ExhibitSet vs Adobe Acrobat Pro
Acrobat Pro is the general-purpose incumbent; almost every task is possible, and almost every task is manual. ExhibitSet is a single-purpose tool for litigation productions.
Updated September 5, 2026. Facts about Adobe Acrobat Pro are taken from its public website and pricing page on that date and may have changed since. ExhibitSet's column describes the early-access build. Names belong to their owners and are cited for comparison only.
| ExhibitSet (early access) | Adobe Acrobat Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Files stay on your computer | Yes, by design | Mostly; some features use Adobe cloud services |
| Runs in the browser, no install | Yes (Chrome, Edge) | Desktop install, plus a web version with fewer features |
| Bates numbering | Automatic, continuous across files and productions | Yes, manual setup per batch |
| Exhibit labels | Yes | Manual, via stamps or headers |
| True redaction | Yes, with automatic verification | Yes; verification is your job |
| Search-and-redact with patterns | Yes | Yes |
| OCR | Yes, in browser | Yes |
| Index and bookmarks that rebuild when the set changes | Yes | Manual; bookmarks and TOC must be redone by hand |
| Court filing checks | Yes, court profiles | Print preflight only, not court rules |
| Remembers the last Bates number per matter | Yes | No |
| Production log with file fingerprints | Yes | No |
| Price | Free plan; $19.99 per user per month billed yearly, never more than $279.72 a month for the whole firm up to 28 users, $9.99 per user beyond that | $19.99 per user per month on an annual plan, $29.99 month to month |
Which one should you pick?
Acrobat Pro is the right tool if you need a general PDF editor and are comfortable doing productions by hand, step by step, every time. ExhibitSet is built for the person who does the same production workflow every week and wants it automated, logged and checked, without a client document ever leaving the machine.
Frequently asked questions
Can Acrobat do Bates numbering?
Yes. Acrobat Pro includes Bates numbering under its header-and-footer tools. It is applied per batch and does not track the last number used on a matter.
Does Acrobat verify redactions?
Acrobat's redaction tool removes content, but it does not re-check the output for you. Verification remains a manual step.