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It’s seemingly that you simply usually come throughout or work with PDF recordsdata—they’re ubiquitous in our trendy cross-platform world. More often than not, when viewing a PDF, you may take pleasure in free software program that permits you to learn or touch upon these recordsdata. However what if it’s worthwhile to edit them as nicely? That’s the place a PDF editor is available in.
The perfect PDF editors permits you to edit, create, alter, and convert PDF recordsdata similar to you’d with another textual content doc. Adobe Acrobat is essentially the most well-known possibility for most individuals. However whereas it’s glorious each in options and utility, it’s additionally fairly costly. Fortunately, lately an entire host of third-party PDF editors have sprung up with the intention to present inexpensive options.
Right here at PCWorld we’ve examined many of those prime PDF editors and curated an inventory of the perfect. With completely different use circumstances in thoughts, we’ve included picks for the very best total, finest price range possibility, and even a advice for the very best free PDF editor—as a result of typically you simply don’t need to pay for the fundamentals. Take a look at our suggestions under to seek out the very best PDF editor for you.
Replace 12/18/2023: To incorporate Foxit PDF Editor 13 as our new alternative for finest total PDF editor runner-up. Learn extra about this glorious various to Acrobat in our abstract under.
Adobe Acrobat Professional DC – Greatest total

Execs
Simply navigable tabbed interface
Complete PDF modifying options
Streamlined sharing function makes it simpler to fill paperwork and get signatures
Cons
Wealthy function set may be overwhelming for brand spanking new customers
Adobe Acrobat Professional DC stays the trade customary for good purpose. Its wealthy mixture of creation, modifying, reviewing, and security measures are mimicked by the very best various choices, however we really feel Acrobat nonetheless does it finest. Its latest interface redesign makes it a lot simpler to navigate by means of its strong toolset than the nested menus of yore, and its cloud subscription possibility places its superior options inside attain of extra people and small companies. (See the way it compares to the Adobe Acrobat Customary DC.)
Although a lot of its options can be found in different, cheaper PDF editors, Acrobat continues to be the editor in opposition to which all others are judged.
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Adobe Acrobat Professional DC assessment
Foxit PDF Editor 13 – Greatest total runner-up

Execs
Multi-platform
Enterprise-ready capabilities
AI integration helps with doc modifying
Cons
Might be costly relying on product license
Foxit PDF Editor 13 hits all the fitting notes for a premium PDF editor and might even tackle the formidable Adobe Acrobat. It’s full of options which are positive to please energy customers—all of the requisite content material modifying instruments; assessment and markup options; type fill and signing assist; and strong safety choices for delicate paperwork, reminiscent of permissions, password safety, and knowledge redaction. It helps tons of file codecs, and including hyperlinks, photographs, and recordsdata to a PDF is trouble-free.
Certainly, ease-of-use is one in every of Foxit’s nice strengths. This system makes use of a Microsoft Workplace-style ribbon interface which teams duties in a well-known and intuitive interface, making for a seamless integration along with your workflow. It additionally supplies ChatGPT integration so you may simply get assist along with your paperwork from an AI assistant. Sure, it’s priced on the upper aspect for a PDF editor, however with all it has going for it, Nitro PDF Professional greater than earns its hold. Plus, you may attempt it out without spending a dime for seven days to see when you prefer it earlier than making a dedication. In the event you’re on the lookout for an Acrobat substitute, you received’t discover many higher.
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Foxit PDF Editor assessment
EaseUS PDF editor – Greatest price range possibility

Execs
Full set of modifying instruments
Annotation choices allow simple collaboration
Simple interface
Cons
Home windows solely
Wants subscription to take away utilization limits
EaseUs won’t have the identify recognition of among the different editors on this listing, nevertheless it’s greater than able to holding its personal within the crowded PDF editor market. It supplies the entire important instruments for managing PDF recordsdata with none of the flowery or hard-to-understand options. It permits customers to leap proper in to their toolset and get straight to modifying with solely what they want.
Whereas EaseUS’s options are nice, they’re additionally fairly customary fare amongst PDF editors. What makes it stand out is its inexpensive value—it’s an incredible worth for many who usually edit PDFs and don’t need to pay out the nostril. EaseUS additionally presents a totally useful free model (with embedded watermarks in your edited paperwork) so customers can take it for a spin to see if it meets their wants earlier than they decide to paying any cash.
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EaseUS PDF Editor assessment
PDF Sweet – Greatest free possibility

Execs
Many superior options
OCR functionality
Very simple to make use of
Cons
No Mac assist
Free trial solely presents fundamental options
PDF Sweet is the uncommon free PDF editor that gives a variety of the options you’d sometimes must pay for. We’re speaking scanning, a number of file-conversion choices, and OCR performance. All of this combines to make PDF Sweet stand out among the many multitude of lesser free PDF editors. It does have a little bit of a wonky interface, however when you get the grasp of it you’re off and operating.
Sadly, whereas the free model has entry to the expansive toolset of the paid model, you’re restricted to at least one PDF process per hour. In order for you unfettered entry, it’s worthwhile to shell out $6 per thirty days, or $48 per 12 months.
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PDF Sweet assessment
PDF Professional – Greatest full-featured editor for Apple units

Execs
Syncs throughout Mac, iPhone, and iPad
Complete modifying and annotation instruments
Easy, intuitive interface
Cons
Requires annual fee
Lifetime license permits use on Mac solely
PDF Professional is a wonderful editor that matches seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem, making it our choose for Macs, iPads, and iPhone customers.
Whereas macOS does embody a PDF editor in its Preview app, iOS units don’t have a local PDF editor and PDF Professional fills that hole properly. It has a clear and intuitive interface and presents a plethora of easy-to-use modifying choices reminiscent of web page administration, changing scanned recordsdata into editable paperwork, and conversion to different file codecs, amongst different issues. The pricing plan can also be significantly cheaper than many of the different prime picks, that means this can be a no-brainer for Apple customers.
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PDF Professional (iOS) assessment
Apple Preview PDF editor – Greatest free possibility for Mac customers

Execs
Full set of PDF markup instruments
Helps type filling
PDFs may be protected with passwords, encryption, and permission controls
Cons
Restricted native sharing choices
Solely accessible to Mac customers
Mac customers needn’t look past the macOS for his or her PDF modifying wants, since there’s a full set of PDF markup instruments already accessible at their disposal in Apple Preview. It has the chops to deal with most private and enterprise PDF modifying wants, together with encryption, password safety, and permissions for recordsdata.
Apple Preview’s PDF options and capabilities are spectacular and ought to be all you want for commonest modifying duties. The disadvantage, after all, is that solely Mac customers can reap the benefits of them.
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Apple Preview PDF editor assessment
pdfFiller – Greatest web-based editor

Execs
Intuitive web-based interface
Strong safety choices
A number of business-ready capabilities
Cons
Enterprise options received’t be wanted by some customers
Requires annual dedication to get finest worth
pdfFiller is a browser-based PDF editor that enables you do to simply about every little thing PDF-related—modifying, securing, sharing, creating, and storing PDF recordsdata—all from its intuitive and easy net interface. Its design is much like a desktop app, with the toolbar throughout the highest, and doc thumbnails alongside the aspect, so it’s very simple to pick the web page you need to work on and carry out the specified operate, be it including, deleting, or copying/pasting textual content; altering font type, measurement, and colour; and so forth. A typical set of markup instruments can also be accessible. It has a surprisingly deep set of options for each private and enterprise use. As an illustration the Premium plan presents a powerful authorized doc library, in addition to SignNow assist.
Whereas extremely versatile, not all of pdfFiller’s superior options will go well with everybody. Happily, there are three subscription tiers, which supplies customers a method to meet their modifying wants with out paying additional for pointless options: Primary for $8/mo; Plus for $12/mo; Premium for $15/mo with an annual dedication. Month-to-month choices are additionally accessible, however at the next value, after all.
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pdfFiller assessment
A phrase about on-line PDF editors
Why spend a piece of change on a desktop editor when free on-line PDF editors abound? The straightforward reply is since you get what you pay for. Usually, free on-line editors will allow you to add textual content and feedback, merge and cut up paperwork, and convert recordsdata to and from PDF. With uncommon exception, nevertheless, they received’t allow you to edit current textual content and lots of have file-size and page-volume restrictions. And a variety of them will watermark your edited doc. For these causes, net PDF editors are finest reserved for easy, quick modifying jobs. Name in these huge canine for something extra demanding.
What to search for in a PDF editor
PDF editors are available in quite a lot of flavors, providing various function units—from fundamental performance to power-user instruments. It’s necessary to know what options finest match your workflow earlier than you decide to a PDF editor.
Create, convert, and export PDFs
Essentially the most elementary operate of a PDF editor is to make PDFs, both from scratch, scanned exhausting copies, or by changing digital paperwork. A great PDF editor ought to have the ability to rework quite a lot of file sorts—from Microsoft Workplace codecs to photographs to HTML—and achieve this seamlessly, preserving the unique formatting. It also needs to embody OCR expertise to make the PDF textual content searchable and editable. Likewise, a very good PDF editor should have the ability to export PDFs into different editable codecs reminiscent of Microsoft Phrase and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain textual content, sustaining the unique recordsdata hyperlinks, photographs, and different components.
Content material modifying
One other little bit of magic that PDF editors unlock is the power to change textual content; insert, resize, and transfer photographs; and reorganize pages within the PDF. A great one will carry out these duties as simply as in a textual content doc or slide deck, permitting in-line modifying, dragging-and dropping graphics, and including or eradicating hyperlinks.
Evaluation and annotate
A great PDF editor also needs to allow you to or anybody else utilizing it add feedback and different annotations to PDF recordsdata throughout assessment. It ought to have instruments to mark up each textual content paperwork and graphic-heavy recordsdata like webpages. Widespread choices embody sticky notes, callout packing containers, highlighting, freehand drawing instruments, and stamps with messages like “authorised,” “revised,” and “confidential.”
Safety
All companies cope with paperwork containing delicate knowledge. Search for a PDF editor that features security measures that enable entry for approved eyes solely. Good choices will often supply a number of ranges of safety, together with password safety, permissions setting, and content material redaction, which “blacks out” chosen textual content and pictures. Most PDF editors will even supply a number of methods to electronically signal paperwork.
Cell assist
Whereas deep PDF modifying is finest completed on a desktop, it’s good to have the ability to assessment and annotate recordsdata while you’re out and about. Whereas PDFs can sometimes be reviewed in any PDF reader or editor, no matter which one they had been created in, think about on the lookout for an editor that has a devoted cell app, is optimized for cell units, or permits cloud entry to options by means of a cell browser.
One of many nice issues a few PDF is that it may be learn and edited in any PDF program no matter which one it was created in. So past the options outlined right here, let your private preferences information you in making your choice.
FAQ
What’s the distinction between a PDF doc and a PDF type?
Whereas there are a variety of various kinds of PDF file codecs, all of them fall beneath the umbrella time period of PDF paperwork. A PDF type is a sort of PDF doc that has editable type fields a consumer can fill out. Sometimes, components of the doc are static and might’t be modified in a PDF type, reminiscent of questions in a survey or directions about filling out the shape. In a PDF type, the content material fields a consumer fills out are open to modifying and might supply an inventory of attainable reply choices or may be written in freely.
Are PDF paperwork and Phrase recordsdata completely different?
Sure. They’re two fully completely different doc codecs. Whilst you can export from one file format to a different, they aren’t the identical. Phrase file codecs are often used for phrase processing, modifying, and making adjustments to textual content. PDF paperwork alternatively, are most frequently utilized for viewing, sharing, and printing. Moreover, Phrase recordsdata are learn and write and include some model of the “.doc” file format. Whereas PDF recordsdata are sometimes read-only and include the “.pdf” file format.
Are you able to shield PDF paperwork from being edited by different folks?
Sure. You probably have a PDF doc that you simply don’t need anybody else to edit, you may shield the file. You are able to do this by opening the file in Acrobat, as an illustration, and clicking Instruments > Shield. Then you’ve got a couple of choices as as to whether you need to merely limit modifying with a password, or if you wish to encrypt the file for additional security. When you select the way you need to shield the PDF doc, you may set a password and save.
Are you able to merge PDFs with a free PDF editor?
As a matter of truth, many free PDF editors assist you to merge two or extra PDFs into one doc. Such is the case with our prime free choose PDF Sweet. Open up the PDF editor utility or web site in your browser and seek for the Merge possibility. It’s going to then ask you so as to add the recordsdata of all PDFs you want to merge. As soon as the recordsdata have been added, prepare the web page order and alignment earlier than continuing with the merge. Afterwards, all your beforehand PDF recordsdata might be merged into one new PDF doc.
Does Google have a free PDF editor?
Sure and no. Google doesn’t present a chosen free PDF editor itself, however there are third-party Chrome extensions that you need to use to assist get the job completed. Alternatively, you can also make use of Google Drive to edit a PDF doc. Merely add the doc onto your Google Drive after which choose the file and right-click and choose Open with > Google Docs. The file might be opened as an editable Google Docs textual content doc. Then simply make your edits and while you’re completed click on File > Obtain >PDF Doc to revert it again to a PDF file.
This technique is a fast and straightforward method to edit a easy PDF doc, however watch out as Google Docs can run into formatting points in case your authentic doc has advanced visible formatting reminiscent of tables and graphs. On this case, it’s best to make use of a chosen free or premium PDF editor.
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