Foxit Software Review
Nov 8, 2018 - Foxit Phantom PDF is among the best PDF conversion software apps on the market. Learn why in our review.
Foxit Reader creates, converts, and edits PDFs (including secure documents), accepts plug-ins, and makes it easy to collaborate and share documents by email and social media.
Pros
Layout: Foxit Reader's layout takes design cues from Office, like the ribbon-style main toolbar, though the software has its own touches, like the Quick Access Toolbar. Nearly everything can be customized.
Protect: Foxit Reader's security features include DocuSign options on the Protect tab.
Read out loud: The View tab's Read feature can read documents out loud through headphones or your PC's loudspeakers. Sliders adjust speech rate and volume.
Support: Hundreds of millions of users have helped Foxit's developers work the bugs out of Reader and add the features and extras that work best. Help is available in abundance, including manuals, error reports, and Command Line Help.
Cons
Complicated: Despite a well-designed interface, Foxit Reader can seem busy and complicated. You can customize things to suit your needs, but that's another complication. Since cost isn't an issue, more basic one-function PDF utilities sometimes offer faster solutions.
Bottom Line
Foxit Reader isn't the only excellent freeware PDF solution out there, but it's certainly one of the top few. Business-oriented upgrades are available for a price, but the freeware has more than enough for most users.
What do you need to know about free software?
Industry | Software |
---|---|
Founded | 2001 |
Founder | Eugene Y. Xiong |
Headquarters | Fremont, California, United States |
World Wide | |
Key people | Chairman and Founder: Eugene Y. Xiong, CEO: George Z Gao, CTO; Steven Li |
Products | PDF software (Foxit Reader) and development kits |
Over 325 (7 offices worldwide) | |
Website | www.foxitsoftware.com www.connectedpdf.com |
Foxit Software, Inc. develops Portable Document Format (PDF) software and tools used to create, edit, sign, and secure files and digital documents.[1] It is a multinational software technology corporation headquartered in Fremont, California,[2] with offices in Berlin,[3] Beijing, Fuzhou, South Yarra, Australia and other locations.[4][5] There are about 425 million Foxit users, with sales to more than 100,000 customers in 200 countries around the world.[6][7]
- 1History
- 3Business development
History[edit]
Foxit Software was founded in 2001[5] by Eugene Y. Xiong to develop similar PDF software products to those from Adobe Systems and other PDF vendors, and offer them at lower prices.[2]
In 2009 Foxit Software Company incorporated as Foxit Corporation.[5]
Standards involvement[edit]
Foxit has contributed to the evolution of the ISO 32000 standard and is currently active in new PDF standard initiatives. The company also played a role in development of the ISO 19005 standard, also known as PDF/A, for long term archiving of documents.[5][8]
Key people[edit]
- Eugene Y. Xiong, Founder and Chairman of the Board [9]
- George Z. Gao, CEO and Director [10]
- Steven Li, Chief Technology Officer
- Phil Lee, Chief Revenue Officer
- Frank Kettenstock, VP of Marketing
- Carsten Heiermann, CEO of Foxit Europe
- Karl De Abrew, Chief Information Officer
- Susana De Abrew, CEO of Foxit SDK BU
Business development[edit]
Foxit Reader[edit]
The company’s first product, Foxit Reader, was released in 2004.[5] It provides a way to view, create and sign PDF files, and add annotations to them.[11] Foxit Reader 3.0 offers comparable functionality to Adobe Reader.[12] Older versions were notable for their speed and small file sizes.[13] Foxit released version 8.0 in 2016.[14] The software is pre-installed on Windows PCs from HP, Acer, and ASUS.[15] Foxit released version 9.0 in 2017.The software is available as a freeware download for PCs running Windows 7, MacOS and Linux.[16][17]
Foxit PhantomPDF[edit]
Foxit PhantomPDF, a multi-feature PDF editor, was released in 2008. Foxit PhantomPDF has an interface that holds many advanced, PDF editing and security features.[5][18] Foxit released version 8.0 in 2016.[14]
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ConnectedPDF[edit]
Foxit Software released ConnectedPDF in 2016. ConnectedPDF extends the traditional portable document format by associating a unique identifier with each PDF, thereby enabling capabilities such as file update notifications, document locating and tracking, shared and synchronized review and mark-up, and remote digital rights management and protection.[19]
ConnectedPDF is not a stand-alone product. Functionality is embedded within some of Foxit’s PDF software products. ConnectedPDF is included in the latest releases of Foxit PhantomPDF (version ≥8), Foxit Reader (version ≥8) and Foxit MobilePDF (version ≥5).[19]
PDF Compressor[edit]
Foxit PDF Compressor converts scanned documents to PDF or PDF/A, compresses them and uses integrated OCR technology to make them fully text searchable.
Rendition Server[edit]
Foxit Rendition Server is an on-premises web service for centralized document conversion to PDF and PDF/A. It enables the construction of a powerful transformation infrastructure which can be addressed by a wide range of programs and environments through a web service interface.
OEM relationships[edit]
The company has developed original equipment manufacturer relationships with a variety of businesses. Foxit’s technology is an enabling technology at the heart of Amazon Kindle,[20]Gmail and Google Chrome,[21] and the company also provides the rendering engine that powers Google's open-source PDFium project.[22]
SDKs[edit]
Foxit also provides a variety of PDF software development kits (SDKs) for developers wanting to create custom PDF applications.[23]
Acquisitions[edit]
Foxit has grown organically and through several acquisitions.
Company | Date of Close | Focus Area |
---|---|---|
CVISION Technologies | August 2017 | CVISION’s solutions create efficiently captured documents through accurate optical character recognition and advanced file compression. |
Sumilux | July 2016 | Sumilux builds a cloud-based collaboration platform supporting the secure sharing and control of documents, as well as all the related real-time interactions. This platform is unique in its capability to manage documents even when they are offline.[24] |
Debenu | March 2016 | Debenu, led by a team with over 15 years' experience from Corporate Pharmaceutical as a US FDA regulations specialist, builds SDK technology to help everyone interacting with PDF to 'connect' and work more productively, from developers to end users.[25] |
LuraTech | October 2015 | PDF and PDF/A software solutions for server-side document compression and conversion, in businesses and institutions.[26] |
Dataintro | August 2014 | Dataintro specializes in Data Collection technologies and utilizes tools that go from electronic forms to client-server applications to provide products and services, which are oriented to provide the highest quality data to back-end systems for processing.[27] |
Products[edit]
Product Name | Description |
---|---|
PhantomPDF | Multi-feature PDF software to view, create, edit, collaborate, share, secure, organize, export, OCR, secure, sign and track PDFs. Available in two editions: Standard and Business.[28] |
Reader | Free PDF viewer to read, edit and print documents and files. Also available as an app for Android, iOS and Windows portable devices.[29] |
PDF Compressor | Enterprise-scale software for server-based document conversion and compression of PDF and PDF/A-format files.[30] |
Rendition Server | Enterprise-scale software for centralized conversion of documents to PDF from all IT systems and applications.[31] |
PDF SDK | Platform-independent PDF libraries that allow developers to extend the reach of their software to different business systems.[32] |
Foxit Phantompdf Reviews
PDF Association[edit]
Foxit Software is an active member of the PDF Association. LuraTech, acquired by Foxit in 2015, was a founding member of the PDF Association. Carsten Heiermann, founder and CEO of the LuraTech group, is member of the association’s board.[33] Thomas Zellmann, who joined LuraTech in 2001, is the association’s Managing Director.[34]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Moorcraft, Bethan. 'Time for insurance to ditch paper - there's a new solution'. Insurance Business. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
- ^ ab'Planet PDF - PDF Master Series III: Eugene Y. Xiong talks with Planet PDF'. www.planetpdf.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Planet PDF - Foxit Acquires LuraTech'. www.planetpdf.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Learn More About cPDF'. www.connectedpdf.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^ abcdeMBDA (2011-05-26). 'MBDA Helps Foxit Software Innovate Beyond Borders MBDA Web Portal'. www.mbda.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^Mediamax. 'Findo announces closure of USD 7 Million Seed Funding Round'. iTel.am. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^Findo. 'Findo Announces Closure of $7 Million Seed Funding Round with Investment and Integration from Foxit'. www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Ratgeber Langzeitarchivierung: Sicher archivieren mit PDF/A - computerwoche.de'. www.computerwoche.de. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Recent PDF Innovations Offer Organizations Unique and Exciting Opportunities In 2018'. CEOWORLD magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^'George Z. Gao: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg'. www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Reader'. TechRadar. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'The best free PDF reader 2016'. TechRadar. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Software Foxit Reader 3.0'. PC World. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^ ab'Foxit Launches ConnectedPDF'. KMWorld Magazine. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Deal Brings PDF Software to Asus, Acer PCs, Laptops'. thevarguy.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Reader 9.0 unveils single-key accelerators, plus improves search, commenting and accessibility tools from Softwarecrew Software Reviews, News, Tips & Tricks'. www.softwarecrew.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
- ^'Foxit Reader 9.0 major new version released - gHacks Tech News'. gHacks Technology News. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
- ^'Foxit PhantomPDF Review, 2016 Top Ten Reviews'. TopTenREVIEWS. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^ ab'Foxit Introduces PDF Workflow That Will Rock Team Collaboration'. smallbiztrends.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^Brian, Matt (2011-12-06). 'Amazon Invests in Foxit to Boost Kindle PDF Support'. The Next Web. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Google Chrome PDF Engine is now Open Source'. InfoQ. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^Garthwaite, Emily. 'Google throws PDFium into the open source community'. IT Pro Portal. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Updates PDF Software Development Kit for Android and iOS/'. App Developer Magazine. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'oxit Software Announces Acquisition of Cloud Messaging Provider, Sumilux Technologies'. Foxit. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^'Foxit Software Acquires Debenu, a Leader in Software Developer Tools for the Global PDF Marketplace'. Foxit. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^'Foxit® acquires LuraTech, leader for server side PDF conversion and compression'. Foxit. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^'Foxit® acquires data capture leader Dataintro Software'. Foxit. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^'Foxit Phantom PDF review: An easy alternative to Acrobat for editing PDFs'. PCWorld. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit Reader Portable PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives'. PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable, and cloud drives. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'LuraTech PDF Compressor'. Foxit. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Foxit and LuraTech – PDF Association'. www.pdfa.org. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'PDF SDK - Foxit SDK - Proven, robust, and battle-tested'. Foxit SDK - Proven, robust, and battle-tested. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Board – PDF Association'. www.pdfa.org. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^'Staff – PDF Association'. www.pdfa.org. Retrieved 2016-12-04.