Foxit PDF Editor is a full PDF tool, and a capable one. Several people can comment on one shared copy at the same time, replies thread under a comment, and each one carries a status. It measures distance, perimeter and area against a scale you calibrate, snapping to paths, and saves every measurement in a document to a CSV file. Its free Reader does most of that at no cost. Most of what a drawing review needs, Foxit already does.
Xenmark does one job instead of all of them. A review runs across a drawing set and its revisions rather than a file, every comment is a numbered item that keeps its number for good, and the review ends in two documents that are the point of the exercise — a plan showing where each comment sits, and a spreadsheet saying what each one means, numbered to match.
For PDFs, Foxit is the better tool, and for a single paid licence it is the cheaper one. What differs is the unit: Foxit charges per paid Editor licence, Xenmark per project capacity — and Foxit reviewers take part with the free Reader. Which costs less depends on how many people need a paid Foxit licence of their own, not on how many join the review. Ours is not a cheaper or broader Foxit; it is a review workflow with a fixed handover at the end of it. If you need to mark up, edit, convert and sign PDFs of every kind, buy Foxit. Choose Xenmark when the review has to hold across drawing revisions and end in a numbered plan and a matching register.
Foxit can place auto-incrementing numbered tickmarks, and its older Windows documentation lists Comment Summary layouts that mark comments with sequence numbers. A Xenmark comment number is fixed: delete comment 5 and the gap stays, so item 12 is still item 12 in every email and every export.
On Foxit's mobile app — a PDF Editor+ feature — drawing markups on the same page can be grouped, moved together and replied to “like working on a single markup”. Xenmark combines several markers under one stable comment number and one thread as part of its review model.
A Xenmark comment belongs to the drawing revision it was raised against, and closing the project hands you every revision's exports, the attachments and the activity log in one zip. Foxit compares two versions of a PDF, which Xenmark cannot, and its document management system keeps version history — but a review tied to a drawing revision, and a spreadsheet register at the end of it, are not things it documents.
Every Foxit PDF Editor claim below is taken from Foxit PDF Editor's own published material and was last checked on 26 August 2026. Software changes; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Several things to say plainly before the table. Foxit measures distance, perimeter and area against a scale you calibrate, snapping to endpoints, paths, and an Export control on the Format panel saves all of a document's measurement information to a CSV file. It threads replies under a comment and marks it accepted, rejected, cancelled or completed. Several people can work on one copy at once. It makes reusable custom stamps, runs Guided Actions across many files, compares two versions of a PDF on both plans, and includes a document management system with version history. Its older Windows documentation lists Comment Summary layouts that join comments to their locations with connector lines, or mark them with sequence numbers.
Its free Reader is unusually capable: it measures, calibrates a scale, creates custom stamps, replies to comments, sets their status, exports them and summarises them to a PDF — and it can join a real-time collaboration and comment there. If your reviewers already have it, they are equipped.
The other half is where the evidence runs out. Foxit exports comments as FDF or XFDF interchange files or to Word, and measurements go to CSV by a separate command. Its CSV and TXT exports cover highlighted text rather than the comment list. We found nothing in Foxit's documentation describing a spreadsheet register of the comments numbered to match the plan — which is not the same as proving none exists.
| Xenmark | Foxit PDF Editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting a review | ||
| Can the person running the review start free? | Yes — the Free plan runs one active review at a time, start to finish | Partly, and the free part is substantial. Foxit PDF Reader is free and measures, stamps, comments, replies, sets status, exports comments and summarises them to a PDF. What its manual documents is joining a review rather than starting one — sending a file out for shared review or real-time collaboration is a PDF Editor action. Paid plans start at €10.96 per user / month on an annual plan. |
| Do external reviewers need a paid subscription? | No — the people you invite read, reply and download the exports without paying | No. Foxit says free PDF Reader users can join the online collaboration and add and reply to comments in real time. An internet connection and a signed-in Foxit account are required. Xenmark also asks reviewers to sign in, and neither product charges them. |
| Available platforms | Any modern browser — nothing to install, and the people you invite join from a link | Broader than ours — Windows, macOS and web on both plans. The iOS and Android apps are PDF Editor+ only. |
| How the review is structured | ||
| What the review is built from | A numbered comment. Anything drawn on the page belongs to that comment rather than standing on its own. | An annotation on a PDF — sticky note, highlight, callout, shape, freehand, stamp or measurement — each one its own comment in the list. |
| Replies | Threaded under the comment, each attributed and dated, with image attachments, and carried into the register | Yes — replies sit under a comment in its pop-up note or the Comments panel, and a reply can itself be replied to |
| Status workflow | Open, In progress and Closed — three fixed states, and the status travels into the Excel register | Yes — a comment can be set to accepted, rejected, cancelled or completed, or given a checkmark for items read or needing action, and the list can be sorted by status |
| Comment numbering | Numbers are stable — delete comment 5 and the gap stays, so item 12 still means item 12 in every email and every export | Foxit can display numbers. It ships numbered tickmarks with an Auto-Increment option, described as useful for document review, and its older Windows documentation lists Comment Summary layouts marking comments with sequence numbers. |
| One issue, several drawing locations | One comment can own several markers while keeping one number and one reply thread | Close, on mobile. Foxit’s mobile app — a PDF Editor+ feature — groups drawing markups on the same page so they move together and take reply messages “like working on a single markup”. |
| Activity history | Every action timestamped and attributed to the person who made it | Yes — every comment carries its author and timestamp, and the review Tracker manages reviews in real time, including deadlines, reviewers and comments. Foxit lists signature request tracking under PDF Editor+ rather than the cheaper plan. |
| Revision handling | Comments stay tied to the revision they were raised against, in one workflow | Foxit compares two versions of a PDF and highlights what changed — on both plans, which we cannot do at all. Its document management system keeps version history with check-in and check-out. |
| Measuring and markup | ||
| Measuring on the drawing | Length, polylength, perimeter and area, calibrated to the page scale | Distance, Perimeter and Area, with Snap to Paths and Shift held down to constrain a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally — on both plans and in the free Reader. Foxit states the measurement markups "can also be used as comments": you can reply to them, set a status and open pop-up notes. |
| Setting the drawing scale | Pick a standard scale, type your own, name the sheet size, or calibrate from a distance you already know | Calibrate from a distance you already know, then Store Scale in Page or Apply to All Pages. Scale ratios already stored in the document are used when present. |
| Building your own reusable symbols | Check, cross, attention, arrow and cloud — five fixed review symbols, not a custom library | Yes, and beyond ours. Custom stamps are created from an image file or a PDF, a clipboard image can be pasted as a stamp, and dynamic stamps are documented. The free Reader creates custom stamps too. |
| Measuring quantities for pricing a job | Not included — measurements are there to explain a comment, not to cost work | Every measurement in a document can be exported to a CSV file |
| What comes out of the review | ||
| What you send back | The two documents come out ready to send — there is nothing to set up first, because the review was structured that way from the start | A Summary of Comments PDF, plus the comments as FDF or XFDF data or exported to Word. |
| Comment plan PDF | The drawing with each comment numbered and shown where it applies | Yes. Summarize Comments produces a PDF of the document together with its comments, choosing comment types, page layout, paper size and page range. The current macOS manual names the page layout as a setting without listing the options; older Windows documentation enumerates five, including comments joined to their locations by connector lines and comments marked with sequence numbers. |
| Spreadsheet output | An Excel file listing every comment, numbered to match the PDF | Comments export as FDF or XFDF — structured files another system could process into a register — and to Word. The CSV and TXT exports Foxit documents cover highlighted text, from the Text Highlight and Area Highlight tools, rather than the comment list. |
| Measurements in the export | Drawn on the comment plan PDF where they were placed, and listed on their own sheet in the Excel file, kept separate from the comments | Yes, by a separate command — the Export control on the Format panel saves all the measurement information in the PDF to a CSV file, apart from the comment summary. |
| What you keep when the project ends | A single zip file — every revision's exports, the attachments and the full activity log, downloaded and stored on your side | The PDF and its comments are files you already hold, and Foxit’s document management system adds version history, check-in and check-out, and retention and audit features. Foxit also sells a perpetual licence, so the software need not lapse — though Foxit states that licence does not include the document management system or the cloud features. |
| Branded reports | Your company logo and text on both deliverables, inherited from Company Settings — Plus and Pro | Not as part of the comment summary itself — but headers, footers and watermarks can be placed on any PDF on both plans, so a summary can be branded once it exists. |
| What else each one does | ||
| Batch operations across many PDFs | Not included — a review works on one drawing set at a time | Yes, and beyond ours. Guided Actions run a sequence of commands across files, on both plans. |
| Comparing two drawings against each other | Not included — differences get raised as comments by the people reviewing | Yes, on both plans — Compare PDF versions highlights what changed between two versions of a file. Worth noting this sits in Foxit’s cheaper plan. |
| Working offline | Browser only, so you need a connection | Yes, and more than ours. The Windows and macOS desktop apps work on a local PDF. Real-time collaboration is the exception — it needs an internet connection and a signed-in Foxit account. |
| Storing documents long term | Not what it is for. You download the exports and keep them wherever your project records already live. | Yes — a document management system is included on both plans, with version history, check-in and check-out, and retention and audit features. |
| CAD integrations and creating PDFs from CAD | None — a review starts from a PDF that has already been produced | Yes. Foxit creates PDFs from other file formats including DWG, with an option for 3D output, and its PDF printer driver produces PDFs from AutoCAD. Foxit’s documentation states that AutoCAD must be installed for DWG conversion. |
| Connecting to a document management system | No integrations yet — the closing archive is a single zip you file wherever your records already live | Yes — its own document management system, plus Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive and Salesforce |
For a single paid licence, Foxit is cheaper than any paid Xenmark plan — and it is worth saying that before anything else. What differs is the unit. Foxit charges per paid Editor licence; Xenmark charges for the capacity to run projects, whatever number of people are in them. Foxit reviewers need no licence at all — the free Reader joins the review — so the question is how many people need Foxit of their own, not how many take part. Two paid Editor licences come to €259.34 a year together (€129.67 each), against Xenmark Plus at €179.88 a year for up to 10 project members. The tax bases also differ: Foxit states that all its prices are subject to applicable local taxes, while ours include VAT. We have not converted or adjusted either figure.
| Xenmark | Foxit PDF Editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per project capacity, monthly | Per user, on an annual plan — paid in full or billed monthly. A perpetual licence is sold separately. |
| Entry point | Free — one active review, start to finish | Free — Foxit PDF Reader comments, measures, stamps and summarises comments at no cost. A 14-day trial on the paid plans, no credit card. |
| To run a review yourself | Free | PDF Editor — the free Reader is documented as joining a review, not starting one. From €10.96 per user / month on an annual plan. |
| Paid range | €14.99 – €59.99 / month | €10.96 – €13.96 per user / month on an annual plan, or €129.67 – €159.59 per user / year paid up front |
| Invited reviewers | Free — no per-user charge; 5–30 project members depending on plan, and the person running the review is one of them | Free — the free Reader joins and comments in real time. A signed-in Foxit account is required; Xenmark asks reviewers to sign in too. |
| Tax basis | Including VAT | EUR · excluding local taxes |
Xenmark — current as of 28 August 2026. Foxit PDF Editor — checked 26 August 2026 against the euro figures on their published pricing page, which carries a EUR label on each plan and a European support signal but no country label, and which states that all prices are subject to applicable local taxes. Foxit PDF Editor sets prices by region and currency, so the same URL can serve a different market's figures — treat these as the euro figures captured on that date rather than as a standing quote. Both published terms are annual commitments: paying for the year up front, or paying that annual plan by the month. Billing monthly costs slightly more over a year than paying up front.
Yes, and it is a real one. Foxit PDF Reader is free, and Foxit describes it as the only completely free product it offers. It measures distance, perimeter and area, calibrates a scale, creates custom stamps, comments and replies, sets a comment's status, exports comments as FDF or XFDF, and summarises them into a PDF.
What its manual documents is joining a review rather than starting one. Sending a file out for shared review or real-time collaboration is a PDF Editor action, and the paid plans start at €10.96 per user per month on an annual plan, with a 14-day trial and no credit card. Xenmark Free runs one active review at a time, start to finish.
They never need to pay. Foxit's Reader manual says free Reader users can join the online collaboration on a file shared from PDF Editor and add and reply to comments in real time. An internet connection and a signed-in Foxit account are required.
Xenmark invited reviewers are free too, within the project-member limit on your plan, and they sign in as well. Neither product charges for the people you are asking for comments, and both ask them to have an account.
It produces the plan. Summarize Comments creates a PDF of the document together with its comments, and you choose which comment types to include, the page layout, the paper size and the page range. The current macOS manual names the page layout as a setting without listing the options; older Foxit documentation for Windows enumerates five, including comments joined to their locations by connector lines and comments marked with sequence numbers.
The spreadsheet half is where the evidence runs out. Comments export as FDF or XFDF interchange files, or to Word. The CSV and TXT exports Foxit documents cover highlighted text from the Text Highlight and Area Highlight tools rather than the comment list, and measurements go to their own CSV by a separate command. We found nothing describing a spreadsheet register of comments numbered to match the plan. In Xenmark the numbered plan and the Excel register are the two things a review is for.
Yes, and well. Distance, Perimeter and Area, with Snap to Paths, and Shift held down to constrain a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally. You calibrate the scale by clicking two points whose real length you know, then store that scale in the page or apply it to all pages. Foxit says the measurement markups can also be used as comments, so you can reply to them and set their status. An Export control on the Format panel saves all the measurement information in the PDF to a CSV file. The free Reader measures too.
The difference is where the numbers end up. Foxit's measurements go to a CSV by a separate command; in Xenmark they arrive on their own sheet inside the same Excel file as the comments, without a second export.
It can compare them. Foxit compares two versions of a PDF and highlights what changed, on both plans — Xenmark cannot do that at all. Its document management system keeps version history with check-in and check-out.
In Xenmark the set is the unit, comments stay attached to the revision they were raised against, and closing the project produces one zip holding every revision's exports, the attachments and the activity log.
For a single paid licence, no. Foxit PDF Editor is €129.67 per user per year paid up front, or €10.96 per user per month on an annual plan — below Xenmark Plus at €14.99 a month and well below Pro at €59.99. If one person needs it, Foxit is cheaper and far more capable for the money.
The units differ, and that is where it turns. Foxit is priced per paid Editor licence; Xenmark is priced for the capacity to run projects, whatever number of people are in them, within the plan's member limit. Foxit reviewers need no licence — the free Reader joins the review — so what counts is how many people need Foxit of their own, not how many take part. Two paid Editor licences come to €259.34 a year together, against €179.88 a year for Xenmark Plus, which carries up to 10 project members. One more thing to hold in view: Foxit states its prices are subject to applicable local taxes, while ours include VAT, so the two figures are not on the same basis.
No, and it would be a poor one. Foxit edits text and images, converts to and from Office formats, runs OCR, builds and fills forms, redacts, signs, protects, compares PDFs and manages documents, on Windows, macOS, the web and mobile. Xenmark does none of that.
Xenmark replaces the part where drawings go out for comment and something structured has to come back. Plenty of firms will keep both, and that is a reasonable outcome.
When you need a PDF tool rather than a review process — editing, converting, OCR, forms, redaction, signatures. When only one or two people need a licence of their own, because per licence it costs less. When the work is one drawing at a time and a shared copy with comments on it is the whole job. When you want to compare two versions of a file, or run the same commands across many of them. When people need a desktop app or need to work offline. When you want reusable custom stamps. And when you need documents stored, versioned and audited long term, because Xenmark hands you the exports and leaves the filing to you.
We sell Xenmark, so this is not an independent review. We have tried to describe Foxit PDF Editor accurately, and every Foxit PDF Editor claim on this page rests on Foxit PDF Editor's own published documentation. The documents are named below. Capabilities and pricing change. Foxit PDF Editor feature information was last checked against that documentation on 26 August 2026, and the pricing on 26 August 2026.
Foxit PDF Editor's manuals are linked, so almost every claim here can be checked against the source it rests on. The pricing page is named rather than linked, because a pricing page is a shopfront. Two caveats worth knowing. Most claims here rest on Foxit PDF Editor's current 2026 manuals, but one pair rests on older Foxit PDF Editor documentation for Windows — the five Comment Summary layouts, including the sequence-numbered ones — and we have not been able to confirm those layouts are still in the current desktop release. The page reports both and claims neither. And one row is deliberately incomplete: Foxit PDF Editor's page on what must be installed to convert DWG files would not load for us, so the CAD row credits Foxit PDF Editor with the conversion and says nothing either way about its requirements.
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