With the increasing use of computers and tablets, companies, small business and individuals have started to utilize the power of PDF (Portable Document Format). The advantage of using a PDF file is that it can be viewed on any computer without having to install any other programs. Anybody who uses a pdf editor will see how much easier it is working with this format.
If you create PDF files often in your job, life or study, you must be curious about best free online pdf editors that can help you make a better PDF file with rich content and layout. Best Online PDF Editor is a useful tool for those people who are looking for best online pdf editor to freelance. It is a web-based service which enables you to create a professional PDF from (almost) any type of document, so that you don’t need to install any software on your computer. It also provides an editing experience like software editor with its smooth navigation and menus.
There are plenty of PDF editing tools available both online and in your desktop computer. Some of them are free and some of them cost a little amount of money. This article will help you to understand some key factors like why people go for free online pdf editors?
We’ll help you find the best free online pdf editors that can help you create, view and edit your documents right in your browser online. It’s also one of the best free pdf editor for android in the market.
Which Type of Free PDF Editor is Best for You?
Choosing a PDF editor is definitely not a job for the faint-hearted, and it’s because there are so many online and offline tools available for PDFs that it’s impossible to try them all. In general, HiPDF is one of the top recommendations for a free PDF editor online, but its sister product from Wondershare is an equally powerful contender in the desktop PDF editor category. If you want to narrow it down for a more robust user experience, then a free PDF editor for desktops is the category you want to pursue, and Wondershare PDFelement Pro is exactly what you’re looking for.
FormSwift
A great source for forms
SPECIFICATIONS
Developer: King Street Labs LLCCompatibility: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, SafariCategory: Legal forms, PDF annotationUpgrade from free version: $89/yearTODAY’S BEST DEALSVIEW AT FORMSWIFT
REASONS TO BUY
+Extensive library of legal and business forms+Solid annotation tools
REASONS TO AVOID
-Limited text tools-No way to change existing textAdvertisement
FormSwift offers a slightly different twist on PDF editing. While it gives you the option to upload and edit PDF files, it also offers a large library of legal and other business forms you can fill in online and download as a PDF file or Word document.
I found FormSwift’s offerings to be excellent and well worth a look if you need basic business documents such as 1099s, lease agreements and business meeting minutes.
All of these forms can be filled out online and downloaded once you’ve added the pertinent information. Or you can download blank versions of the documents and enter information locally on your computer.
For PDF editing, the process is simple. Drag a file to your browser — there’s a 10MB max size — then use FormSwift’s tools to add new text and images; highlight, redact or erase existing text; and sign documents.
FormSwift’s text tools are limited. You have four fonts to choose from, but you can resize those fonts to almost any level you want, and you can also make changes to text colors and styles. You can add a new text field to your document, enter new text and adjust the text, placing it anywhere you want on the document.
But there is no way to make changes to existing text, other than by redacting it. All the other tools work as expected, including a signature tool that lets you sign a document using the keyboard, your mouse or an uploaded image.
Smallpdf
Good for file conversion
SPECIFICATIONS
Developer: Smallpdf GmbHCompatibility: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, SafariCategory: PDF conversion and editingUpgrade from free version: $108/yearTODAY’S BEST DEALSVIEW AT SMALLPDF
REASONS TO BUY
+Basic editing tools for PDFs+Includes tools for file conversion
REASONS TO AVOID
-No annotation or markup features-Limited font options-Limit of 2 documents per dayAdvertisement
Smallpdf’s free online PDF editing offering is super-basic, only making it possible to add minor changes to documents.
But you may find Smallpdf’s other free features more compelling. These include tools for converting PDF files to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and JPEG. You can also convert each of those file types to PDF.
Basic as it may be, Smallpdf can add pages to or compress existing PDF documents. Additionally, there are tools for adding signatures to documents that are similar to those available with Apple’s Preview application on a Mac.
All of this is available with no file-size limitations, but Smallpdf lets you process only two documents per day. If you want to do more, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro plan, which gives you Smallpdf desktop applications as well as unlimited processing.
As with all online PDF editors, you begin using Smallpdf by dragging the file you want to work with directly to your browser window.
For editing PDFs, you have four options to work with: Add Text, Add Image, Add Shape and Draw. You’ll note that there are no options to add notes or comments, and no way to highlight existing text. If you need to add annotations or otherwise mark up a PDF document, you should look elsewhere.
Even if the four options offered seem to be enough for you, you’ll still feel constrained within each of those tools. Add text, and you have only five size options and no font choices (although you can select serif, sans serif and monotype styles for your single font choice). You’re also limited to seven font colors.
While Smallpdf may lack anything beyond the basics for editing PDF files, it’s much more appealing for adding electronic signatures, converting or compressing files and merging documents.
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Inkscape
What We Like
- Can edit PDF text.
- Supports manipulating graphics.
- Includes lots of image-editing tools.
What We Don’t Like
- The number of graphics-editing tools can be overwhelming.
Inkscape is an extremely popular free image viewer and editor, but it also includes PDF editing functions that most dedicated PDF editors support only in their paid editions.
Inkscape is a very capable image editing program. If you’re not already familiar with programs like GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other image editors, however, it’s probably a bit advanced for you.
In the context of PDF editing, though, you should consider this software only if you want to delete or edit the images or text in the PDF. We suggest you use a different tool in this list to edit PDF forms or add shapes, and then plug that PDF into Inkscape if you need to actually edit the preexisting text.
You can install Inkscape on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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PDFescape Online PDF Editor
What We Like
- Works online through your web browser.
- Includes lots of tools.
- Lets you add your own text and images.
- Can delete and add PDF pages.
What We Don’t Like
- Can’t edit existing text, unless you pay.
- Limits the PDF size and page length.
- Documents stored in your account remain there only for 7 days.
PDFescape has quite a lot of features. It’s free as long as the document doesn’t exceed 100 pages or 10 MB.
You can’t truly change text or edit images for free using this editor, but you can add your own text, images, links, form fields, etc.
The text tool is very customizable so that you can pick your own size, font type, color, alignment, and apply effects such as bolding, underlining, and italics.
You also can draw on the PDF, add sticky notes, strikethrough text, put white space over anything you want to disappear, and insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, rectangles, and comments.
PDFescape lets you delete individual pages from the PDF, rotate pages, crop out parts of a page, reorganize the order of the pages, and add more pages from other PDFs.
You can upload your own PDF file, paste the URL to an online PDF, and make your own PDF from scratch.
When finished editing, you can download the PDF to your computer without ever having to make a user account. You need one only if you want to save your progress online without downloading the PDF.
The online version works in all operating systems. There’s also an offline editor that runs on Windows, but it isn’t free.
PDF-XChange Editor
This is a good and free PDF editor that enables you to easily create, view, edit, annotate, OCR and sign PDF files. Based on PDF text, it provides full-page text content editing features. In addition, the new PDF-XChange editor, not only includes all the features of PDF-XChange Viewer, including the only recently added OCR feature, but also now gives you an option to edit existing PDF files.
Pros:
- Fairly simple and easy to use.
- You can check PDF documents with Document Spellchecker.
- It provides listen/add audio comments option.
Cons:
- Works on Windows only.
- If you use the non-free feature, the PDF will be saved with watermarks.
How to choose the best free PDF editor for you
Picking the best free PDF editor is a lot like picking a paid version of a document editor — identify exactly what you want to do with a PDF file and go for the program that offers the features that will let you get that done.
This can be as simple as deciding whether you need a PDF editor that handles document creation and design or whether you just want something that can leave comments and suggestions on a digital file.
Because this is free software, you should pay attention to any limitations imposed on the free tier. Are there restrictions on the size of the documents you can edit or are certain tools locked behind a paywall? If the answer to the latter question is yes, figure out whether it’s worth it just to pay up for that particular feature.
If you’re doing your PDF editing from a computer, check to see if you’ve got built-in software that can handle the job. Mac users, for example, might not realize how good Preview is at annotating documents and adding signatures to PDFs. You can save a lot of time searching for the best free PDF editor if it’s already there right under your nose.
How we test free PDF editors
In testing free PDF editors, we use the same process as when we test paid versions, though we make note of the limitations that can come with free software. We consider both general PDF editors as well as applications that are specifically designed for annotations.
When looking at free PDF editors, I use a few different types of documents that comply with file-size limitations. These include text-heavy files, documents with a mix of formatted images and text, and simple documents with text and images inserted into the document in a linear fashion.
While free apps don’t often include features like text recognition, I tested that feature when it was available. I also tried making changes to text, replacing and adding images and adding annotations with each product.
Conclusion
Are you curious about best free online pdf editors? And about best pdf editor for windows for free? When thinking about creating a document in the days before, it was practically impossible without a computer and a printer. Now, making documents is part of our everyday life and we can do so from anywhere with an internet connection. Creating a pdf document online is just as easy as writing a regular document
PDF is a great way to distribute information. It’s convenient, simple to share, and super easy to make. However, there are many different types of PDF editors. Therefore, you may wonder which is the best one for you . Although any of them will be able to create PDF files it depends on what you want to do with it. Is it for personal use or for professional use?