The best PDF editors for 2023

3 weeks ago

The PDF record format has awesome support for matter and video, arsenic good arsenic an businesslike record size, making it a awesome format for each kinds of documents and data. It’s besides fantabulous for preserving nan value and formatting of a document.

Adobe Acrobat is possibly nan astir well-known PDF editor, but location are different options to consider. Having entree to a PDF editor opens nan anticipation of editing archive texts, adding images, filling retired forms, and converting your PDF files to different formats. A PDF editor is simply a useful instrumentality if you activity pinch this format regularly.

Our guideline to nan champion PDF editors will thief you take nan correct editor for your needs.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

The champion PDF editor overall

Adobe first introduced nan PDF format astir 30 years ago, and Acrobat Pro DC is nan existent manufacture modular for editing PDF files. It’s a PDF editor that combines nan hallmarks of nan different programs connected our database into a unified portion of software. It’s besides 1 of nan fewer premium programs disposable for some Windows and MacOS. Acrobat Pro DC boasts dedicated mobile functionality (with iOS and Android apps) and nan expertise to person various record formats to PDF, including aggregate web pages (HTML), Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and moreover scans aliases image files for illustration PNG aliases JPEG.

Simply put, you can’t do overmuch amended than nan premium type of Adobe Acrobat Reader for editing your PDF files. It has an array of text-editing options, and tin instantly person and prevention scanned documents to PDF. It moreover has nan expertise to merge aggregate PDF files. Adobe’s editing options besides see reordering pages, page rotation, annotations, page cropping, page removals, and being capable to divided PDFs into abstracted files.

Get Adobe Acrobat Pro

PDFGear

The champion free PDF editor

PDFGear is simply a free PDF editor that rivals immoderate of nan champion paid-for solutions pinch its scope of features; It’s my caller favourite app. It moreover has ChatGPT built correct in, letting it summarize PDFs aliases hunt accusation successful them for speedy reference. It tin besides edit, merge, compress, convert, and moreover sign. You tin tie pinch a mouse, upload a signature image, aliases usage a useful stamp to motion tons of documents regularly.

Better yet, its offline exertion is free too, truthful you tin motion and edit important and delicate documents without fearfulness of immoderate online work looking complete your shoulder. There’s an online editor if you request to motion aliases edit a PDF while you don’t person nan action of installing nan application, and it’s conscionable arsenic afloat featured.

PDFGear isn’t conscionable a awesome PDF editor, it’s a productivity-boosting tool. With its AI integration, you tin find accusation from PDFs faster, and interact pinch them successful earthy ways — conscionable inquire nan AI to execute a task. If PDFGear tin do it, nan AI tin do it for you.

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Microsoft Word

The astir convenient PDF editor

If you usage Microsoft Office, past you already person entree to a versatile PDF archive editor.

In nan past, versions of Microsoft Word were constricted to redeeming a archive successful aliases retired of nan PDF format, and that was astir it. However, nan much caller 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 versions let you to unfastened a PDF and past make circumstantial edits to nan portion arsenic a Word document. When finished, you tin save it arsenic a PDF again. This is particularly useful because galore group are already astir comfortable editing documents successful nan Microsoft Word format.

It’s a elemental tool, and formatting doesn’t ever statement up correctly based connected nan PDF, but it’s an fantabulous replacement if you request to dip into a PDF accelerated for a spot of basal editing aliases matter changes. Plus, Word is simply a straightforward editing instrumentality for labor and students who are already acquainted pinch Word and don’t want to study a caller program.

While there are constricted ways you tin usage Microsoft Word for free, it is mostly package that you person to salary to use, either via a subscription aliases a hefty one-time payment.

Try Microsoft Word

PDF Architect 9

The astir fully-featured PDF editor

An opened archive successful PDF Architect.

German company Pdfforge has a unsocial acquisition exemplary for its PDF Architect program. It’s disposable arsenic a free download aliases arsenic portion of 3 abstracted packages (Standard, Professional, and Pro+OCR). Each package includes a group of modules for nan program, which dictate its editing power. The Standard package includes nan Edit, Convert, and Page modules. Professional features each nan modules from nan Standard package and adds nan Review/Comment, Secure, and Forms modules. Finally, Pro+OCR has everything from nan Professional package and nan OCR Advanced module. Full descriptions of each module tin beryllium recovered on nan Pdfforge website.

Even nan Pro+OCR package is disposable astatine a reasonable price, and nan afloat suite of editing devices makes up 1 of nan astir complete, inclusive PDF editors retired there. The latest type of PDF Architect is PDF Architect 9, and premium subscriptions to it see features specified arsenic editing text, nan expertise to person PDFs into different record formats, support for comments/annotations, and password protection of your PDFs.

There is simply a (limited) free type of PDF Architect 8. It lets you person Word, Excel, aliases PowerPoint documents into PDFs, rotate PDFs, aliases moreover merge PDFs and delete pages.

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Sejda PDF Editor

The champion online PDF editor

Sejda is simply a web app designed for speedy PDF editing, and it does that very well. It’s straightforward, focusing connected accelerated PDF signatures and only basal matter editing for nan files you upload. But that’s besides why we for illustration it. This online, free PDF editor lets you do each sorts of things to PDFs, including changing font formatting, adding images, filling retired forms, adding aliases editing hyperlinks, adding shape fields, making annotations, and signing PDFs. You tin moreover motion a PDF record pinch 3 options: Drawing your signature pinch your mouse, typing successful your name, aliases uploading an image of your signature.

It provides definitive instructions, making it difficult to messiness thing up, and it’s quick. If your leader aliases co-worker doesn’t really understand really to usage exertion aliases person nan patience to download caller apps — but you still request their signature connected a random PDF record — this is 1 of nan champion ways to e-sign a document.

If you’re looking for an easy online PDF editor, past springiness this 1 a shot. The free type does travel pinch immoderate limitations, however: You tin only upload up to 200 pages aliases 50 Mb and you tin only do 3 “tasks per hour.”

Get Sejda

PDFescape

The champion free PDF editor

PDFescape is simply a free web app, truthful it’s accessible done your favorite browser. There’s nary lengthy installation process to slow down your work. Users tin entree nan editor utilizing immoderate operating system, arsenic agelong arsenic they tin link to nan internet. PDFescape’s work is compatible pinch Safari, Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera browsers.

You tin conscionable propulsion up a PDF archive successful nan PDF spectator and commencement adding matter and images and moreover white-out aged content. There are useful features for illustration zoom and rotate to spot mini aliases awkwardly angled matter better, and you tin usage a flurry of modular tools, specified arsenic a shape designer and respective note features.

There’s besides a desktop type pinch each of nan aforesaid features arsenic nan free online version, positive desktop PDF editing, much editing features, nan expertise to people and scan to PDF, and you tin people PDF forms. Depending connected which premium scheme you select, nan desktop type tin costs $3 aliases $6 per period (when billed annually), but you tin trial them retired pinch a free trial. Luckily, you won’t request an net relationship to usage nan premium desktop versions, and $3 to $6 a period isn’t excessively bad. Overall, it’s a functional, elemental PDF editing tool. If you aren’t looking for thing excessively complicated, springiness it a try.

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Foxit PDF Editor

The champion PDF editor for professionals

Foxit PDF Editor is simply a awesome premium action for businesses and professionals who request much editing tools. The first point you request to cognize is that location are 3 kinds of editor products: PDF Editor Online, Foxit PDF Editor, and Foxit PDF Editor Pro. The Online version looks for illustration it’s a free option, but it’s not — it requires you to motion up for an account, and you’ll only get a free trial, aft which you’ll beryllium prompted to motion up for a subscription. With nan Online version, you tin edit and adhd matter and objects, insert and delete pages, person from different record formats, and moreover password-protect, sign, and redact parts of PDFs.

The modular PDF Editor type is disposable for Windows, MacOS, online, Android, and iOS, and it’s $79 per year. It comes pinch six characteristic sets: Edit, Review, Manage, Share, Protect, and Create. PDF Editor Pro is only disposable connected Windows, costs $99 per year, and comes pinch everything successful nan modular type positive 3 much characteristic sets: Advanced Collaboration, Advanced Editing, and Advanced Security. Both of these options besides connection free tests truthful you tin trial them out.

Get Foxit PDF Editor

PDF-XChange Editor

Another awesome free PDF editor

PDF-XChange Editor is simply a free PDF editor that comes pinch a laundry database of features. Some of these features see editing text, adding aliases listening to audio comments, annotations, adding civilization stamps, adding aliases editing hyperlinks, and nan expertise to move, add, aliases edit bookmarks. You won’t, however, beryllium capable to edit scanned documents. PDF-XChange has support for Sharepoint, Google Drive, and Microsoft Office 365, which intends you tin entree documents via those unreality services and person them to aliases from a PDF arsenic needed by utilizing PDF-XChange Editor.

If you request much than what nan free type offers, you’ll request to upgrade to purchasing a license. If you do so, you’ll summation entree to features specified arsenic Bates numbering, deleting pages, moving pages, inserting blank pages, and header and footer support. It’s besides worthy noting that nan free type will put a watermark connected nan documents you edit aliases create pinch that version. Licenses commencement astatine $46 for 1 personification pinch 1 twelvemonth of maintenance.

PDF-XChange Editor is only compatible pinch Windows devices.

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PDFelement Pro

PDFelement Pro from iSkysoft is simply a PDF is simply a free and paid-for PDF editor pinch a scope of awesome features. Of nan paid versions, location are 2 main types: PDFelement and PDFelement Pro. The free type leaves immoderate exported files pinch a watermark, and you’re restricted connected nan number of pages that tin beryllium saved aliases converted. If you simply request to make and prevention edits connected a PDF for conscionable a fewer pages and you don’t mind a watermark, nan free proceedings type could activity for you.

If you don’t want nan watermarked proceedings version, but only request nan package for basal editing, you whitethorn want to see purchasing nan modular PDFelement package licence that comes pinch nan expertise to do things for illustration to create and edit PDFs, person them, adhd annotations and comments, reorder and delete pages, and password-protect your PDFs. This guidelines subscription costs $80 for nan year, pinch longer plants disposable astatine discount rates. The perpetual scheme pinch unlimited usage of PDF ELement forever, costs $130.

Wondershare PDFelement is disposable for some Windows and MacOS devices. The readiness of definite package features will alteration among these operating systems. Some features are only disposable successful nan Windows version.

Get PDFelement Pro

FAQ

What should you look for successful a PDF editor?

There are a fewer factors you should look for erstwhile choosing a PDF editor:

File format compatibility and support. Will it let you to person your archive record into a PDF aliases vice versa? Which record formats does nan PDF editor support and do they see nan format of your peculiar document? This is peculiarly important for editing scanned documents.
Will nan edited type of your archive clasp nan aforesaid formatting arsenic nan original? Sometimes aft editing a PDF via a third-party app aliases editor, you tin suffer nan original formatting of your document, aliases nan formatting will conscionable look awkward and off. Make judge that nan editor you take is capable to support your recently edited archive formatted nan same.
Does it person a elemental interface pinch a fewer features aliases a analyzable 1 pinch tons of editing options and which do you prefer? This depends connected your existent needs. If you often edit PDFs and request entree to tons of editing features, you whitethorn beryllium amended disconnected utilizing an app pinch tons of options, but a cluttered personification interface. It whitethorn return longer for you to study really to usage it, but if you’re a predominant PDF editor, it whitethorn beryllium worthy it successful nan agelong run. If each you request is simply a speedy edit present and location and don’t require analyzable edits, you should opt for an editor that has a elemental and easy-to-use interface, though you whitethorn sacrifice entree to much elaborate editing features.
Free aliases paid? Free editing apps thin to beryllium champion for those who don’t request to edit PDFs that often aliases don’t request entree to a wide assortment of editing options. Premium editing apps thin to beryllium much worthy it for those who regularly edit PDFs and request to do extended and elaborate editing. This is because paying a subscription aliases one-time interest will usually unlock much features aliases editing options that nan free versions don’t have.

What are nan benefits of utilizing Microsoft Word to edit PDFs?

There are tons of benefits to utilizing Microsoft Word for editing PDFs:

You’re astir apt already acquainted pinch nan software. It’s apt that you’ve already utilized Microsoft Word earlier successful schoolhouse aliases astatine nan office. So you won’t request to study caller editing package and it’ll beryllium easier for you to use.
It’s astir apt already connected your computer. If you person a Microsoft 365 subscription, you already person Microsoft Word connected your computer, which intends you don’t request to download aliases salary for a caller editing software.
You tin easy person it to a Word archive for editing and past prevention it again arsenic PDF. Later versions of Word will let you to person your PDFs into Word documents for easy editing. Then you tin prevention your recently edited Word archive arsenic a PDF.
It’s perfect for speedy editing aliases matter changes. If each you request to do is alteration a fewer words aliases make different insignificant edits, Microsoft Word is simply a bully action for those quick-and-dirty edits. If you request a PDF editor that tin grip much analyzable edits aliases does a amended occupation of maintaining your document’s original formatting, past you whitethorn want to look astatine different PDF editor options.

Want to study much astir editing PDF files? Here’s how to harvester PDF files and how to person a PDF into Excel.