12 Best Free Pdf Editors 2025 Top Tools Without Watermarks

Leo Migdal
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12 best free pdf editors 2025 top tools without watermarks

PDFs have become the universal format for sharing documents, whether it’s assignments, invoices, contracts, or eBooks. But editing a PDF isn’t always simple—most tools lock essential features behind a paywall. This is why many users search for the best free PDF editor that lets them make changes without restrictions. A good editor should allow you to edit text and images in PDFs, annotate files, and fill forms. It should let you sign documents and even merge, split, or compress PDFs. While plenty of tools claim to be free, many leave watermarks or limit usage unless you pay for a subscription.

That’s where this guide comes in. Here, we’ve reviewed the top completely free PDF editors across Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and online platforms. If you work with PDF files regularly then a PDF editor is an indispensable tool. Whether it’s part of your job, you manage PDF files for your own personal use, or you just need to complete a one-off editing task, a top editor program is an essential piece of... Full-featured editors such as Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC might provide all of the bells and whistles, but a free PDF editor can still offer most of the important tools of a paid service for... Plus, many free PDF editors are browser based, which means you don’t need to worry about about platform- or device-compatibility issues.

Of course, free products won’t come with every feature of their premium counterparts. So, if you find that you need more advanced tools such as password protection, Bates numbering, or e-signatures, then you’re probably better served by a premium PDF editor. Why you should trust PCWorld for PDF editor reviews and buying advice: At PCWorld, we’ve been testing PC hardware and software for decades. Our evaluation process is thorough, always hands-on and focused on real-world usage needs. We won’t ever recommend something we wouldn’t be comfortable using ourselves. EaseUS Black Friday Offer: EaseUS PDF Editor – Edit, Convert, Compress & Protect PDFs

If you’ve ever tried to edit a PDF and hit a paywall, you know how frustrating it can be. Whether you’re updating a contract, rearranging pages, adding your signature, or converting files, a good free PDF editor can make a world of difference. After testing countless options, I finally found the best solutions that truly deliver on features and ease of use. We’ve rounded up the top 5 PDF editor apps available for free in 2025, including a powerful newcomer — Indigo PDF — that’s quickly gaining popularity for its professional-grade tools. All of these apps are completely free to use, with no hidden charges or subscriptions, and offer versatile features for both casual and professional users. Modern workflows demand flexibility, and the best free pdf editors make it easy to edit and manage pdfs across all your devices.

Whether you’re working from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, having access to your favorite pdf editing tools is essential. Many free pdf editors now offer browser-based platforms, so you can edit pdfs directly from your web browser—no downloads required. This is perfect for quick edits on the go, whether you’re using an Android phone, iPhone, or any other mobile device. For more advanced tools and features, desktop versions like Adobe Acrobat provide a comprehensive suite of pdf editing options, from detailed annotations to batch processing. With mobile support and seamless syncing, you can start editing a document on your computer and finish it on your phone, ensuring you never miss a beat. No matter where you are, today’s free pdf editors give you the power to handle editing tasks efficiently and securely, right from your browser or device of choice.

Many users whose work is related to working with digital documents have had to deal with finding reliable software or a website for PDF editing. Of course, the vast majority would want a capable free PDF editor to be able to work with files in this format without the high cost associated with it. Unlike a simple text document, it is not so easy to make changes to a PDF. Editing PDFs requires a program that accurately recognizes text and graphic objects. This article provides the top 12 of the most popular free PDF editing apps and services that you can count on. Read our editorial review below.

To determine the best free PDF editors, we tested multiple desktop programs and online tools. For this article, we selected the top 10 based on the following criteria: See the below table for a quick overview and read the full article to learn in detail about each one of the PDF editors mentioned. These are our top free picks for editing documents When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

We tested out the best free PDF editors for designing and modifying documents completely free of charge. These apps and software have no subscriptions, no licenses, no one-off fees, but come with all the tools you need to create, edit, sign, and share documents. After exploring the offerings for each tool, PDF24 Creator is easily the best free option around right now. Having tested out all the best PDF editors, this Windows app comes with all the same tools and serves as one of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives you can get without paying anything. Alternatives here also include the browser-based PDF Candy, SmallPDF, which is ideal for use on mobile devices, and the business-focused DocHub. Discover the pros and cons of top PDF editors that let you tweak text, images, and more

The best PDF editors allow you to modify and add text, edit images, incorporate graphics, sign documents, fill out forms, and more. I've taken the time to check out several of these apps and websites to collect a list of exactly what you're looking for. Here's my take after using these free PDF editing apps: If you own a modern version of Microsoft Word, skip all the suggested programs below—you have a great PDF editor at your disposal. To turn a PDF into a Word document, open the file as you would any other and then edit away. This also works in WPS Office and Google Docs.

Lets you load the file from other websites. PDFs are the standard format for sharing digital documents, but editing PDF files hasn’t always been easy or accessible. Historically, PDF editors were expensive, complex desktop software aimed at professional users. Fortunately, modern PDF editors are far more user-friendly. With the rise of online free pdf editor apps, capable PDF editing is now within anyone’s reach. While full Acrobat-style functionality still requires paid software, free PDF editors provide ample tools for most users’ basic needs.

From annotations and text edits to page manipulation, free editors make it simple to customize and update PDFs, some even let you view and annotate two PDF documents side by side on your iPad... In this article, we highlight the top free PDF editors available in 2023 based on features, ease of use, and value. We hand-tested the most popular options to help you find the best pdf editor free for your needs and experience level. Whether you only occasionally need to tweak PDFs or regularly handle documents in PDF format, a free editor can get the job done. Read on for our picks of the leading free PDF editors. We also discuss key factors in choosing an editor and the methodology behind our recommendations.

Features: Edit text and images, merge and split PDFs, add headers/footers, fill out forms, add signatures, redact sensitive info Ever tried to change one word in a PDF and immediately got smacked with an Adobe paywall? Same here. In 2025, it still blows my mind that editing a simple PDF feels like something locked behind a $200/year subscription. But here’s the thing: you don’t need Adobe anymore. I’ve tested a bunch of free, offline PDF editors that actually work — no logins, no internet, no watermarks.

🔧 Why Go Adobe-Free? Acrobat Pro is pricey (💸 $200+ per year) It’s bulky and slow, especially on older laptops Uploading confidential files to cloud tools is a security risk A most of us sometimes need to edit our pdfs directly without converting them into docs & then editing them and then converting them to pdf. That’s a lot of struggle right?

Also while converting them into docs, the formatting gets messed up! But you need not to worry. I’m here with the best PDF Editor that lets you edit your pdf directly and let you download it instantly without any watermark. Through these pdf editor tools you’ve a freedom of doing what you want. It could be editing existing text, adding images, signatures & a lot more. Even you can remove watermark from a pdf with so much easiness.

The type of editing these tools supports Sejda is probably the best and my most favorite PDF editor I’ve ever used personally. It allows people to edit all kind elements in a pdf in a very clean way. When you edit your pdf with Sejda, It doesn’t look like It’s edited.

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