Truly great free PDF editors are hard to come by, but there are some excellent tools around if you know where to look.
PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user.
There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've rounded up the very best free PDF editing software that's free to use and won't add any unwanted extras to your work.
- Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.
1. ApowerPDF
Edit your PDFs and even create new ones from scratch
PDF has now become the most preferred document format to be used in business transactions, which makes a PDF editor essential. However, many PDF editing software make it tricky to edit PDF files online. Foxit Advanced PDF Editor, free and safe download. Foxit Advanced PDF Editor latest version: Effective PDF Editing Software for Professional and Private Use.
- Most of the software for Mac that you can find online for download is not that great. Adobe after effects cc 2019 mac torrent (2) Adobe Media Encoder CC (2) adobe media encoder cc 2019 crack (1).One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a.
- Need to edit a PDF, but don't have the necessary tools? Thankfully, the best PDF editors will fit any budget and operating system. This is a list of our favorites, taking into consideration the.
- Dec 17, 2018 - Home / Uncategorized / Free PDF Editor Download Torrent. Described as a PDF Creator, but there are many options for editing users to make.
There are two options on the ApowerPDF homepage: ‘Launch Online’ and ‘Download Desktop’. Despite appearances, these aren’t the same tools. The desktop software is only a trial of a premium product, and will watermark your edited PDFs. The tool we’re using here is the online editor, which has no such limitations.
Click ‘Launch Online’ and you’ll be prompted to download and run a small launcher app, after which the online editor will launch. You can edit text (including formatting), add text and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF to an image file and add comments.
You can even create your own PDFs from scratch – a feature you’ll usually only find in premium PDF editing software.
Unlike the desktop application, there’s no tool for removing watermarks from PDFs, but that’s a minor quibble. ApowerPDF is a remarkable PDF editor; just make sure you’re using the online edition.
If you would prefer the desktop version, Apower PDF costs from $29.95 (£25) after the free trial period.
2. PDF-XChange Editor
Another superb tool for editing text in PDFs, with built-in OCR
If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example).
Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included.
If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case.
The paid-for downloads, PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50 (£35) for the normal version, but for additional features such as form creation and use you will need to buy PDF-XChange Editor Plus, which costs $54.50 ($48).
3. Sedja
An online-only free PDF editor with a great choice of tools
Free online PDF editor Sedja offers an excellent range of tools, with just one caveat: if you're still working after three hours and haven't saved your document, it will be deleted automatically. It's quite a generous time limit, but worth bearing in mind if your PDF needs a lot of work.
You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs.
When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days.
There is a free version, available to download or use in the cloud, which has limited features. To open these up you will need to pay for a paid plan. The Web Week Pass is aimed at short-term use, and costs $5 (£4) to access the web-based version for 7 days. If you'd prefer to pay on a monthly recurring basis, then the cloud version is $7.50 (£6) per month.
A desktop version is available to download and use, which also allows web access, and that costs $63 annually, which works out as the equivalent of $5.25 per month.
4. PDFescape
A free online PDF editor that lets you add new text and images
There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition.
PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unfortunately there's no way to edit existing text. You can create simple geometric shapes and– as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed.
PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor.
While the online editor is free for editing, creating forms, and sharing, there are also two paid-for versions available. The Premium version is for desktop and includes print to scan, and is available for $2.99 (£2.50) per month. The Ultimate version costs $5.99 per month and comes with more advanced features, such as publishing PDF forms.
5. PDFsam Basic
A simple but well designed PDF editor for quick tasks
The latter half of PDFsam’s name is short for ‘split and merge’, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Basic edition.
software, free download Torrent
You’ll be offered a free trial of the premium version (including full editing, object insertion, secure signing, and OCR), but once that expires you’ll be left with a simple but well designed tool for chopping large documents into manageable chunks, performing a PDF cut-and-shut, or extracting selected pages. You can also use PDFsam Basic to rotate pages, which is very handy if you’ve accidentally scanned a document upside down.
There are no tools for tweaking the actual content of the document, but all of PDFsam Basic’s page-management options are very clearly laid out, and it’s very clear which of the options shown in the main menu are only available in the premium edition.
However, if you'd prefer the advanced features of PDFsam Enhanced, there are 3 different plans available, costing $39 ($34), $49 (£44), or $69 (£60) a year, depending on the range of extra features required.
- Find out how to convert PDFs to Word documents the easy way
PDF editors allow you to edit document text, make annotations, add images, and even export files to EPUB format with ease. The number of PDF editor options can be overwhelming, but we’ve compiled a list of the best PDF editors in existence. Our top pick is Adobe Acrobat Pro DC due to its ability to merge multiple documents, its cloud-based storage, and its document conversion feature that allows for PDFs to be converted into HTML pages or into a variety of Microsoft Office documents.
Digital Trends has extensively covered the topic of PDFs, publishing a wide variety of thoroughly researched how to guides; and so you can be sure that our PDF editor picks are reliable. If you decide that Adobe Acrobat Pro DC isn’t for you, be sure to check out the other great options on this list, as one of them should meet your needs and budget.
At a glance
| Product | Category |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro DC | Our Pick |
| Microsoft Word | Simplest editor |
| PDF Architect 6 | Best Adobe Acrobat alternative |
| iSkysoft PDF Editor | Most secure PDF editor |
| Sejda PDF Editor | Best free PDF editor |
| PDFescape | Best web app |
Our Pick
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Adobe first introduced the PDF format 20 years ago and today Acrobat Pro DC is the industry standard when it comes to editing PDF files; one that combines the hallmarks of other programs on our list into one, unified piece of software. It’s also one of the few premium programs available for both Windows and MacOS, and boasts dedicated mobile functionality and the ability to convert PDF files into multiple HTML pages, in addition to the standard Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
The software instantly converts and saves scanned documents to PDF, and even possesses the ability to merge multiple documents, spreadsheets, webpages, and the like into a single PDF that’s easy to share on multiple devices. Adobe also offers cloud-based storage and document access through acrobat.adobe.com, along with password protection and the ability to redact private information.
Simplest editor
Microsoft Word
Past versions of Microsoft Word have been limited to saving a document in or out of the PDF format, and that was about it. The more recent 2013, 2016, and 2019 versions, however, allow you to open a PDF and then make specific edits to the piece as a Word document. When finished, you simply save it as a PDF again.
Pdf Editor Free Download
It’s a simple tool, and formatting doesn’t always line up correctly based on the PDF, but it’s an excellent alternative if you need to dip into a PDF fast for a bit of basic editing or text changes. Plus, it’s a very easy method for employees and students to use without having to learn a new tool.
Mobile software, free download
Best Adobe Acrobat alternative
PDF Architect 7
German company Pdfforge offers a unique purchasing option when it comes to PDF-editing software. PDF Architect is a modular program that’s available as a free download, or as part of three separate packages (Standard, Pro, and Pro+OCR). Each package includes a set of modules for the program, which dictates its editing power. These modules—which range from Edit and Convert to Sign & Secure — are available for individual purchase, too, just in case you only need a select number of editing tools and don’t want to break the bank.
Even the Pro+OCR package is available at a reasonable price; and the full suite of editing tools makes up one of the most complete, inclusive PDF editors out there. The latest version of PDF Architect is PDF Architect 7 and premium subscriptions to it include features such as the ability to insert pages and hyperlinks (Standard), 256 bit encryption (Professional), and the ability to scan documents and convert them to “editable” PDFs (Pro + OCR). There is also a (limited) free version of PDF Architect 7.
Most secure PDF editor
iSkysoft PDF Editor
iSkysoft evens the playing field by providing a streamlined, feature-laden PDF editor for Mac users as well as Windows devotees. The standard version for MacOS allows you to easily convert PDF files to Word, and comes with a score of basic editing tools that allow you to treat any PDF as if it were a word processor file. Users can annotate PDFs quickly, and edit the layout of any document by adding, removing, or flipping pages. Standard users can also fill out PDF forms directly on their computer, without any printing or scanning.
The real power of iSkysoft, however, comes with the Pro package. For a reasonable fee, you can password protect PDF files, convert them to a number of different formats, and edit PDFs using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, thus ensuring greater accuracy. The Pro and Windows versions also allow users to add stamps and signatures, and OCR is supported in more than 20 languages. However, keep in mind that the Windows version requires an additional add-on if you’re looking for OCR support.
If you want to try out iSkysoft’s editor before you buy or just have a couple of one-off edits to make, there is a free trial you can take advantage of too.
Best free PDF editor
Sejda PDF Editor
Sejda is a web app designed for speedy PDF work, and it does that very well. It’s very simple, focusing on fast PDF signatures, and offers only basic text editing for the files you upload. But that’s also why we like it.
It provides very clear instructions, it’s hard to mess anything up, and it’s quick. If your boss or coworker doesn’t really understand technology or have the patience to download new apps—but you still need their signature on random PDFs—this is one of the best options available. There are also mobile download options available for Android and iOS.
Best web app
PDFescape
PDFescape is a web app accessible through your favorite browser. There’s no lengthy installation process, and users can access the editor using any operating system connected to the internet. This service is currently compatible with Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera browsers — and you can access the web version here.
Once you open a PDF document within the interface, you can quickly add text, white out previous content, add images, and digitally sign documents wherever you are. Users can also rotate and zoom in on the documents to achieve their desired viewing angle, while utilizing a slew of common support tools. It packs a capable reader and form designer, along with various annotation tools and the ability to auto fill forms. Needless to say, it’s a multi-faceted application and takes up little memory.
There’s also a desktop version that provides the same functionality without requiring an internet connection. While the web version is free, the desktop version requires a minimum of $3 a month after a 14-day trial.