Vendor sources and our tests are labelled separately. Independent tests that have not been run are not implied.
Vendor documentation is shown below. Independent tests are pending. Totals show known charges in each product’s currency; no currency conversion, tax or future price increase is assumed. List charges exclude volume discounts.
PDF-XChange
Editor
Form creation and Enhanced OCR require Editor Plus. Manual offline activation needs a connected second device for the license exchange.
PDF-XChange
Editor Plus
Windows Editor Plus includes form creation and Enhanced OCR. Manual offline activation still needs a second connected device for the license exchange.
Editor or Editor Plus?
Choose Editor at USD $62 when the Plus-only jobs below are not part of your workflow. Choose Editor Plus at USD $79 when you specifically need Enhanced OCR, form-field creation or another documented Plus feature. The current single-user difference is USD $17.
Both are Windows desktop editions sold under a perpetual, per-user license. One year of maintenance is included; the license continues after maintenance ends, but new major versions require active maintenance. The primary user may install on one desktop and one secondary device, without concurrent use.
| Task | Editor | Editor Plus | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit existing PDF text | Documented | Documented | Try the same complex paragraph and reopen the saved copy in another reader. |
| Standard OCR | Documented | Documented | Inspect recognition errors and layout on your own scan. |
| Enhanced OCR | Not included | Documented Plus feature | Compare recognition and layout; the feature label does not prove a better result for every scan. |
| Create or edit fillable form fields | Not included | Documented Plus feature | Create a field, save it and test values in another reader. Filling an existing form is a different task. |
| Compare documents | Not included | Documented Plus feature | Check the exact comparison output your review process requires. |
| Dynamic stamps, form identification and placeholders | Not included | Documented Plus features | Confirm the individual tool you need before buying the higher edition. |
Local work, activation and limits
The core editor is a desktop application, but that does not mean every optional feature is offline. The vendor documents manual activation for a disconnected computer by moving a request file to a second, connected device and returning the response file. Optional cloud or AI services should be evaluated separately from local editing.
Official sources
Checked 24 Sept 2026. Prices are the vendor's displayed single-user USD prices before unconfirmed taxes or optional maintenance extensions.
Decide whether the Plus features match your tasks
Choose by the edition-specific requirement
The source documentation distinguishes enhanced OCR and form creation in Editor Plus. Select the requirement you actually need and inspect its source, date and limitations. Do not assume a higher edition makes every document task more accurate.
Test before committing to a license
Use the same file and intended workflow in the exact editions you are considering. Check the current purchase and maintenance terms on the vendor’s official pages; an unknown amount in this comparison is not a zero-cost license.