Whether you work in an office or a college pursuing individual, PDFs are a commonly used file format. While PDF files are easy to share, editing them is a difficult task. You need specialized software to edit a PDF file. When it comes to PDF editors, there are plenty of them out there, but the number of free pdf editors is really low and choosing the best out of them is another dilemma.
We have picked the best free PDF editors that carry varied functionalities to help you edit and annotate a PDF. Some of these software offer free trials while others have pricey plans. You can choose the software according to your requirement. Moreover, the set of features offered by each software is different. Your choice of the best PDF editor might depend very much on what do you want from that – editing text, adding comments, or securing a PDF file.
6 Best Free PDF Editor 2019
1. Wondershare PDF Element 7 – A Powerful PDF Editor With a Caveat
It is also compatible with Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and cloud sharing of files.
With such a heavy set of features, it also has a caveat. The free trial of the software adds a watermark on every page of the PDF file. The watermark, however, does not cover much of the page but it is there nonetheless.
If you want to get rid of the watermark, you can purchase the Pro version which costs $99 for the yearly plan.
2. AbleWord – Much More Than Just A Free PDF Editor
Its simple and intuitive interface is the reason why we picked it up in our list. AbleWord offers features like editing formatting, indentation, replacing images, texts, etc. Since it is not a dedicated PDF editor, you will not find advanced features like the option to create fillable forms, collaboration features, digital signatures and more.
Besides the lack of features, AbleWord is only available for the Windows platform. Therefore, Mac users might want to skip this.
It is a great general-purpose PDF editor that also doubles as a word processor. Moreover, it is a software that you can use to edit PDF for free.
3. PDF Pro – A Free Online PDF Editor
Since it is a free and online PDF editor, it allows you to edit only 3 PDF files in a month without signing up. For editing more files, you might need to purchase the paid plan which is available at $48.99 per year.
PDF Pro is much better than other software that offer a free trial with limited capabilities as you get all the features for free.
4. LibreOffice 6 – Free Open Source PDF Editor
LibreOffice has an interface similar to Microsoft Word which makes it easy to use even for those who have not used a PDF editor before.
Not as feature-rich as other options we have presented in our list of best free PDF editors, but LibreOffice has more than enough tools for day-to-day editing requirements.
Moreover, LibreOffice is free to download which means you can edit PDF for free.
5. iSkysoft PDF Editor
iSkysoft PDF Editor has an easy-to-use interface and a Microsoft Word-styled ribbon-like interface. In the free trial, you, of course, miss on a few features like OCR function, you cannot convert more than 5 pages to PDF and combine more than 50 files at a time. You also get an iSkysoft watermark if you are using the free PDF editor.
In case you are impressed with the tools, you can opt for the full version which starts at $99.95 which comes with no limitation to edit a PDF file.
6. PDF-XChange Editor – A Simple And Free PDF Editor
You might get overwhelmed with the features of the PDF editor as the user-interface is pretty crammed up. Nonetheless, PDF-XChange Editor is a great tool for editing PDF files.
On the downside, this software is not available for macOS platform.
How To Edit A PDF? Use Online Tools And Offline Tools
Editing PDF is a fairly easy process provided you have the right set of tools. Most of the software we have enlisted above are offline, and you need to download them. There are many websites also available that allow you to edit PDF files online. You can check out our list of 10 best free online PDF Editors for the same.