Xodo Review 2024:
I Tried it for 14 days, Here's
What I Found [3 Pros, 5 Cons]

• Xodo Review Summary
• 3 Things Xodo Does Well
• 5 Big Mistakes Xodo Makes
• What Does Xodo Cost?
• What are Some Xodo alternatives?
• Is Xodo Legit? - Final Verdict

Xodo Review Summary

3 Things Xodo Does Well

• Cross-platform access: If you want to use it on your phone, tablet, or computer, you can switch between devices pretty easily since it works on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and even on the web.
 
• Advanced file conversion: You can actually convert PDFs into other formats like XLSX, which is handy if you deal with tables or want to work with your PDF data in Excel without using a separate app.
 
• Annotation and redaction: It lets you mark up, highlight, sign, and even redact info from PDFs, so you’re able to handle a lot of stuff, including keeping some details hidden when needed.
 
• More on how Xodo stands out below.

5 Worst Things About Xodo

• Horrible Customer Service: If you ever need help or want a refund, good luck! The support takes forever to reply, and even then, they just ask silly questions and don’t actually fix anything.
 
• Forces You Into Pricey Subscriptions: Xodo signs you up for expensive plans, but here’s the kicker—any credits you don’t use just vanish, so you end up paying too much every month for stuff you never even get to use.
 
• Missing Key Features: You can't add things like sound clips or convert file types, so if you need a bit more than just reading PDFs, you’re totally out of luck with Xodo.
 
• Bugs and Crashes All the Time: Xodo is full of weird glitches—sometimes files just won’t open, or the app freezes up, forcing you to restart and slowing everything down when you’re in a hurry.
 
• Possible Fraud Charges: Some people have gotten billed for stuff they didn’t even buy and called Xodo “scammers,” so you really have to watch your credit card with this app.
 

What Does Xodo Cost?

• Online Web Plan – For $12.99 per month (that’s for just 1 license), you get 30+ tools like OCR, file converters, and Xodo Drive storage. You can download as many docs as you want and use the AskPDF AI thing, which is pretty neat. The big thing is–you only get web access, so you need internet for this one.
 
• PDF Studio Desktop Plan – This is $19.99 a month, again for one user. You’re getting 60+ tools here, with some pro stuff like redaction, encryption, and cool digital signatures. What I really like is it works offline on Windows, Mac, and Linux, so your files stay private. Still, it’s kinda pricey for just desktop stuff.
 
• All-in-One Document Suite – This one’s the biggie at $24.99 per month and it covers one license too. You get everything – web, desktop, mobile, plus the fancy tools, batch stuff, and priority support. It’s super handy if you need it everywhere, but honestly, it’s the most expensive option, and can add up fast if you need more than one seat.
 
• So should you buy Xodo? I’d say maybe not, unless you really need all those pro features. The starter plan is alright, but these prices feel high if you just want basic PDF stuff or if you need it for a whole team.

Xodo Review - What Does it Do Well?

1. Cross-platform access:
   • You can use Xodo on your phone, tablet, or computer, and switch between devices without losing your work.
    
   • Users like that it runs on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and even right in your browser if you want.
    
   • A lot of people who are always on the move say it saves time since editing works both on desktop and mobile.
 
2. Advanced file conversion:
   • If you need to turn a PDF into an Excel spreadsheet, you can do it right inside Xodo.
    
   • People say converting to XLSX is helpful for handling tables and getting data into presentations, especially for sharing.
    
   • This feature means you don’t need a totally different app just to get your info out of a PDF.
 
3. Annotation and redaction:
   • You can highlight stuff, add notes, sign documents, or hide personal info right in the doc.
    
   • Reviewers mention the redaction tool works better than what is in other basic PDF editors.
    
   • Being able to quickly edit, protect, or sign a PDF, especially on the go, makes it more useful for daily tasks.

“Xodo PDF Studio is a top PDF editor. First, Xodo PDF Studio is a simple PDF editor. There is no learning curve at all, so you can master this PDF software pretty fast. Second, I found that it has advanced PDF reader and editor functions. It's clearly among the more advanced PDF editors I tested so far. Furthermore, it offers affordable pricing, especially for teams with more than 20 seats, as they receive an additional 15% discount. Moreover, I wanted to highlight the redaction tool, as it was quite useful during my Xodo PDF editor review, and many other software do not offer this. Lastly, it is great that there is a cross-platform usage on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, even if this is included in the Document Suite plan.” ― Aron K. Tech Writer Small-Business

Xodo Review - What Does it Get Seriously Wrong?

• Horrible Customer Service
  • When you have a problem, Xodo's support tells you to email them, but you’re stuck waiting at least 24 hours just for a useless reply that doesn’t actually help you fix anything.
   
  • If you can’t even login, it takes days or sometimes even weeks before anyone gets back to you, and in the meantime, you're just stuck and frustrated.
   
  • From my own experience, their help team usually asks questions that make you feel like they’re not even reading your emails or that they don’t understand the problem at all.
 
• Forces You Into Pricey Subscriptions
  • Xodo gets you to sign up for a pricey monthly plan, but if you don’t use your perks or credits that month, they just disappear—so you’re paying for nothing a lot of the time.
   
  • Plenty of users—including myself—find their subscription confusing because it auto-renews and doesn’t warn you, so you can get charged again even if you’re not paying attention.
   
  • You can’t roll over anything you’ve paid for to the next month, so unless you use every single credit, you basically lose your money and value really fast.
 
Here's a review by Wayne GB talking about their login issues:
 

“Cannot login for 3 days, their support is useless. Cannot login for 3 days, their support is useless, no online chat support, as they tell you to go to email, then you wait 24 hours before a stupid reply like someone that does not know computers is asking you stupid questions, really useless.” ― Wayne GB

 
• Missing Key Features
  • Unlike other PDF tools, Xodo won’t let you add sound clips or convert files to other formats, so if you try to do anything extra, you just hit a dead end right away.
   
  • If you ever want to go beyond simple PDF reading or some light annotating, you’re totally out of luck since Xodo is missing even basic tools found in cheaper apps.
   
  • Personally, I find it super limiting that I can’t just convert my files without opening another app—makes work take way longer than it should.
 
• Bugs and Crashes All the Time
  • Xodo is full of weird bugs—sometimes files just won’t open, or the app just freezes, and you have to restart everything and wait, wasting way too much time.
   
  • Even if you want to work with more than a few files, Xodo glitches out or stops working, forcing you to restart your batch from scratch, which is super annoying.
   
  • I’ve run into all sorts of odd interface problems, from buttons that don’t work to menus that disappear, and every time, it kills your productivity.
 
• Possible Fraud Charges
  • Some people have gotten billed for stuff they didn’t sign up for, and they call Xodo scammers because charges just pop up on your card for things you never bought.
   
  • This means you really need to keep an eye on your statements, because they don’t warn you, and it’s honestly scary not knowing if your account is safe.
   
  • Even from what I’ve seen online, once these charges happen, getting your money back or help from the team is almost impossible, which just isn’t cool.
 
Here's a review by Stephen M. President talking about their experience using the software:
 

“DO NOT BUY THIS GARBAGE” ― Stephen M. President

Review Details:
• Used the software for: Less than 6 months
• Date of Review: January 25, 2024
• Rating: 1.0
• Pros: Nothing; it doesn't work at all except on 1-6 files at a time
• Cons: Extremely poor UI, XODO drive useless, Bad caches; have to restart each batch from scratch, Can't batch convert large batches, Tons of odd UI bugs
• Reason for choosing Xodo: Idiocy

What Does Xodo Cost?

• This is the "cheapest" Xodo plan, but honestly, $6 a month stacks up real quick, especially since you’re being charged every single month.
 
• You get unlimited downloads and can use things like text editing, OCR (which is just turning images or scans into text), and bulk file processing. But, it only works online, so you have to be connected all the time.
 
• I tried this plan and felt like I was paying mainly for basics you can get elsewhere for way less. And if you skip a month, you still have to pay for features you didn’t even touch last month. Total waste.

• This one’s double the price, but you get more tools—over 30 document options—like PDF converters, compression, and something called AskPDF AI summarizer (it summarizes your docs, but honestly, I found similar tools for free online).
 
• You get unlimited downloads, some cloud storage (Xodo Drive), and batch file processing. But again, you’re still stuck paying $13 every month even if you barely use it.
 
• I actually forgot about my subscription for a while, and guess what? My money’s gone, and I can’t get back anything I didn’t use. Xodo doesn’t refund those unused “credits.”

• This plan is closer to $20 a month, and for that price, you do get more: 60+ tools, including advanced PDF editing, offline use (so you can work without internet), privacy features, and connects to things like Google Drive and Dropbox.
 
• They say you can get a “perpetual license” (meaning you can just buy it once), but the price listed is still per month—so be careful, because if you buy monthly, you only get access as long as you keep paying.
 
• I thought offline access would be huge, but in real life, I rarely needed it and still got billed every month anyway. Plus, most people don’t need all these “enterprise” features.
 
• Those privacy/security options are nice, but honestly most normal users barely touch them, so you’re paying extra for stuff you won’t even use.

• This plan is the "premium" option at $25 a month—for just one seat! That’s basically what I pay for my Netflix and Disney+ combined, except at least those I use for fun.
 
• You get absolutely everything: access to web, desktop, AND mobile; unlimited actions and downloads; onboarding support; and priority customer help. Sure, it’s convenient, but again, do you really need all of this every single month?
 
• Most regular folks (like me) won’t take advantage of fancy features such as team onboarding or crazy advanced PDF tools. So, unless you’re running a whole office, you’ll just be overpaying.
 
• Biggest downside? You’re still being forced to fork over $25 every single month, and if you want to stop, you lose access. No rolling over anything. No refunds. Never-ending payments.

• There’s no annoying subscription. You pay just once—as low as $9 for 5,000 words—and your credits NEVER EXPIRE. That means you use what you need, when you need it, and don’t pay for months you skip.
 
• AIDetectPlus gives you way more than just PDF tools: you get AI detection, humanizer, plagiarism checks, Chat with PDF, summarization, paraphrasing, all bundled in one place. Compare that to Xodo, where each extra feature increases your bill.
 
• You only pay again if you want more credits. Your previous credits? You keep them as long as you want. That’s honestly the fairest way.
 
• I love not having to worry about “use-it-or-lose-it” with AIDetectPlus. If you’re on a budget or just hate subscriptions, this is a no-brainer. Check out AIDetectPlus here and see for yourself.
 
• Read more about the coverage at AIDetectPlus: Chat with PDF & More. It’s just a way better deal—plain and simple.

What are some Xodo alternatives?

#1 - Xodo vs AIDetectPlus

• Both Xodo and AIDetectPlus let you work with PDFs—like reading, chatting, and marking them up. But honestly, they’re pretty different once you dig in.
  • Xodo is all about editing, converting, and annotating PDFs across your devices. It’s got some cool tools for redacting and signing stuff, and it works on almost anything—phone, tablet, computer, you name it.
  • AIDetectPlus is more like your all-in-one homework and research buddy. Besides chatting with PDFs, it checks for AI writing, plagiarism, rewrites stuff to sound human, helps you write essays, paraphrases, summarizes, and even gives you a free AI chatbot. It’s perfect if you want everything in one spot and don’t want to juggle a bunch of apps.
 
• Where is AIDetectPlus Better?
  • You can upload and chat with up to 100 PDFs at once (yep, really!), and even compare answers from different AI models. The chat is super easy to use—no confusing menus or weird buttons.
   
  • AIDetectPlus isn’t just for PDFs. It’s got an AI detector, plagiarism checker, humanizer, essay writer, paraphraser, PDF summarizer, and even a free LLM chat. So you don’t need to buy five different tools.
   
  • You get a free trial (no credit card needed), and when you buy credits, they never expire. No subscriptions, no sneaky charges, no pressure. Just pay for what you use.
   
  • Support is actually helpful and fast. If you get stuck, they reply quickly and don’t leave you hanging.
   
  • Once you’re done chatting with your PDFs, you can use AIDetectPlus to write a 100% undetectable essay based on your research. Super handy for school or work!
 
• Where is Xodo Better?
  • If you just want to edit, sign, or redact PDFs on any device, Xodo’s got you covered. It’s also good for converting PDFs to Excel and doing basic markups.

#2 - Xodo vs ChatPDF

• So, Xodo and ChatPDF both help you mess around with your PDFs, but honestly, they’re kinda made for different things.
  • Xodo is more of a “do everything” PDF tool—you can edit, sign, annotate, convert files, and switch from your phone to your computer without missing a beat.
  • ChatPDF is really about chatting and asking questions to one PDF at a time, and it does this with a super simple, split-screen chat so you can see your PDF and chat side-by-side.
 
• Where is ChatPDF Better?
  • Awesome for quick chatting with one PDF: The side-by-side design makes it easy to reference stuff, and it even lets you chat in different languages or see where info came from with clickable citations.
  • It’s free for small PDFs (up to about 120 pages) and even saves your chats, all without needing to make an account.
  • Great if you only care about reading and asking questions—not editing or converting files.
 
• Where is Xodo Better?
  • If you want to actually edit, highlight, sign, or hide stuff in your PDF—and use it on lots of devices—Xodo’s got you covered.

#3 – Xodo vs AskYourPDF

• Both of these apps let you upload and work with PDFs, but they kinda do it in their own styles.
  • Xodo is all about editing, marking up, and converting PDFs—think of it like a tool belt for people who need to mess with files across their laptop, tablet, or phone.
  • AskYourPDF is for folks who just wanna chat with their documents—literally asking questions, getting fast answers, and combining info from a bunch of PDFs at once.
 
• Where is AskYourPDF Better?
  • Super easy chat across multiple PDFs: you can throw in a whole stack of docs and ask anything about them all at once.
  • Connects pretty much everywhere: it’s got a web version, mobile app, Chrome extension, and even a plugin for ChatGPT and Zotero. That means you can use it anywhere, anytime!
  • Perfect for quick answers: If you just want to search, get a summary, or ask a question, it’s so much quicker than any complicated PDF editor.
 
• Where is Xodo Better?
  • If you need to highlight stuff, sign forms, or change a PDF to Excel, Xodo makes it really easy without any extra steps.
 
• Want to try them out? Here’s the Xodo website and here’s AskYourPDF’s homepage.

Is Xodo Legit?

• Reason #1: Awful Customer Service: If you get stuck or want your money back, getting help from Xodo seriously feels impossible. Their support takes forever, and when you finally hear back, you just get hit with pointless questions instead of real help. I've tried contacting them myself, and honestly, it was just super frustrating.
 
• Reason #2: Overpriced Subscriptions: Xodo kind of tricks you into these expensive plans, and if you don’t use your credits that month, they’re just gone. So you end up wasting money on stuff you never even got to use. That’s just not fair, and it made me always feel like I was losing out.
 
• Reason #3: Glitches and Missing Features: Xodo crashes a lot and some files won’t even open. Plus, they don’t let you do basic stuff like convert file types or add sound clips. If you’re hoping for more than just plain reading, Xodo leaves you totally stuck. I’ve seen files freeze or disappear right when I needed them most.

“Unacceptable - DO NOT USE SERVICE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Guys, we need a response today. It's been weeks since I first got in touch and we're completely unable to login which is causing huge issues with clients. The level of service and lack of contact has been unacceptable.” ― Louis GB

• #1 Super Fast PDF Chat & Summarization: You can ask your PDF questions, get instant summaries, and pull key info without reading every page. Makes research, homework, or reviews way faster—I use it all the time for that.
 
• #2 Credits NEVER EXPIRE: Buy credits once, and they’re yours till you use them. You only pay if you actually need more. No more losing credits or money!
 
• #3 Real Human Support: The AIDetectPlus team cares. If you get stuck, you get a real answer from a real person, usually in a few hours. Trust me, it feels good not talking to a dumb bot or waiting days.
 
• #4 All-in-One PDF Suite (and More!): Not just PDF chat and summaries—you also get plagiarism checks, AI detection, paraphrasing, essay writing, and even free AI chat. Whether you’re a researcher, student, or just dealing with tricky docs, you get all the tools in one place. Check out what you need from the menu above.