Free PDF software: edit, annotate, merge or read
Editing a PDF’s text, annotating it, combining files and reading it are four different needs, rarely covered by the same free tool. Tools are grouped by use, based on the features stated by their official sources.
Data as of 9 November 2026 · 30 resources selected, all published after their official site and free status were verified at a reliable source.
Choose by need
Only tools whose capability is established under the same rules as their listings are shown here: a page from their authors (website, repository, Steam page), an app catalogue listing (Flathub, F-Droid, Winget, Debian package, SourceForge) or a Wikipedia article, read automatically; the source and reading date are shown for each.
Correct existing text
Change the words already in the PDF while keeping the layout.
No free tool in the catalogue has this capability established by an official source yet. We would rather recommend nothing than guess.
Annotate and highlight
Add notes, highlights or drawings on top of the document without changing its text.
- OkularCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (okular.kde.org, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- Xournal++Completely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF4QTCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (jakubmelka.github.io, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- SioyekCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF ToolkitCompletely free · Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- accentCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
Merge and rearrange pages
Combine several PDFs, split a file, move or rotate pages.
- PDF ArrangerCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF4QTCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (jakubmelka.github.io, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- Qpdf ToolsCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF TricksCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF Mix ToolCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Quick PDF JoinCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
Convert
Create a PDF from another format, or the reverse.
- iLovePDFLimited free plan · Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and the web · Online (data sent to a server) · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Premium content: part of the content is reserved for subscribers.source (ilovepdf.com, online service) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF24 CreatorCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (tools.pdf24.org, Windows app) read on 10 November 2026
Recognise text in a scan (OCR)
Make the text of a scanned document selectable and searchable.
- PDF ToolkitCompletely free · Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- JotdownCompletely free · Android · Installed on the devicesource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- iLovePDFLimited free plan · Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and the web · Online (data sent to a server) · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Premium content: part of the content is reserved for subscribers.source (ilovepdf.com, service en ligne, mode OCR standard (mode avancé : Premium)) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF24 CreatorCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (tools.pdf24.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Hisui PDFCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
Sign or fill in a form
Add a signature or complete the fields of a PDF form.
- OkularCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (okular.kde.org, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- PDF ToolkitCompletely free · Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- MJ PDFCompletely free · Android · Installed on the devicesource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Foxit PDF ReaderLimited free plan · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no account · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Limited free credits: 300 credits included; beyond that, use is paid.source (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
Full guide catalogue (30 tools, not individually qualified)
| Resource | Pricing | Account required | License | Platforms | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit text or pages | |||||
| PDF4QT | Completely free | Not verified | MIT | Windows and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| word-sys PDF Editor | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| PDFedit | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-2.0-only | Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| PDF Toolkit | Completely free | No | Apache-2.0 | Android | 6 November 2026 |
| accent | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-only | Linux | 9 November 2026 |
| PdfCraft | Completely free | Not verified | MIT | Android | 6 November 2026 |
| Hisui PDF | Completely free | No | MIT | Windows | 8 November 2026 |
| PDF24 Tools | Free, with trade-offs | No | Not verified | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Annotate and highlight | |||||
| Xournal++ | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-only | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| sidemark | Completely free | No | MIT | Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| MobiXournal | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-only | Windows and Android | 7 November 2026 |
| Merge, split, convert | |||||
| Qpdf Tools | Completely free | Not verified | Unlicense | Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| PDF Tricks | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| Quick PDF Join | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| PDF24 Creator | Completely free | No | Proprietary | Windows, macOS and Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| Read and print | |||||
| Okular | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-or-later AND GFDL-1.3 | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Scrolex | Completely free | Not verified | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| Sioyek | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-only | Windows and Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| Librera Reader | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-or-later | Android | 6 November 2026 |
| jumpdf | Completely free | Not verified | MIT | Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| CorePDF | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-only | Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| MJ PDF | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-only | Android | 6 November 2026 |
| Jotdown | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-3.0-or-later | Android | 5 November 2026 |
| Doc Viewer | Completely free | No | MIT | Windows | 6 November 2026 |
| Lector | Completely free | No | MIT | Windows | 6 November 2026 |
| No Bloat PDF | Completely free | Not verified | Not verified | Windows | 7 November 2026 |
| PDF Lite Viewer | Completely free | No | MIT | Windows | 9 November 2026 |
| SumatraPDF | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS and Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| Foxit PDF Reader | Limited free plan | No | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| Miro | Limited free plan | Not verified | Not verified | Windows | 6 November 2026 |
What the data shows
- 25 of 30 are open source.
- 15 of 30 work without an account (verified).
Good to know
An online PDF tool uploads your documents to a server: avoid it for confidential documents and prefer installed software.
Watermark: the column only appears when the presence or absence of a watermark has been verified at an official source for at least one listed tool.
How this list is built
Order: most complete free offer first (no strings, then with conditions, then limited free version), then a popularity index computed from public signals (installs in official catalogues, repository stars, presence in several sources). No position can be bought.