Adobe Acrobat Bates numbering, and alternatives
Published October 27, 2026
Bates numbering in Adobe Acrobat is an Acrobat Pro feature. Adobe's help page for it is titled for Acrobat Pro, and an Adobe employee answering on Adobe's community forum said it is not available in Acrobat Standard; Acrobat Reader is Adobe's free viewer. Acrobat Pro also has the redaction tool. On Adobe's pricing page in October 2026, Acrobat Pro was $19.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, or $29.99 a month with no annual commitment. For one production and a deadline, there are cheaper routes, listed below. This is general information, not legal advice.
What Acrobat Pro does
Bates numbering. Adobe's help says to open the PDF, select Edit, then More > Bates numbering > Add. You add files, folders or open files, set the order with Move Up and Move Down, choose an output folder and file naming, and insert the Bates number into the header or footer. Options are the number of digits (3 to 15; the default 6 gives 000001), the start number, a prefix and a suffix. Adobe's help does not describe an index of each file's Bates range or file fingerprints.
Redaction. Adobe's help says to select All tools > Redact a PDF > Find text and redact, then search for a single word or phrase, several words, or patterns. You tick the results to mark, apply the redactions, and choose whether to also remove hidden information from the file. Marking and applying are separate steps; see why black box redactions fail for what happens when the second is skipped.
Standard, Reader and the price
| Plan | Price, per Adobe's pricing page, October 2026 | Bates numbering | Redaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrobat Reader | Free | No | No |
| Acrobat Standard | $14.99 a month on an annual plan; $24.99 month to month | No | No; Adobe lists redaction among what Pro adds |
| Acrobat Pro | $19.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly; $239.88 a year prepaid; $29.99 month to month | Yes | Yes |
| Acrobat Studio | $24.99 a month on an annual plan | Yes, as it includes Pro | Yes |
On the annual plan billed monthly, Adobe says cancelling after 14 days carries a fee of up to half the remaining commitment. For a single production, the month-to-month plan is the one you can cancel without a fee. Adobe also offers a free trial of Pro, and sells Acrobat Pro 2024 as a desktop-only license for a three-year term without a subscription.
Alternatives for one production and a deadline
- batesstamp.com. Free, no account, in the browser. Numbers up to 100 files in one run with a CSV receipt of each file's range, page count and SHA-256. Its redaction is manual and turns every page into an image. See batesstamp.com alternatives.
- BatesKit. Free up to 20 files and 60 pages, then $19 once. Continuous numbering, a manifest CSV with SHA-256, load files for review platforms, and read-only checks for live text under black bars and metadata. It does not redact.
- letsgoPDF. A free Bates tool and a free Smart Redact that finds email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, card numbers and IBANs, both on your device.
- Acrobat Pro for a month. $29.99 month to month, if you want Adobe's tools and can cancel when the production is out.
- BatesNumbering.app. Redaction and Bates numbering in one pass in your browser, $29 once for a set of up to 1,000 pages with 24 hours of re-runs, no account.
The method without Acrobat is in Bates numbering without Acrobat, and the full comparison in Bates and redaction tools compared.
What to check, whichever you use
- File order. The order of files is the numbering order. Set it before you run.
- Start number and prefix. A second production usually starts where the first ended; see rolling productions and Bates number format.
- Position. A stamp in a corner can land on text near the page edge. Look at a few pages.
- Redactions applied, metadata removed. Copy across a box and paste, search for part of a removed number, read the document properties, or run the free leak check.
- An index. A list of each file's Bates range lets both sides cite pages; see a document production index and Bates numbering a discovery response without a lawyer.
BatesNumbering.app looks for Social Security, account, routing and card numbers across the set, lets you keep the last four digits, Bates-numbers every page in the order you choose, and writes an index PDF and CSV with each file's range, page count and SHA-256; the first 10 pages are free, real output.
Common questions
Does Adobe Acrobat Standard have Bates numbering?
No. Adobe's Bates numbering help is written for Acrobat Pro, and an Adobe employee on Adobe's community forum said Bates numbering is not available in Acrobat Standard.
How much is Adobe Acrobat Pro?
On Adobe's pricing page in October 2026: $19.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, $239.88 a year prepaid, or $29.99 a month with no annual commitment. Adobe says cancelling the annual plan billed monthly after 14 days carries a fee of up to half the remaining commitment.
How do you add Bates numbers in Acrobat Pro?
Adobe's help says to open the PDF, select Edit, then More, Bates numbering, Add. Add the files and set their order, then insert the Bates number in the header or footer and set the digits, start number, prefix and suffix.
Can I Bates number PDFs without Acrobat?
Yes. batesstamp.com and letsgoPDF do it free in the browser, BatesKit is free up to 20 files and 60 pages and $19 once after that, and BatesNumbering.app numbers and redacts a set in one pass.
Redact and Bates-number a set of PDFs in one pass →Or check a PDF for numbers left in it, free →
More guides: What is Bates numbering · Bates numbering without Acrobat · Bates number format and examples · Bates numbering a discovery response without a lawyer · Exhibit numbers vs Bates numbers · How to redact a PDF for free · Redacting SSNs and account numbers in court filings · Redacting a bank statement · Why black box redactions fail · Redacting a PDF on iPhone or Mac · A document production index · Rolling productions · Responding to a request for production · Bates and redaction tools compared · batesstamp.com alternatives · RedactifyAI alternatives