PDFs are part of everyday work for most not-for-profits, from funding applications and contracts to policies, reports, forms and communications. But the right Adobe Acrobat option depends on what your team needs to do with those documents.
Adobe Acrobat Pro provides advanced tools for creating, editing, protecting and managing PDFs, while Adobe Acrobat Studio builds on Acrobat Pro with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, PDF Spaces and Adobe Express Premium.
So which option is right for your organisation?
Adobe Acrobat Pro: for more advanced document workflows
Acrobat Pro provides advanced tools for organisations working with complex documents, forms, accessibility or sensitive information.
It can turn scanned documents into searchable and editable PDFs using optical character recognition (OCR), compare different versions of documents, permanently redact sensitive information, create fillable forms and help teams prepare accessible PDFs.
Acrobat Pro may be better suited to organisations that need to:
- convert scanned documents into searchable and editable PDFs
- compare different versions of documents
- create fillable forms
- permanently redact sensitive information
- create and validate accessible PDFs
- prepare documents for compliance with PDF standards
- manage more advanced electronic signature workflows.
Note: AI Assistant for Acrobat is available as an add-on purchase with Acrobat Pro.
Adobe Acrobat Studio: for AI-powered document and content workflows
Acrobat Studio builds on Acrobat Pro by bringing together Acrobat Pro, Adobe Express Premium and generative AI-powered document intelligence in one platform.
Its AI Assistant and PDF Spaces tools can help teams work across large amounts of information. You can ask questions about documents, summarise long or complex files, identify important information and work across multiple documents in one workspace.
PDF Spaces bring together files, web links, notes, insights and next steps, helping teams organise information around a particular project or piece of work.
Studio also includes Adobe Express Premium, adding tools for creating presentations, social media content, videos, flyers and other communications. Teams can use templates, brand controls, resizing and translation tools, generative AI features and shared asset libraries to move from document insights to finished content without switching between as many platforms.
Acrobat Studio may suit organisations that want to:
- summarise and analyse large or complex documents using AI
- find information across multiple documents
- bring project information together in PDF Spaces
- turn document insights into presentations, social media content and other communications
- create and manage on-brand templates and content
- combine advanced PDF, AI and content creation tools in one platform.
Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Studio: which should you choose?
The best option depends on your organisation needs.
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | Adobe Acrobat Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Organisations that need advanced PDF, compliance, accessibility and document management tools | Organisations that want advanced PDF tools plus AI-powered document analysis and content creation |
| Create and edit PDFs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Convert and combine files | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comment, share and collaborate | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electronic signatures | ✓ | ✓ |
| Password protection and document security | ✓ | ✓ |
| Optical character recognition (OCR) for scanned documents | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compare document versions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Permanent redaction of sensitive information | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create fillable forms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced accessibility and PDF compliance tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Assistant | Available as an add-on | ✓ Included |
| PDF Spaces for analysing multiple documents and sources | – | ✓ |
| AI-powered summaries and insights | – | ✓ |
| Adobe Express Premium | – | ✓ |
| Create presentations, social media content, videos and other creative assets | – | ✓ |
| Brand templates and advanced content creation tools | – | ✓ |
| In simple terms | Advanced PDF tools | Advanced PDF tools, AI and content creation |
Pricing
For organisations considering AI-powered document tools, it’s also worth comparing the cost of Acrobat Pro for Teams with the AI Assistant add-on against Acrobat Studio.
Based on the indicative not-for-profit pricing below, Acrobat Studio is lower priced across all three licence tiers.
All prices below exclude GST, are based on annual subscription terms and are indicative not-for-profit pricing only.
| Number of licences | Acrobat Pro for Teams + AI Assistant add-on | Acrobat Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 10 licences | $459.25 | $410.38 |
| 10–49 licences | $413.26 | $389.83 |
| 50–99 licences | $382.60 | $369.27 |
This means organisations looking to add an AI Assistant to Acrobat Pro may find that Acrobat Studio offers a lower indicative annual price and includes PDF Spaces and Adobe Express Premium.
Access Adobe Acrobat through TechSoup New Zealand
Whether you need straightforward PDF tools, advanced document management or a broader AI-powered platform for working with information and creating content, there is an Adobe Acrobat option to suit different ways of working.
Explore the Adobe offers available through TechSoup New Zealand and find the right option for your organisation.
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