also, one pointed out that the help section leaves something to be desired. It is not that great at explaining what each tool does. Fortunately, you can figure them out yourself easily. But that's if you are tech-savvy or relatively tech-savvy.

A user at Capterra website also complained about DRM-secured documents not always working in the free version. Whether they always work in the licensed version is also a question.

Comparison Between PDF XChange Viewer and its Alternatives

Two PDF tools stand out as alternatives to PDF XChange Viewer. They are Adobe Acrobat and Wondershare PDFelement. Adobe Acrobat is the most familiar PDF viewer and has proven to be a reliable tool.

Meanwhile, Wondershare PDFelement provides you with more features than what a basic PDF tool provides. The toolkit is a mix of basic tools for regular use and more powerful tools for those with special needs.

Here's a comparison of the three.

Don't you want to spend a dime on your PDF tool? If so, PDF XChange Viewer is an excellent choice for you. However, you can only make do with that if you need a tool only for personal use. If you are using the tool for business purposes, buying more robust software is better.

PDF XChange Pro is an excellent option. Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is also a good option. G2 graded it higher for being a good partner in doing business. PDFelement also received higher grades for product direction.

According to votes on G2, users consider that PDF XChange is easier to use than the two alternatives; PDFelement is easier to set up and admin.

Adobe Acrobat takes the cake for document protection, management, scanning, and viewing editing history. Meanwhile, PDFelemet has the best themes, graphics, and templates for document creation. PDF XChange Viewer wins when it comes to annotations, thanks to its numerous commenting tools that come for free.

Multiple Ways To Download PDF XChange Viewer

First, you can go directly to the PDF XChange website. Go to the PDF-XChange tab, then choose PDF XChange Viewer, PDF-XChange Editor, or PDF XChange Pro. Click "Free Download" or "Buy Now." Note that you can't get PDF XChange Viewer v. 2.5.322.10 via this method.

You can download PDF XChange Viewer from Tracker Software's website. Simply click "Download" and wait for it to finish.

The last method is by searching PDF XChange Editor on Microsoft App Store. Click "Get in Store App," then click "Open Microsoft Store" from the pop-up prompt. Click "Install."

Again, you can't find the base PDF XShare Viewer. But the Editor version is essentially the same program but with more features.

Conclusion

People love PDF XChange Viewer due to how helpful it is despite being free. It's so handy that the free version can compete even with paid PDF tools. But depending on your needs, other tools like Wondershare PDFelement edges out. For instance, PDFelement is much better for business purposes.

So, while PDf XChange is a fantastic tool to have, it is not always the ideal one to install for all requirements. Analyze your needs first before installing.