How to edit a PDF for free

You can handle most everyday PDF jobs for free. PDF24 Tools covers merging, splitting, compressing and converting, and PdfCraft is a free, open-source option for viewing, commenting and reordering pages. Pay for Adobe Acrobat Pro only if you edit, sign and redact PDFs often.

The quick answer

Start with the job, not the tool. Most people who say they want to edit a PDF actually want to combine two files, pull out a few pages, shrink a file for email or turn it into a Word document.

Editing the existing text inside a PDF is the harder job. The free options below do not promise it, so we are clear about that where it matters.

PDF24 Tools: best first stop for everyday jobs

PDF24 Tools is a suite from Geek Software GmbH. Its site lists merging, splitting, compressing, editing, signing and converting PDFs. It also lists OCR, watermarks, page numbers, rotating and rearranging pages, comparing files, redacting, and protecting or unlocking files.

It is free. The site says there are no artificial limits, and it is paid for by advertising, so expect ads on the online tools. You can use it in a browser with nothing to install. A Chrome extension and an installable web app are also offered.

There are two things to know before you use it.

• The online tools upload your file to PDF24's servers. The site says uploads are encrypted and deleted after a short time, but it gives no exact duration.
• The offline app, PDF24 Creator, is for Windows 10 and 11 only. Its page says Linux and Mac are not currently supported, so Mac and Linux users rely on the browser tools.

For anything sensitive, such as a contract or an ID scan, use the Windows app so files stay on your PC. PDF24 lists an edit tool, but its pages give no detail on how deep the editing goes. Do not assume it matches Acrobat for changing text.

PdfCraft: a free reader and editor still in alpha

PdfCraft is a free, open-source PDF workbench written in Rust. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and in the browser. Its README says it aims to view, organize, annotate, fill, sign and edit PDFs at parity with Acrobat Pro.

It is not there yet. The README calls it alpha and says it covers 57% of tracked Acrobat features by the developers' count, and is about 55% ready for everyday work. The same README notes that fuzzing still finds crashes on hostile files, and the version numbers are still 0.x.

That makes PdfCraft a good fit if you mostly view, comment, fill forms and reorder pages. It is a poor fit if you need full Acrobat Pro features or have to open files from people you do not trust. Treat those percentages as the developers' own estimates, not a test against Acrobat.

Picking between the free options

• Merging, splitting, compressing or converting once in a while: PDF24 Tools in the browser.
• Sensitive files on Windows: the PDF24 Creator desktop app.
• Viewing, commenting, filling forms or reordering pages with an open-source tool: PdfCraft, knowing it is alpha.

When Adobe Acrobat Pro is worth paying for

Acrobat Pro is built for people who work in PDFs every week. According to Adobe, it lets you:

• Edit text, fonts and images directly in a PDF.
• Turn scans into searchable PDFs with OCR.
• Request and track e-signatures.
• Convert PDFs to and from Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Permanently redact sensitive content, and add passwords and permissions.

In the US, Acrobat Pro is US$19.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, US$239.88 a year if prepaid, or US$29.99 a month on a monthly plan. There is a free trial, but a paid plan is required after it ends. An annual plan billed monthly can carry a cancellation fee after 14 days.

It makes sense if you edit, sign, redact and convert PDFs often, or if your workplace expects Adobe's tools. It does not make sense if you only merge, split or compress files now and then. Note that the free Acrobat Reader only opens and views PDFs.

Our pick

For most people, PDF24 Tools is the right first stop. It handles the everyday jobs at no cost, and it works on any computer with a browser. Add PdfCraft if you want an open-source viewer and page organiser and are happy with alpha software. Move to Acrobat Pro when you hit a job the free tools cannot do, such as editing text in place or redacting a document for a client.