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

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.

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.

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.

It's not easy to find a truly free PDF editor that lets you not only edit and add text but also change images, add your own graphics, sign your name, fill out forms, etc. Below, however, is a list of exactly what you're looking for.

Some of these are online PDF editors that work right in your web browser, so all you have to do is upload your PDF file to the website, make the changes you want, and then save it back to your computer. That's ​the quick way — but do bear in mind that, typically, an online editor isn't as fully featured as its desktop counterpart, plus the file is exposed to the internet (which might be of concern if it contains sensitive content).

Because not all of these free PDF editors support the same features, and some are restricted in what you can do, remember that you can process the same PDF in more than one tool. For example, use one to edit the PDF text (if that's supported), and then put the same PDF through a different editor to do something supported in that program (like edit a form, update an image, or remove a page).

Switching Formats

If you don't need to change the contents of the PDF but instead just need to change it to another file format (such as .docx for Word or .epub for an eBook), see our list of free document converters for help. On the other hand, if you have a file you created yourself that you want to save as a PDF file, see How to Print to PDF.

Microsoft Word: A Top Choice

If you already own Microsoft Word 2019, 2016, or 2013, then skip all the suggested programs below: You have a great PDF editor at your disposal right now. Just open the PDF as you would any Word document, give the program a few minutes to convert the PDF, and then edit away.

Sejda PDF Editor

What We Like

• Lets you load PDFs from other websites.

• Supports adding hyperlinks.

• Includes a signature tool.

What We Don't Like

• Can be used on only three PDFs every hour.

• Limited to PDFs with fewer than 200 pages.

• Doesn't edit PDFs larger than 50 MB.

Sejda PDF Editor is one of the very few PDF editors that actually lets you edit pre-existing text in the PDF without adding a watermark. Most editors only let you edit the text you add yourself, or they support text editing but then throw watermarks all over the place.

Plus, this tool can run entirely in your web browser, so it's easy to get going without having to download any programs. You can get the desktop version if you'd rather.

There are some differences between the online and desktop versions that you should know about. For example, the desktop edition supports more font types and doesn't let you add PDFs by URL or from online storage services as the online editor does (which supports Dropbox and Google Drive).

Another neat feature is the web integration tool that lets PDF publishers provide a link for their users that they can simply click to automatically open the file in this online PDF editor.

Here are some more features in this free PDF editor:

• Lets you insert blank pages into the PDF
• Can remove pages from the PDF
• Supports whiting out parts of the page
• Can insert images and shapes into the PDF

All uploaded files are automatically deleted from Sejda after five hours.

Sejda PDF Desktop works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the online version can be run from any operating system.

You can use both the online and desktop versions to convert a PDF to a Word doc or a Word doc to PDF. Open the Tools section in either program to find that option.

Inkscape

What We Like

• Can edit PDF text.

• Supports manipulating graphics.

• Includes lots of image-editing tools.

What We Don't Like

• The number of graphics-editing tools can be overwhelming.

Inkscape is an extremely popular free image viewer and editor, but it also includes PDF editing functions that most dedicated PDF editors support only in their paid editions.

Inkscape is a very capable image editing program. If you're not already familiar with programs like GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other image editors, however, it's probably a bit advanced for you.

In the context of PDF editing, though, you should consider Inkscape only if you want to delete or edit the images or text in the PDF. We suggest you use a different tool in this list to edit PDF forms or add shapes and then plug that PDF into Inkscape if you need to actually edit the preexisting text.

Windows, macOS, and Linux users can install Inkscape to edit PDFs.

PDFescape Online PDF Editor

What We Like

• Works online through your web browser.

• Includes lots of tools.

• Lets you add your own text and images.

• Can delete and add PDF pages.

What We Don't Like

• Can't edit existing text.

• Doesn't edit large PDFs.

PDFescape has quite a lot of features. It's completely free so long as the PDF does not exceed 100 pages or 10 MB.

You can't truly change text or edit images using this editor, but you can add your own text, images, links, form fields, etc.

The text tool is very customizable so that you can pick your own size, font type, color, alignment, and apply effects such as bolding, underlining, and italics.

You also can draw on the PDF, add sticky notes, strikethrough text, put white space over anything you want to disappear, and insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, rectangles, and comments.

PDFescape lets you delete individual pages from the PDF, rotate pages, crop out parts of a page, reorganize the order of the pages, and add more pages from other PDFs.

You can upload your own PDF file, paste the URL to an online PDF, and make your own PDF from scratch.

When finished editing, you can download the PDF to your computer without ever having to make a user account. You need one only if you want to save your progress online without downloading the PDF.

PDFescape has an offline PDF editor, too, called PDFescape Editor, but it isn't free.

This free PDF editor works on any OS since it runs through a web browser.

PDF-XChange Editor

What We Like

• Uses OCR to identify the text in the PDF.

• Can import a variety of shapes and images.

• Supports adding QR codes to the PDF.

• Offers a portable version.

What We Don't Like

• Many features require a license.

• Works with Windows only.

PDF-XChange Editor offers some great tools, but not all of them are free to use. If you use a non-free feature, the PDF will save with a watermark on every page.

If you stick to just the free features, however, you can still do some editing to the file and save it back to your computer.

You can load PDFs from your computer, a URL, SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox. You can save the edited PDF back to your computer or to any of those cloud storage services.

The PDF-XChange Editor program has lots of features, so it might seem overwhelming at first. All of the options and tools are simple to understand, however, and they're categorized into their own sections for easier management.

One nice feature is the ability to highlight all the form fields so that you can easily spot where you need to fill in. This is really helpful if you're editing a PDF with lots of forms, such as an application.

Although the free version puts watermarks on your edited documents, this program does let you edit existing text, add your own text to the PDF, and add or delete pages from the document.

You can download this program in portable mode to use on a flash drive or as a regular installer.

Many of the features are free, but some are not. If you use a feature that's not covered by the free version (you're told which features are not free when you use them), the saved PDF file will have a watermark attached to the corner of every page.

Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 users can install PDF-XChange Editor.

Smallpdf Online PDF Editor

What We Like

• Is completely free.

• Lets you add more text to the PDF.

• Can load and save PDFs from various sources.

What We Don't Like

• Doesn't let you edit existing text.

• Only two PDFs can be edited every hour.

One of the quickest ways to add images, text, shapes, or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf.

This website allows you to upload a PDF, make changes to it, and then save it back to your computer all without needing to make a user account or pay for any anti-watermarking features.

• You can open and/or save your PDF to your Dropbox or Google Drive account, too, in addition to your computer
• Lets you put white space over areas you want to erase
• You can import three shapes into a PDF with Smallpdf: a square, circle, or arrow. You can change the object's main color and line color, as well as the thickness of its edge
• Text size can be tiny, small, normal, large, or huge, but only three font types are available. You can change the color of any text you add

When finished editing the PDF, just decide where you want it saved; you can even generate a share link. You can also run the edited PDF through Smallpdf's PDF splitter tool if you want to extract the pages from the document.

If you edit two PDFs within an hour, you have to upgrade to Smallpdf Pro if you want to keep using the website. Or, you can wait an hour to edit another.

FormSwift's Free PDF Editor

What We Like

• Everything is free.

• Doesn't leave a watermark.

• Can add your own custom text to the PDF.

• Easy typing, drawing, and signing.

What We Don't Like

• Unable to edit existing text.

• No easy-to-access undo button (but you can delete what you've done).

• Can upload PDFs only from your computer (not from other places such as Google Drive or Dropbox).

FormSwift's Free PDF Editor is a very simple online PDF editor that you can start using without even making a user account.

It's as simple as uploading your PDF file to the website and using the menus at the top of the page to quickly perform some basic PDF editing functions before downloading it back to your computer.

Following are some of the things you can do with this PDF editor:

• Erase or redact existing text and images with white or black space
• Insert your own images
• Highlight anything on the page
• Place circles, checkmarks, and 'x' icons over any text
• Upload Word documents and images if you need to edit those instead of a PDF

When you're done editing the PDF, you can download the file as a PDF file, print it directly to your printer, or save the PDF as a Microsoft Word .docx document.

The .pdf-to-.docx conversion didn't work for every PDF that we tried, but in those that did convert successfully, the images were formatted nicely and the text was fully editable.

Another feature offered by FormSwift at formswift.com/snap lets you quickly edit or sign PDFs from your phone by taking a picture of a document. You can then share or download the PDF when you're done. It's not perfect: Most things done through a web app are spotty. It does work, however, with a little patience.

FormSwift's website works on any operating system through any modern browser.

PDFelement Pro

What We Like

• Lets you edit the PDF's text directly.

• Supports combining several PDFs into one.

• Supports OCR.

• Editing embedded forms is easy.

What We Don't Like

• Free version places a watermark on the PDF.

PDFelement Pro, just as the name sounds, is free but with a major limitation: It places a watermark on every page of the PDF. That being said, the watermark doesn't cover much of the page, and it's important to realize that it supports some truly great PDF editing features.

This program would be a truly free PDF editor if it weren't for the fact that the free edition will not save without first putting a watermark on every single page of the PDF.

Depending on what you'll use the PDF for, however, the features it supports might be enough for you to consider living with the watermarks:

• Add a password to the PDF
• Insert, extract, delete, and rotate PDF pages
• Crop PDF pages
• Edit the background of the pages in the PDF
• Include headers and footers
• Add images, links, and custom watermarks

You can get this PDF editor for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.