You may have discovered that free PDF editors are hard to come by if you've ever wanted to edit a PDF. Fortunately, you can use web tools to alter the document without having to pay for software.
I'll go over seven different PDF editors in this article that will let you modify at least a few of the files for free. I examined each website by altering a PDF to ensure that it is free to use and to see what features it offers (for free or at a charge).
Where To Find a Free PDF Editor
The world has seen a stronger movement toward technology in the last several years than it has ever seen before. Because so many of us now work and study from home, digital file formats like PDFs are swiftly replacing paper papers as the preferred format.
While PDFs are secure and convenient to use, editing them can be difficult. Thankfully, a few free PDF editors make basic adjustments like turning a page and signing a document simple. Some free PDF editors even allow you to perform more advanced adjustments, such as file type conversions and text finding and replacement.
Whatever adjustments you need to make to a document, one of these seven free PDF editors will almost certainly have the proper tool for you:
Free PDF Editor | Free Editor Platform | Compatibility | Best For |
---|---|---|---|
Sejda | Online and desktop (offline) | All web browsers including Chrome, Safari and Firefox; Mac, Linux and Windows | Directly editing PDF text and adding hyperlinks |
SmallPDF | Online and App | All, including Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux | Quick, minor edits online |
PDF Candy | Online and desktop (offline for Windows only) | All web browsers including Chrome, Safari and Firefox; Windows for desktop version | Converting PDFs online |
PDFescape | Online | All web browsers including Chrome, Safari and Firefox | Small PDF documents and annotation |
PDFsam Basic | Desktop (offline) | Windows, Linux and MacOS | Simple edits including merging, splitting and rotating |
Apple Preview | Desktop (offline) | MacOS | Mac users making simple edits offline |
PDF-XChange Editor | Desktop (offline) | Windows XP or later | Windows users editing PDFs offline |
Below, you’ll find detailed information on each free PDF editor including how to get started, how to edit your PDF and what you can expect when using each site.
Sejda
Best for editing text and adding hyperlinks
Sejda is a terrific free PDF editor to check out whether you're working online or offline. You can upload PDFs up to 200 pages (or 50MB) to edit online or download the desktop version of Sejda for free.
I utilized the free online editor to upload and modify a PDF when I first checked out Sejda. The ability to choose and alter text immediately on the PDF was the first thing I noticed. I could use the document to highlight, bold, underline, remove, and add words, characters, and links. Sejda also includes facilities for completing forms, uploading photographs, establishing digital signatures, annotating documents, and more. There was even a "find and replace" tool that allowed me to search the PDF's text.
In addition to the free PDF editor, Sejda offers a number of other free tools that can help you modify a PDF in a variety of ways. Sejda offers free services for merging, splitting, compressing, securing, and converting PDF files. Simply select "All Tools" from the drop-down menu next to the company's emblem in the top-left corner.
Pros | Cons |
– You can choose to work online or offline for free with Sejda. – While editing a PDF document, you can search and edit the text. – PDF documents uploaded online are deleted after two hours to ensure privacy. | – There’s a limit of three PDFs per hour online. – The free version is available only for PDF documents under 200 pages or 50MB. |
SmallPDF
SmallPDF is a great way to modify or edit a PDF document. This resource offers 21 tools to convert, compress and edit PDFs completely free. You can check out the full list of PDF tools here and click on what you need to begin editing online instantly at no cost. You can process up to two PDFs each day with the free online version.
SmallPDF is available for free online, on the App Store and on Google Play. Unfortunately, you will have to purchase a monthly membership if you wish to download SmallPDF to your computer and edit PDFs offline. Individuals joining up for the Pro plan pay $9 per month, however you can't enroll on a monthly basis. You must pay for a full year of service. Premium features include the option to convert scanned PDFs to Word documents and the ability to safeguard signatures with a digital seal. You'll also have unrestricted access to document processing, file storage, and customer service.
SmallPDF, on the other hand, contains almost everything you'll need to edit a PDF online for free. You can use SmallPDF to combine or split documents, add a digital signature, number pages, convert, or compress them for free.
Pros | Cons |
– Includes 21 PDF tools including a wide variety of converting and editing features. – You can rocess up to two PDFs per day online. – You don’t have to create an account to use the online tools. – Free apps are available in addition to the website and desktop version. | – To edit PDFs offline, you’ll have to pay a $108 annual fee after a seven-day free trial, and there’s no monthly payment option. – Free version doesn’t include premium features (including converting scanned PDFs to Word). – You’re limited to only two PDFs per day. |
PDF Candy
Best for converting PDFs online
PDF Candy’s homepage can be a little overwhelming, it’s clear that this free PDF editor offers a lot of tools online. Many of them specialize in converting PDF files to other file formats and vice versa. In reality, there are 26 different converting tools available.
Splitting, merging, compressing, cropping, rotating, and text editing are among the fundamental PDF editing capabilities available. You can also add simple annotations, a signature, and other features. Once you've discovered the tool you're looking for, you can use it to upload your PDF and start modifying it.
If you’re a Windows user, you can download the desktop version of PDF Candy for free. It offers the same tools as the free online PDF editor, but you can use it offline. You can also upgrade to a paid version of PDF Candy, but that can get expensive quickly.
Pros | Cons |
– 26 different options for converting PDF files – Windows users can download the desktop version to edit offline. – 17 tools available for free including editing, merging, cropping and more | – Hourly limit of two PDFs with the free PDF editor – Short processing time to wait after making your edits – File size limit of 10MB |
PDFescape
Another excellent free PDF editor is PDFescape. You don't need to download any software because it operates totally online. A desktop program is available for download if you purchase the complete edition. The free online edition, on the other hand, has some wonderful features and may be all you need.
I could enter text, whiteout blocks, photos, freehand (signatures), links, form fields, lines, arrows, shapes, and checkmarks when I uploaded a PDF. Sticky notes, highlights, and other markings might also be added. You can also make changes to the document itself, such as reordering or deleting pages, cropping, rotating, and so on.
Pros | Cons |
– Completely online; no download needed – No account or sign-in needed to use – No trial period or watermarks | – File size limit of 10MB or 100 pages – No free desktop version, which means you can’t edit PDFs offline |
PDFsam Basic
Best for simple edits such as merging, splitting and rotating
PDFsam Basic is the appropriate software for you if you're seeking for a simple free PDF editor that can divide, merge, remove pages, mix, and rotate PDF documents. To use it, you'll need to download it, but it's absolutely free, and having it downloaded allows you to edit documents when offline.
To test it out, I downloaded PDFsam, which took only a few minutes to download. The UI was extremely user-friendly, with all of the features clearly labeled and divided into free and premium parts. To upload a document, click "Select PDF" or "Add" after you've selected the functionality you want. You can then select the changes you want to make before clicking "Run" to download your altered file.
A complete list of features accessible on the free PDF editor may be found online. You'll also get step-by-step instructions on how to finish each task. As long as your computer has 70MB of disk space, you can download PDFsam on Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
Pros | Cons |
– No trial period or limit to how many files you can edit within a certain timeframe – You can edit PDF documents offline with the desktop software. – No watermarks on the finalized PDFs | – Can’t edit or add text/markups for free. – No online version, so you’ll have to download the software. |
Apple Preview
Best for Mac users making simple edits offline
If you have a Mac, Apple Preview is almost certainly already installed. This tool is helpful for modifying PDFs in addition to merely viewing photographs you've saved.
When you initially launch Apple Preview, a window called "Finder" will appear, allowing you to choose a photo or document to view. You'll be able to make simple adjustments to a PDF, such as adding a signature, notes and annotations, text, and more. When you open a document, the highlighter and rotating tools will appear in the top-right corner. Additional tools can be accessed by clicking the "Markup Toolbar" icon.
You may add text, freehand writing, shapes, signatures, and more to the toolbar. You can also select from a selection of fonts and sizes to ensure that your text is perfectly formatted. You can save the adjustments to the original file or save a copy to your computer once you're done.
Pros | Cons |
– Preloaded on Macs – Enables basic edits including adding a signature, rotating a document, and inserting text. – Also allows text search. | – Available only to macOS users – Can’t directly edit preexisting text on the PDF that you upload. – Markup tools aren’t obvious. |
PDF-XChange Editor
Best for Windows users editing PDFs offline
If you have Windows XP or later, PDF-XChange Editor is a wonderful solution. To install the software, go to this page from your computer and click "free download." The free PDF editor has all of the functionality of the commercial version, with the exception of a watermark stamp on altered documents.
This free resource contains practically every tool you'll need to read and modify PDFs. It enables you to create new PDFs as well as edit old ones. In addition to making the PDF searchable using optical character recognition, you can edit, amend, add, or remove content (OCR).
Check out the PDF-XChange product comparison chart for a complete list of features. This may be the only resource you'll need if you're a Windows user who doesn't mind downloading the software on your machine.
Pros | Cons |
– Can create, view, edit, annotate and digitally sign PDF files. – Includes optical character recognition (OCR) which is something most free PDF editors don’t have. – Can edit documents offline after downloading the software. | – A watermark is stamped onto edited PDFs with the free version. – Available only for Windows users to download |
Final Thoughts
There's definitely no reason to buy a comprehensive PDF editor if you only need to make minor changes to a few PDF documents. One of the free versions given here will most likely fit your needs.
Try Sejda for the greatest overall experience, which includes editing PDF text directly and/or dealing with hyperlinks. SmallPDF online may be all you need if you only need to make a few simple changes.
On PDF Candy, you'll most likely discover the perfect tool to convert your PDF to another format (or vice versa). For small documents, PDFescape is ideal, while PDFsam Basic is ideal for simple modifications like merging, dividing, and rotating.
For simple free modifications, Mac users don't need to look any further than Apple Preview. PDF-XChange Editor is a wonderful solution for altering PDFs offline if you're a Windows user.
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