Brandwave

How popular isAdobe Acrobat?

In September 2026, people searched for Adobe Acrobat by name about 3.6 million times worldwide, a 25.5% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 5% of all global PDF editor searches, placing Adobe Acrobat second out of 13 editors. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about PDF editors, Adobe Acrobat appeared in all answers and was the most recommended of the 13.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Adobe Acrobat is the second most searched of 13 competitors and the most recommended in AI answers.

  1. iLovePDFShare of searches 86.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  2. Adobe AcrobatShare of searches 5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. SejdaShare of searches 3.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. SmallpdfShare of searches 2.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. PDF24Share of searches 1.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+8 more

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Top PDF editors in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Acrobat appeared in all five answers. Adobe Acrobat is the most recommended of the 13.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Adobe Acrobat1st
  2. PDFgear2nd
  3. Foxit3rd
  4. PDF Expert4th
  5. pdfFiller5th
  6. PDF-XChange6th
  7. PDFescape7th
  8. iLovePDF–
  9. Sejda–
  10. Smallpdf–
  11. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Adobe Acrobat5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PDFgear5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Foxit4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • PDF Expert3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • PDF-XChange2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • pdfFiller2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PDFescape1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • iLovePDF0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sejda0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Smallpdf0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+3 more

See every answer about PDF editors

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Which PDF editors compete with Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat against PDF editors worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for iLovePDF, Adobe Acrobat, Sejda, Smallpdf. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthiLovePDFAdobe AcrobatSejdaSmallpdfPDF24FoxitPDFgearPDF-XChangePDFescapeNitropdfFillerXodoPDF Expert
Oct 202582.4%7.3%3.3%2.8%1.5%0.88%0.37%0.45%0.45%0.19%0.22%0.11%0.06%
Nov 202583.7%6.2%3.4%2.8%1.5%0.78%0.3%0.41%0.37%0.2%0.17%0.11%0.06%
Dec 202583.4%5.9%3.7%3.1%1.4%0.83%0.4%0.4%0.33%0.18%0.19%0.12%0.05%
Jan 202682.1%6.8%3.6%3%1.6%0.83%0.49%0.49%0.4%0.21%0.23%0.12%0.07%
Feb 202681.7%7.5%3.6%3.1%1.6%0.83%0.4%0.39%0.32%0.18%0.19%0.1%0.05%
Mar 202683.4%6.4%3.4%2.8%1.5%0.78%0.45%0.45%0.3%0.17%0.22%0.09%0.06%
Apr 202684%5.8%3.4%2.8%1.5%0.78%0.46%0.42%0.31%0.17%0.17%0.09%0.05%
May 202684%6.1%3.4%2.8%1.5%0.7%0.37%0.37%0.31%0.17%0.15%0.09%0.05%
Jun 202685.4%5.3%3.1%2.9%1.4%0.61%0.34%0.34%0.23%0.16%0.16%0.07%0.04%
Jul 202684.4%5.8%3.4%2.6%1.5%0.69%0.46%0.37%0.25%0.21%0.14%0.08%0.04%
Aug 202685.5%5%3.5%2.4%1.5%0.68%0.38%0.35%0.25%0.18%0.14%0.08%0.04%
Sep 202686.1%5%3.1%2.1%1.7%0.63%0.34%0.34%0.23%0.16%0.13%0.07%0.04%

  1. 1.iLovePDF

    86.1%

    Held 1st. 62.1M estimated branded searches, +12.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  2. 2.Adobe Acrobat

    5%

    Held 2nd. 3.6M estimated branded searches, +11.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  3. 3.Sejda

    3.1%

    Held 3rd. 2.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  4. 4.Smallpdf

    2.1%

    Held 4th. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +0.16% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  5. 5.PDF24

    1.7%

    Held 5th. 1.2M estimated branded searches, +22% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.Foxit

    0.63%

    Held 6th. 453K estimated branded searches, +2.5% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.PDFgear

    0.34%

    Held 7th. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.PDF-XChange

    0.34%

    Held 8th. 245K estimated branded searches, +8.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.PDFescape

    0.23%

    Held 9th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Nitro

    0.16%

    Held 10th. 116K estimated branded searches, -3.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.pdfFiller

    0.13%

    Held 11th. 93.2K estimated branded searches, +0.19% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Xodo

    0.07%

    Held 12th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  13. 13.PDF Expert

    0.04%

    Held 13th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Adobe Acrobat and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Adobe Acrobat

18 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Adobe Acrobat changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Adobe Acrobat worldwide fell from 4.9M to 3.6M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Acrobat’s share of searches among PDF editors worldwide decreased from 7.3% to 5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Acrobat’s share of searches among PDF editors worldwide peaked at 7.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 5% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for PDF editors worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, iLovePDF gained share of searches among PDF editors worldwide, from 85.5% to 86.1%.

  2. Smallpdf’s share of searches among PDF editors worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.9% to 2.1% in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for PDF24 worldwide rose 22% over 12 measured months, from 1M to 1.2M in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for PDFescape worldwide fell 45.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 165K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for pdfFiller worldwide fell 37% over 12 measured months, from 148K to 93.2K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Xodo worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 49.5K in September 2026.

How are Adobe Acrobat’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adobe Acrobat’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • acrobat reader
  • adobe acrobat
  • adobe acrobat reader
  • adobe reader

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Do you work for Adobe Acrobat? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does Adobe Acrobat compete?

Adobe Acrobat is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
PDF editors2nd of 135%Shown above
AI PDF tools2nd of 712.8%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Adobe Acrobat your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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