What is the best pdf software Linux? Best pdf program Linux is surely an important question. Obviously, we want professional solutions that can handle everything and don’t need to be supplemented by something else. Luckily, there are so many wonderful tools for creating and editing of PDF files in Linux – you only need to find what’s best for you.
Most of the people are enjoying the benefits of using Linux operating system. From web servers, to databases, even development servers – all servers have Linux in them. In this article, I am going to share some of best pdf tools linux and pdf software linux. The PDF format is one of the best ways to distribute & share documents over the internet or any other types of networks. It support various features like printable, editable, and so on.
Linux is an open source operating system that has been used for just as long as Microsoft Windows. Here are some unique and useful pdf tools linux and pdf software linux to help you view, create, edit and annotate your PDF documents. These free software can create and modify PDF files in Linux operating systems.
Nowadays, Linux distros are so popular that you can use them for almost any purpose. Linux is not just an operating system, but a complete open source, free software stack. One of the most useful features of Linux is its user-friendliness. You can do many activities such as listening to music and watching videos, browsing the web, editing documents, etc in a friendly manner. If you are looking for the best tools to manage your PDF document on Linux then you have come to the right page.
Best PDF editors for Linux for editing the content of the PDF files
Scribus
Like LibreOffice Draw and Inkscape, Scribus is not solely dedicated to editing PDFs. In fact, it is a free desktop publishing software that helps a user in designing the page layout of an image or a document.
When it comes to PDF editing, Scribus is quite limited in terms of the features provided. You can highlight text, move the content, and remove already existing text from a PDF file. While Scribus might not be suited for everyone who wants to edit PDFs, for someone who just wants to do light editing, Scribus would be a great choice.
To install Scribus on Debian and Ubuntu, you will need the official Scribus PPA.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:scribus/ppaThen, update your system repository list and install the package.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install scribusInstalling Scribus on Arch Linux is easy as well.
sudo pacman -S scribusOkular
Users who are a fan of the KDE desktop environment might already know about Okular, as it is the default PDF viewer provided in the KDE applications bundle. However, this doesn’t mean that Okular is only limited to KDE, you can install it on any of your favorite Linux desktop environments.
Using Okular, a user can highlight text in the PDF file, add comments, insert pop-up notes, draw freehand on the page, and more. Okular is available on most of the official Linux repositories.
You can install Okular on Debian-based distributions using the default package manager.
sudo apt install okularTo install Okular on Arch Linux:
sudo pacman -S okularQoppa PDF Studio [Not FOSS]
Key Features:
- Edit text contents and properties, shapes and path objects, move and resize images and optimize PDFs to reduce file size.
- Add sticky notes, text boxes, freehand annotations, hyperlinks, headers, footers etc.
- Add password to a PDF document and digitally sign a PDF document.
- Supports advanced features, such as text search, touch mode for laptops, comparing two PDFs side by side, rulers and grid views.
- Cross-platform
PDF Studio is a commercial PDF editor from Qoppa Software that has all the necessary editing features. You can create, review and edit a PDF file.
It’s not a free software, but at least you can try out the full version as a trial. Also, it’s good to see that they offer a one-time purchase. You can compare the editions in their official website and opt for the best one.
How to install PDF Studio?
You can get the .deb package from its official download page and get it installed on Ubuntu distros. If you don’t know, read our guide on how to install DEB files to learn about it.
For any other Linux distribution you can just download the installer script available in official download page and type in the following command from the target directory. The file name may be different — so make sure you verify that.
sh ./PDFStudio_linux.shMaster PDF Editor [Not FOSS]
Key Features:
- Add or edit text in a PDF file, insert images, change the size of objects and copy objects from a PDF file to the clipboard
- Provides powerful annotation tools, such as sticky notes, measuring tools and shapes as well as enhance capabilities such as strike through, underline and highlights
- Support creation, editing and filling of PDF forms
- Edit scanned documents and documents containing images
- Merge or split a PDF file; create, edit or remove bookmarks
- Supports digital signature and much more
- Cross-platform
Master PDF Editor is yet another proprietary application for editing PDF files. With Master PDF Editor, you can do almost everything ranging from editing a PDF file to editing scanned documents.
You can use it for free — but the unregistered version will have a watermark in your PDF files. If you want to get rid of the watermark, you can choose to purchase it.
How to install Master PDF Editor?
Both .deb and .rpm package are available to download and you can get them from its official download page.
You will also find a Flatpak package on Flathub that you can install. If you don’t know about Flatpak, you may want to follow our tutorial on using Flatpak in Linux. So, you may not find it in your software center unless it supports Flatpak.
PDF Mix Tool
Key Features:
- Merge files
- Rotate pages
- Split, extract, delete, and add pages
- Edit layout of the pages
PDF Mix tool is an impressive open source application for basic PDF file editing tasks that includes extracting pages, deleting, adding, or merging files.
If you’re curious, we also have a separate article for PDF Mix Tool to explore more about it along with the installation instructions. You can also head right to the official website to download it.
PDFsam
Key Features:
- Split, merge, rotate, and extract files
- Optional paid editions to edit PDF files with more advanced features to edit the PDF content
- Cross-platform
PDFsam (basic edition) is a free and open-source tool that lets you easily split, merge, rotate, and extract PDF files.
You may not get the ability to edit the content of a PDF file — but it offers two paid editions with yearly subscription plans (in their official website) that offers more advanced features if you want them and like PDFsam in general.
How to install PDFsam Basic?
PDFsam Basic should be available in the software center of your Linux distribution. In either case, you can head to its official download page to get the portable archive file or the .deb file.
As usual, you can follow our guide to install deb files if you didn’t know already.
PDF Studio
The numerous features that PDF Studio has to offer attribute to its first place in our ranking. Undoubtedly, you will not find a PDF editor in the market that has as many features as this one. The software also supports Windows and Mac systems. However, there is a price-tag attached to the software: the standard version comes for $89, whereas the PRO for $129.
The standard version of PDF Studio allows its users to create PDF files, delete or append pages, apply watermarks, fill in, and save PDF forms, and secure documents. This may be good enough for people who are only looking for basic editing features.
On the contrary, you can pay a few bucks more and get your hands on the PRO version, which makes PDF editing a whole lot easier via inline text content editing with reflow. Also, you will be able to create PDF forms, redact text, reduce the size, and manipulate your PDF, almost like a word document. The most significant feature of the PRO version is OCR, which enables you to create text-searchable PDF files out of small images. The PRO version comes with so many other features that it will need a separate article for itself to discuss the essentials of each of them.
Even though there is no free version of this PDF editor, the company still offers a FREE Trial for those who want to test out the software.
LibreOffice Draw
This drawing software is found on most of the Linux systems by default. However, what most people are unaware, it also offers basic PDF editing functionalities, such as editing text, adding/removing pages, filling in forms, and annotating.https://29efb5c6ce07d399c3e4ed4f10a4bf14.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Now let’s discuss its drawbacks. One major feature that LibreOffice Draw lacks is the ability to edit scanned PDFs. In this technological era, a lot of people scan their documents through their phone for editing them. Therefore, they will have to use a different PDF editor for this purpose. Moreover, it cannot be used for editing complex PDFs as it causes errors in the document.
LibreOffice Draw is free and provides convenience to the people who only want to make small changes in their PDF files. Users of other operating systems can get this software as well.
Inkscape
Many graphic designers are already familiar with this vector-based design tool. Though this is primarily a graphics tool that is used to make illustrations, designs, or logos, it can also be used to edit PDF files.
The software comes with basic PDF editing features like adding/removing/redacting text and adding annotations. If you’re looking for more advanced features, then this software is not for you. Also, Inkscape allows you to edit only one page at a time, which can be quite troublesome and time-consuming. On the bright side, the software is free, supports different operating systems, and handles fonts like no other.
Can I convert a PDF to a fillable form online for free?
You can use JotForm to convert a PDF to a fillable form for free. Go to the website and sign in using your Google or email account. Go to the fillable PDF Forms and select Convert PDF to fillable form. Upload the PDF file you want to convert and customize it. When you are done, click publish and then click on the PDF button to download the file.
Conclusion
Linux is a more flexible operating system when compared to Windows and Mac OS. It has gained popularity among developers and designers. But you will find it difficult to find good printable pdf tools for Linux. You are only left with the option of using windows softwares or pay for the ones for Linux.
You might have experienced that sometimes you need to edit your word file by pdf. For example, you might want to change some information and put it in a single PDF file. Or you may have needed to convert a Word document into an Adobe PDF format. Whatever your motivation maybe, there are few great tools available for Linux system which will help you accomplish this task quickly and easily.