Best PDF editors 2024: Our top picks

It’s likely that you regularly come across or work with PDF files—they’re ubiquitous in our modern cross-platform world. Most of the time, when viewing a PDF, you can enjoy free software that allows you to read or comment on these files. But what if you need to edit them as well? That’s where a PDF editor comes in.

The best PDF editors allows you to edit, create, alter, and convert PDF files just like you would with any other text document. Adobe Acrobat is the most famous option for most people. But while it’s excellent both in features and utility, it’s also pretty expensive. Thankfully, in recent years a whole host of third-party PDF editors have sprung up in order to provide less expensive alternatives.

Here at PCWorld we’ve tested many of these top PDF editors and curated a list of the very best. With different use cases in mind, we’ve included picks for the best overall, best budget option, and even a recommendation for the best free PDF editor—because sometimes you just don’t want to pay for the basics. Check out our recommendations below to find the best PDF editor for you.

Update 12/18/2023: To include Foxit PDF Editor 13 as our new choice for best overall PDF editor runner-up. Read more about this excellent alternative to Acrobat in our summary below.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC – Best overall

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: $19.90/mo I $239.88/yr

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC remains the industry standard for good reason. Its rich combination of creation, editing, reviewing, and security features are mimicked by the best alternative options, but we feel Acrobat still does it best. Its recent interface redesign makes it much easier to navigate through its robust toolset than the nested menus of yore, and its cloud subscription option puts its advanced features within reach of more individuals and small businesses. (See how it compares to the Adobe Acrobat Standard DC.)

Though many of its features are available in other, cheaper PDF editors, Acrobat is still the editor against which all others are judged.

Foxit PDF Editor 13 – Best overall runner-up

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: $179.99 (Standard version, perpetual license)

Foxit PDF Editor 13 hits all the right notes for a premium PDF editor and can even take on the formidable Adobe Acrobat. It’s packed with features that are sure to please power users—all the requisite content editing tools; review and markup features; form fill and signing support; and robust security options for sensitive documents, such as permissions, password protection, and data redaction. It supports tons of file formats, and adding hyperlinks, images, and files to a PDF is trouble-free.

Indeed, ease-of-use is one of Foxit’s great strengths. The program uses a Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface which groups tasks in a familiar and intuitive interface, making for a seamless integration with your workflow. It also provides ChatGPT integration so you can easily get help with your documents from an AI assistant. Yes, it’s priced on the higher side for a PDF editor, but with all it has going for it, Nitro PDF Pro more than earns its keep. Plus, you can try it out for free for seven days to see if you like it before making a commitment. If you’re looking for an Acrobat replacement, you won’t find many better.

EaseUS PDF editor – Best budget option

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: Free I $29.95/mo I $49.95/yr I $79.95/lifetime

EaseUs might not have the name recognition of some of the other editors on this list, but it’s more than capable of holding its own in the crowded PDF editor market. It provides all of the essential tools for managing PDF files without any of the elaborate or hard-to-understand features. It allows users to jump right in to their toolset and get straight to editing with only what they need.

While EaseUS’s features are great, they are also pretty standard fare among PDF editors. What makes it stand out is its affordable price—it’s a great value for those who regularly edit PDFs and don’t want to pay out the nose. EaseUS also offers a fully functional free version (with embedded watermarks on your edited documents) so users can take it for a spin to see if it meets their needs before they commit to paying any money.

PDF Candy – Best free option

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: Free

PDF Candy is the rare free PDF editor that offers a lot of the features you’d typically have to pay for. We’re talking scanning, multiple file-conversion options, and OCR functionality. All of this combines to make PDF Candy stand out among the multitude of lesser free PDF editors. It does have a bit of a wonky interface, but once you get the hang of it you’re off and running.

Unfortunately, while the free version has access to the expansive toolset of the paid version, you’re limited to one PDF task per hour. If you want unfettered access, you need to shell out $6 per month, or $48 per year.

PDF Expert – Best full-featured editor for Apple devices

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: Free 7-day trial, then $79.99 annually

PDF Expert is an excellent editor that fits seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem, making it our pick for Macs, iPads, and iPhone users.

While macOS does include a PDF editor in its Preview app, iOS devices don’t have a native PDF editor and PDF Expert fills that gap nicely. It has a clean and intuitive interface and offers a plethora of easy-to-use editing options such as page management, converting scanned files into editable documents, and conversion to other file formats, among other things. The pricing plan is also considerably cheaper than most of the other top picks, meaning this is a no-brainer for Apple users.

Apple Preview PDF editor – Best free option for Mac users

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: Built into macOS

Mac users needn’t look beyond the macOS for their PDF editing needs, since there is a full set of PDF markup tools already available at their disposal in Apple Preview. It has the chops to handle most personal and business PDF editing needs, including encryption, password protection, and permissions for files.

Apple Preview’s PDF features and capabilities are impressive and should be all you need for most common editing tasks. The drawback, of course, is that only Mac users can take advantage of them.

pdfFiller – Best web-based editor

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: $8 per month (annual commitment) I $20 per month (cancel at any time)

pdfFiller is a browser-based PDF editor that allows you do to just about everything PDF-related—editing, securing, sharing, creating, and storing PDF files—all from its intuitive and simple web interface. Its design is similar to a desktop app, with the toolbar across the top, and document thumbnails along the side, so it’s very easy to select the page you want to work on and perform the desired function, be it adding, deleting, or copying/pasting text; changing font style, size, and color; and so on. A standard set of markup tools is also available. It has a surprisingly deep set of features for both personal and business use. For instance the Premium plan offers an impressive legal document library, as well as SignNow support.

While incredibly versatile, not all of pdfFiller’s advanced features will suit everyone. Fortunately, there are three subscription tiers, which gives users a way to meet their editing needs without paying extra for unnecessary features: Basic for $8/mo; Plus for $12/mo; Premium for $15/mo with an annual commitment. Month-to-month options are also available, but at a higher cost, of course.

Why spend a chunk of change on a desktop editor when free online PDF editors abound? The simple answer is because you get what you pay for. Generally, free online editors will let you add text and comments, merge and split documents, and convert files to and from PDF. With rare exception, however, they won’t let you edit existing text and many have file-size and page-volume restrictions. And a lot of them will watermark your edited document. For these reasons, web PDF editors are best reserved for simple, fast editing jobs. Call in these big dogs for anything more demanding.

PDF editors come in a variety of flavors, offering varying feature sets—from basic functionality to power-user tools. It’s important to know what features best match your workflow before you commit to a PDF editor.

The most fundamental function of a PDF editor is to make PDFs, either from scratch, scanned hard copies, or by converting digital documents. A good PDF editor should be able to transform a variety of file types—from Microsoft Office formats to images to HTML—and do so seamlessly, preserving the original formatting. It should also include OCR technology to make the PDF text searchable and editable. Likewise, a good PDF editor must be able to export PDFs into other editable formats such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain text, maintaining the original files hyperlinks, images, and other elements.

Another bit of magic that PDF editors unlock is the ability to modify text; insert, resize, and move images; and reorganize pages in the PDF. A good one will perform these tasks as easily as in a text document or slide deck, allowing in-line editing, dragging-and dropping graphics, and adding or removing hyperlinks.

A good PDF editor should also let you or anyone else using it add comments and other annotations to PDF files during review. It should have tools to mark up both text documents and graphic-heavy files like webpages. Common options include sticky notes, callout boxes, highlighting, freehand drawing tools, and stamps with messages like “approved,” “revised,” and “confidential.”

All businesses deal with documents containing sensitive data. Look for a PDF editor that includes security features that allow access for authorized eyes only. Good options will usually offer several levels of security, including password protection, permissions setting, and content redaction, which “blacks out” selected text and images. Most PDF editors will also offer one or more ways to electronically sign documents.

While deep PDF editing is best done on a desktop, it’s nice to be able to review and annotate files when you’re out and about. While PDFs can typically be reviewed in any PDF reader or editor, regardless of which one they were created in, consider looking for an editor that has a dedicated mobile app, is optimized for mobile devices, or allows cloud access to features through a mobile browser.

One of the great things about a PDF is that it can be read and edited in any PDF program regardless of which one it was created in. So beyond the features outlined here, let your personal preferences guide you in making your decision.

While there are a number of different types of PDF file formats, they all fall under the umbrella term of PDF documents. A PDF form is a type of PDF document that has editable form fields a user can fill out. Typically, parts of the document are static and can’t be changed in a PDF form, such as questions in a survey or instructions about filling out the form. In a PDF form, the content fields a user fills out are open to editing and can offer a list of possible answer options or can be written in freely.

Yes. They are two entirely different document formats. While you can export from one file format to another, they are not the same. Word file formats are usually used for word processing, editing, and making changes to text. PDF documents on the other hand, are most often utilized for viewing, sharing, and printing. Additionally, Word files are read and write and contain some version of the “.doc” file format. Whereas PDF files are typically read-only and contain the “.pdf” file format.

Yes. If you have a PDF document that you don’t want anyone else to edit, you can protect the file. You can do this by opening the file in Acrobat, for instance, and clicking Tools > Protect. Then you have a few options as to whether you want to simply restrict editing with a password, or if you want to encrypt the file for further safety. Once you choose how you want to protect the PDF document, you can set a password and save.

As a matter of fact, many free PDF editors allow you to merge two or more PDFs into one document. Such is the case with our top free pick PDF Candy. Open up the PDF editor application or website in your browser and search for the Merge option. It will then ask you to add the files of all PDFs you wish to merge. Once the files have been added, arrange the page order and alignment before proceeding with the merge. Afterwards, all of your previously PDF files will be merged into one new PDF document.

Yes and no. Google doesn’t provide a designated free PDF editor itself, but there are third-party Chrome extensions that you can use to help get the job done. Alternatively, you can make use of Google Drive to edit a PDF document. Simply upload the document onto your Google Drive and then select the file and right-click and select Open with > Google Docs. The file will be opened as an editable Google Docs text document. Then just make your edits and when you’re finished click File > Download >PDF Document to revert it back to a PDF file.

This method is a quick and easy way to edit a simple PDF document, but be careful as Google Docs can run into formatting issues if your original document has complex visual formatting such as tables and graphs. In this case, it is best to use a designated free or premium PDF editor.

Council to consider free electronic waste collection

Dec. 11—SUPERIOR — Getting rid of old electronics in Superior could be free for consumers under a recommendation made Thursday, Dec. 7 by the Public Works Committee.

The committee is recommending the council enter into an agreement with Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM) of Minneapolis for electronic waste handling and collection.

The city currently collects electronic waste at the landfill and charges fees ranging from $10 for a laptop or printer, and up to $30 for a CRT television with a lead glass screen to pay for the cost of recycling and hauling at Afterlife in Superior.

MRM receives funding from electronics manufacturers that are required by a state law adopted in 2010 to help pay for post-consumer recycling of their products.

"They have to recycle a certain amount of pounds based on their sales," said Darienne McNamara, landfill manager. "How many pounds they sell, that helps determine how many pounds they have to recycle. What they do is hire some third party to satisfy their legal obligation."

MRM is among the companies that help electronics manufacturers meet their legal obligation, McNamara said.

Under the terms of the agreement, MRM would provide a collection container for shipping, pallets and shrink wrap for the city's landfill collection site. Landfill staff would be responsible for supervising the site and preparing pallets for transport. MRM would transport full loads to their designated recycler.

The one-year agreement would provide residents with access to no-cost electronic waste recycling year-round.

When the proposed contract was first submitted to the Public Works Committee in November, Councilor Ruth Ludwig said she would like more information about MRM since they would be competing directly with Afterlife Electronics, a local electronics collection site that charges fees to recycle electronic waste.

MRM has been around since the 2010 law passed and works in states across the country that have laws similar to Wisconsin's, McNamara said. She said MRM is registered in the state's program and is licensed and audited.

"The contract looks like it could be good for our interests based on what the (Department of Natural Resources) suggested," McNamara said.

After McNamara's report, Ludwig said she was satisfied that MRM's proposal could be good for the city.

"I guess this is the way I see it," Ludwig said. "We, as a city, get a contract with MRM. Afterlife is still in existence, and it's up to our residents to make the choice, whether they just want to drop off at Afterlife or haul it out to the landfill."

The council will consider the agreement when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19 in Room 201 of the Government Center.

How To Make A PDF Accessible: 10 Common Issues To Watch For

Founder and CEO of Equally AI, a world-class, secured, convenient and modern web accessibility compliance solution for everyone.

Many businesses opt to publish documents online as Portable Document Format (PDF) files because they have several advantages: PDFs maintain their visual look, can be read on most browsers and mobile devices and can be password-protected.

Unfortunately, many PDFs are not accessible to people with disabilities who rely on assistive technology to read and interact with online content. This violates accessibility standards such as Section 508 and the PDF/Universal Accessibility Standards, putting culpable businesses at risk of legal action.

How To Check If A PDF Is Accessible

It is hard to know whether a PDF document is accessible or not by simply looking at it. If it appears blurry or handwritten, then it is likely a scanned document and inaccessible.

However, a more efficient option is to use an accessibility checker. These provide valuable insights into how accessible a PDF is to assistive technology. Some examples of free PDF accessibility checking tools are Adobe Accessibility Checker, the Tingtun Checker, PAC 3 and PAVE.

How To Remediate A PDF For Accessibility

While there are powerful automation tools for PDF accessibility, several manual steps are still required to ensure the document is accessible and compliant. Here are some steps you can take to check your files.

1. Make the source file accessible.

PDFs are converted files, often from Microsoft Word documents. So, the first logical step is to ensure the source file (Word document) is accessible. That way, the document retains its accessibility features when converted to PDF.

Tools like Acrobat Pro DC can be very helpful, as they have several built-in tagging features that help identify and structure elements in PDFs. Some of these features are not available in MS Word.

2. Scan the document to see if it contains readable content.

Some PDFs are scanned images saved as PDF files. These do not contain actual text but are merely images of text. Assistive technology cannot read or interact with such PDFs unless they are fixed using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR is software that extracts the letters from a scanned document and repurposes them into actual readable text. This ensures screen readers and other assistive technologies can read out the words to users.

3. Check that all elements in the PDF have proper tags.

All elements in the PDF, such as headers, paragraphs, lists, data tables and form fields, should carry proper tags. Assistive technology uses tags to identify elements, which helps keyboard users understand how the page content flows and skip to desired sections.

Heading tags need to follow an orderly sequence from H1 (the most important) to H6 (the least important). Don’t skip over a level, e.g., putting an H3 tag after an H1 tag, as this can confuse screen reader users.

4. Check that the PDF is arranged in a logical reading order.

The PDF’s reading order is the roadmap that allows screen readers to follow the content correctly. Therefore, check that the elements’ tags follow the visible logical layout of the page. If there is no logical reading order, assistive technology users will have difficulty following the natural flow of the document and understanding it properly.

5. Verify that the PDF follows a logical tab order.

If a PDF contains links or form fields, such as text boxes or button controls, the document’s tab order should conform to the visible, logical layout of the page. This is essential to help keyboard-only users easily navigate between areas of the document that receive focus when they tab through the page’s content.

6. Check that images have appropriate alternative text.

All images or figures with significant meaning in the PDF must have alternative (alt) text. This is a short description of an image that is read out by assistive technology.

Alt text is also helpful when an image does not display due to a broken image link or some other technical issue. Without alternative text, users who cannot see the images in the document (with or without visual impairments) cannot access its full content.

7. Ensure that all link destinations are clearly identified.

Hyperlinks in PDFs must have unique, concise and meaningful link texts that clearly describe where the link leads the user. Well-written link texts help all users (both assistive technology users and non-users) scan through content and decide what linked resources to explore.

8. Ensure that data tables carry proper tags.

PDFs with data tables must have structural markup with proper tags to differentiate and properly link between header and data cells. All header cells must carry the <th> tag, and data cells must have the <td> tag. These allow assistive technology to help users understand the context of the information in the data tables.

9. Check if form field elements contain tooltips.

Tooltips are instructions, directions and cues that help users enter the information in the correct fields and complete a form accurately. A PDF with form field elements should contain a tooltip for each form field element, and these should appear in the logical tab order.

10. Make sure the PDF has a clearly defined language and a descriptive title.

Many screen-reader programs support multiple languages. Correctly defining the language(s) of the text in a PDF helps screen readers load the proper voice and pronunciation rules. A PDF should also have a title that describes its content and helps users easily identify it.

Final Thoughts

Your business might have a largely accessible website but still be at risk of lawsuits if your documents are inaccessible. This article does not cover all the information needed to make PDF documents fully accessible. Fortunately, there are free resources available online to help you, such as Adobe’s Accessibility Resources and Section 508 PDFs Authoring Guides.

Remember, creating an inclusive web experience for everyone is not only legally required but is also the right thing to do. Where necessary, consider getting expert help to make sure that your website is both compliant and accessible.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?