Designer | 4Point

AEM Forms Designer – Adobe LiveCycle’s Best Replacement

Looking for the best replacement for Adobe LiveCycle Designer? The Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms Designer is the industry-standard tool for creating intelligent, interactive, and compliant forms. At 4Point, we help organizations transition smoothly to AEM Forms Designer, ensuring your existing LiveCycle forms continue to work seamlessly.

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What is AEM Forms Designer?

AEM Forms Designer (formerly Adobe LiveCycle Designer) is a comprehensive, graphical form design tool that allows organizations to:

Build interactive PDF and XDP forms with advanced XML data handling

Design HTML forms and adaptive layouts for mobile-friendly, multi-device use

Incorporate expandable text fields and boxes, allowing form fields to grow dynamically based on user input

Create fillable forms for both online and offline use

Convert paper-based forms into fully digital, interactive versions for streamlined data collection

LiveCycle Designer Replacement: The last version, LiveCycle Designer ES4 (v11.x), reached its end of life in 2020. Adobe now exclusively offers AEM Forms Designer as the support for replacement.

Subscription Model: Sold in packs of 10 user licenses on an annual subscription basis.

Compatibility: All existing LiveCycle forms remain fully functional in AEM Forms Designer.

Why Upgrade to Adobe Experience Manager Forms Designer?

Simplified Design, Powerful Intelligence

AEM Forms Designer allows organizations to:

Build dynamic, data-driven forms for PDF, XDP, and HTML outputs

Convert existing paper forms into interactive, fillable PDFs or HTML forms, reducing manual processes and human error

Prefill form data and integrate with back-end systems for better data accuracy

Maintain regulatory compliance with secure data handling features

Deliver multi-channel forms for print, desktop, and mobile

Limitations to Be Aware Of

Despite its robust features, some technical limitations persist:

Browser Support

Most browsers do not fully support dynamic PDFs, which may require users to download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Free Adobe Reader Limitations

Users can print completed forms but cannot save them with entered data unless they use Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional.

Reader Extensions Requirement

To enable saving capabilities for free Adobe Reader users, Adobe Experience Manager Forms Server (with Reader Extensions) is required.

License Restrictions

Acrobat Professional restricts extended form use to 500 users per form, making it unsuitable for public-facing forms.

LiveCycle Designer vs AEM Forms Designer –
Key Differences

Feature

LiveCycle Designer (EOL)

AEM Forms Designer (Current)

Support

Licensing

Compatibility

Updates

HTML & Mobile Forms

End of life since 2020

Perpetual license

Legacy support only

No future updates

Not supported

Actively supported by Adobe

Annual subscription, 10-pack minimum

Full backward compatibility with LiveCycle forms

Continuous updates & official Adobe support

Fully supported (adaptive, mobile-friendly)

FAQs – AEM Forms Designer & Adobe LiveCycle Replacement

What is Adobe LiveCycle, and what products did it include?

Adobe LiveCycle was a family of enterprise-level solutions designed for document automation, workflow management, and secure PDF handling. Its suite included:

LiveCycle Forms for creating interactive forms
LiveCycle Output for automated document generation
LiveCycle PDF Generator for PDF creation and format conversion
LiveCycle Rights Management for document security and access control
LiveCycle Process Management for workflow automation
LiveCycle Digital Signatures for secure electronic signatures
LiveCycle Reader Extensions to enable advanced features in Adobe Reader
LiveCycle SharePoint & FileNet Connectors for system integrations
LiveCycle Correspondence Management for managing personalized communications
LiveCycle Assembler for combining multiple PDFs and XDPs
LiveCycle Workbench for designing automated processes
LiveCycle Designer the graphical tool for designing fillable and dynamic forms

What is Adobe LiveCycle Designer, and why was it replaced?

Adobe LiveCycle Designer was a graphical form design application for creating high-fidelity, interactive forms with XML-based data handling. These forms could be exported as XDP or dynamic fillable PDFs, making them suitable for enterprise workflows.

Adobe ended support for LiveCycle in 2020, replacing it with AEM Forms Designer, which retains nearly all its features while adding HTML form support, better integration, and ongoing updates.

What is Adobe AEM Forms Designer, and how does it compare to LiveCycle Designer?

The Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms Designer is the modern replacement for LiveCycle Designer, offering:

HTML forms and responsive, mobile-ready templates

Expandable text fields and boxes for enhanced user experience

Full backward compatibility with existing LiveCycle form templates

Ongoing updates and official Adobe support

What are the limitations when using forms created in LiveCycle or AEM Forms Designer?

AEM Forms Designer improves many aspects of form creation, but some technical constraints remain:

Dynamic PDFs may behave differently across browsers, with limited interactivity on some platforms.

Free Adobe Reader users can only print completed forms. Saving entered data requires Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional.

To allow save functionality for free Adobe Reader users, AEM Forms Server with Reader Extensions is required.

Acrobat Professional’s extended form features are capped at 500 users per form for public distribution.

Is there an upgrade program for LiveCycle Designer to AEM Forms Designer?

Currently, there is no direct upgrade program. Organizations need to purchase a new subscription for AEM Forms Designer. It is available in packs of 10 user licenses on an annual basis. Contact 4Point for licensing details and transition support.

Yes, all existing LiveCycle form templates remain fully functional in AEM Forms Designer, ensuring a seamless transition. Organizations can continue using their current templates while benefiting from enhanced features like HTML forms and multi-device compatibility without redesigning their forms.

Do my existing LiveCycle forms still work in AEM Forms Designer?

Get A Quote

Transitioning to AEM Forms Designer is simple with 4Point. Contact us today for a quote.

Email: sales@4point.com