Comparison Table
Development Timeline
- Acrobat Reader 1 for Macintosh released in June 1993, then later for DOS and Windows 3.1.
- Acrobat Reader 2 for Windows and Macintosh released September 1994, and free.
- Acrobat Reader 3 released 1996. First version to supported forms and to display PDF files in an Internet browser.
- Acrobat Reader 4 released April 1999:
- Acrobat Reader 5 released May 2001:
- Adobe Reader 6 released April 2003
- Adobe Acrobat 7 released January 2005
- Adobe Acrobat 8 released November 2006
- Adobe Acrobat 9 announced in June 2008 for a July 2008
| Acrobat 9 Standard | Acrobat 9 Pro | Acrobat 9 Pro Extended | |
| Author, store, and share documents, and share your screen, using Acrobat.com services | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Experience richer content and greater interactivity with native support for Adobe® Flash® technology | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create PDF documents from any application that prints | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Convert Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access files to PDF with one-button ease | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capture web pages as rich, dynamic PDF files for review and archiving | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Archive e-mail or e-mail folders from Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scan paper documents to PDF and automatically recognize text with optical character recognition (OCR) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Save PDF files as Microsoft Word documents, retaining the layout, fonts, formatting, and tables, to facilitate reuse of content | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Help protect PDF documents with 256-bit encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apply restrictions on printing, copying, and altering PDF documents | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Examine documents for hidden information and delete as needed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Merge files from multiple applications into a single PDF document | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Assemble a wide range of content types in a polished, organized PDF Portfolio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review documents using familiar commenting tools such as sticky notes, highlighting, lines, shapes, and stamps partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manage shared document reviews that allow review participants to see one another's comments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enable real-time collaboration with synchronized document views and chat | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Digitally sign PDF documents partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certify PDF documents using digital IDs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Easily create fillable PDF forms from paper or existing files using the Form Wizard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distribute PDF forms to collect information and track their status | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enable users of Adobe Reader® (version 8 or later) to fill in and save PDF forms locally | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Convert documents to PDF/A for archiving with easy search and retrieval | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Validate documents for conformance to ISO standards PDF/A, PDF/E, and PDF/X | No | Yes | Yes |
| Personalize a PDF Portfolio with customizable templates for navigation and branding | No | Yes | Yes |
| Permanently delete sensitive information, including specific text or illustrations, with redaction tools | No | Yes | Yes |
| Convert Autodesk® AutoCAD®, Microsoft Visio, and Microsoft Project files to PDF with one-button ease, preserving document layers in Visio and AutoCAD and object data in Visio | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enable users of Adobe Reader (version 8 or later) to digitally sign PDF documents | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compare and highlight the differences between two versions of a PDF document | No | Yes | Yes |
| Create dynamic XML forms with Adobe LiveCycle® Designer ES (included) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Preview, preflight, correct, and prepare PDF files for high-end print production and digital publishing | No | Yes | Yes |
| Create and validate accessible PDF documents | No | Yes | Yes |
| Insert FLV or H.264 video for direct playback in Adobe Acrobat® and Adobe Reader | No | Yes | Yes |
| Easily add audio, video, and quizzes to your PowerPoint slides and create rich, interactive presentations with Adobe Presenter (included) | No | No | Yes |
| Convert a variety of video formats to FLV for playback in PDF | No | No | Yes |
| Embed video in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint and convert to FLV in PDF | No | No | Yes |
| Convert 3D content to PDF for cross-platform sharing and collaboration | No | No | Yes |
| Combine multiple CAD formats in one assembly and save as PDF with Adobe 3D Reviewer (included) | No | No | Yes |
| Convert 2D and 3D designs from major CAD applications to PDF for use by extended teams without expensive CAD or viewer software | No | No | Yes |
| Create PDF maps by importing geospatial files that retain metadata and coordinates | No | No | Yes |
