Free Your PDFs: 6 Best Free PDF Editing Programs Revealed

PDF files are widely used for various purposes, such as sharing documents, creating forms, signing contracts, and more. However, editing PDF files can be challenging, especially if you don’t have the right software. Fortunately, there are many free PDF editing programs available in 2024 that can help you modify, enhance, and optimize your PDF files.

In this blog post, we will review some of the best free PDF editors in 2024 based on their features, ease of use, and compatibility. Whether you need to edit text, images, graphics, or other elements, these free PDF editors have the tools and features you need.

Free PDF Editor Programs: Top Picks for 2024 

1. PDF24 Creator

PDF24 Creator is a free PDF editor that lets you create and edit PDF files on your PC. It has a simple and intuitive interface that allows you to perform various tasks, such as adding text, images, shapes, annotations, signatures, watermarks, and more.

You can also convert PDF files to other formats, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, and more. PDF24 Creator supports OCR (optical character recognition) technology, which enables you to extract text from scanned or image-based PDF files. PDF24 Creator is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

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Key Features of the PDF24 Creator:

• Create PDFs: Convert any printable document into a PDF with just a few clicks. Print to the “PDF24 Creator” virtual printer from any application.
• Edit Text and Images: Modify existing text and images within PDFs, including font styles, sizes, and positioning.
• Merge and Split PDFs: Combine multiple PDFs into one or extract specific pages to create new documents.
• Fill Forms: Easily fill out interactive PDF forms with text, checkboxes, and radio buttons.
• Sign and Protect: Apply digital signatures for secure document authentication and password-protect sensitive PDFs.
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Convert scanned PDFs into searchable and editable text, unlocking information within images.
• Organize and Optimize: Optimize PDF size, compress documents, and rearrange pages for efficient management.
• Additional Tools: Access a range of handy features like adding watermarks, headers, and footers, extracting images, and more.

Ideal for:

• Students and home users for basic PDF creation and editing.
• Businesses for document sharing, form handling, and password protection.
• Professionals for advanced features like batch processing and OCR.

2. PDFgear

PDFgear is a free online PDF editor that offers a full set of editing capabilities. You can edit text, images, links, headers, footers, and more. You can also merge, split, rotate, reorder, and delete PDF pages. PDFgear has a signature tool that lets you create and insert digital signatures into your PDF files.

You can also fill out and submit PDF forms online. PDFgear has a cloud storage feature that lets you save and access your PDF files from any device. PDFgear works on any web browser and any operating system.

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Key Features of PDFgear:

• Editing Made Easy: Edit text and images directly within PDFs, just like you would in a word processor. No more laborious workarounds!
• Annotation Mastery: Highlight, underline, add sticky notes, and draw freehand annotations to emphasize key points in your documents.
• Form Completion Bliss: Fill out interactive PDF forms effortlessly—say goodbye to messy handwriting and frustrating print-and-fill cycles.
• Merge & Split with Precision: Combine multiple PDFs into one unified document or extract specific pages with ease—perfect for organizing and sharing information efficiently.
• Compression Powerhouse: Reduce the size of your PDFs without compromising quality, ensuring smooth sharing and faster document handling.
• Page Management Magic: Reorder, insert, delete, and rotate pages seamlessly—ideal for customizing the layout of your PDFs.
• Password Protection: Secure your sensitive documents with robust password protection, safeguarding your confidential information.
• Advanced OCR Technology: Extract text from image-based PDFs, unlocking the content even in scanned documents.
• AI-powered Assistant: Introducing “Chat with PDF,” a revolutionary feature that lets you interact with your PDFs using intuitive chat commands—the future of PDF interaction is here!

3. Sejda PDF Editor

Sejda PDF Editor is a free PDF editor that has both online and desktop versions. You can edit pre-existing text, images, and graphics in your PDF files without adding any watermarks. You can also add hyperlinks, blank pages, comments, and stamps. Sejda PDF Editor has a signature tool that lets you draw, type, or upload your signature.

You can also fill out and flatten PDF forms. Sejda PDF Editor supports PDF files up to 50 MB and 200 pages. The online version works on any web browser and any operating system. The desktop version works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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Key Features of Sejda PDF Editor:

• Editing Text and Images: Modify existing text within PDFs, correct typos, or add new text boxes. Edit or replace images to update your documents effortlessly.
• Annotations and Highlighting: Highlight key passages, add comments, and draw freehand annotations to emphasize crucial information or share feedback.
• Page Management: Effortlessly rearrange, rotate, extract, delete, or insert pages to seamlessly restructure your PDF documents.
• Merging and Splitting: Combine multiple PDFs into a single document or extract specific pages to create separate files, streamlining organization and collaboration.
• Form Filling: Easily fill out fillable PDF forms without switching applications, saving time and simplifying your workflow.
• Password Protection: Secure your sensitive documents by adding passwords that restrict access and unauthorized modifications.
• Additional Capabilities: Sign documents electronically, compress large PDFs, convert PDFs to various formats (Word, Excel, etc.), and use OCR to extract text from scanned PDFs (desktop app only).

4. PDF Candy

PDF Candy is a free online PDF editor that offers many advanced features, such as OCR (optical character recognition), conversion, merging, splitting, compression, and more¹. You can edit text, images, links, and annotations in your PDF files.

You can also add passwords, watermarks, and signatures. PDF Candy has a very easy-to-use interface and supports drag-and-drop functionality. PDF Candy works on any web browser and any operating system.

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Key Features of PDF Candy:

• Conversion King: Convert between various formats like Word, Excel, JPG, and more, ensuring seamless compatibility for your needs.
• Editing Maestro: Add text, images, watermarks, or edit existing content directly within your PDFs.
• Merging Mastermind: Combine multiple PDFs into a single document, organizing your files effortlessly.
• Splitting Specialist: Divide large PDFs into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Page Management Pro: Extract, delete, rotate, or rearrange pages with ease.
• Security Sentinel: Protect your PDFs with passwords and encrypt sensitive information.
• Form Filler: Fill out fillable PDF forms electronically, saving time and paper.
• And Much More: Explore additional tools like OCR, compression, resizing, and more, catering to diverse needs.

5. PDFescape

PDFescape is a free online PDF editor that lets you view, edit, annotate, fill, and sign PDF files². You can add text, images, shapes, comments, and stamps. You can also merge and split PDF files, as well as rotate and crop pages.

PDFescape has a form designer tool that lets you create and edit PDF forms. PDFescape supports PDF files up to 10 MB and 100 pages.

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Key Features of PDFescape:

• Read and annotate PDFs: Open, view, and annotate PDFs with text, shapes, and freehand drawings. Highlight text, leave comments, and add sticky notes for easy collaboration.
• Fill out and create forms: Fill out pre-existing forms with ease, or even create fillable forms from scratch. Save time and effort with this handy feature.
• Merge and split PDFs: Combine multiple PDFs into one or split a single PDF into separate documents. Organize your documents efficiently with this intuitive tool.
• Sign documents electronically: Sign PDFs with your e-signature for a paperless workflow. No more printing, signing, and scanning!
• Convert PDFs to other formats: Export PDFs to Word, Excel, HTML, and image formats for further editing or sharing. Unlock the versatility of your documents.

6. PDF-XChange Editor

PDF-XChange Editor is a free PDF editor that has both online and desktop versions³. You can edit text, images, and graphics in your PDF files, as well as add comments, annotations, stamps, and signatures.

You can also convert PDF files to other formats, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. PDF-XChange Editor has an OCR feature that lets you recognize text from scanned or image-based PDF files. PDF-XChange Editor works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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Key Features of the PDF-XChange Editor:

• Effortless Editing: Modify text, images, and shapes directly within PDFs.
• Extensive Annotations: Mark up documents with highlights, text boxes, stamps, and more.
• Form Filling: Easily complete and save fillable PDF forms.
• Page Management: Insert, delete, extract, rotate, and reorder pages.
• Password Protection: Secure sensitive documents with passwords.
• E-signing: Add digital signatures for paperless workflows.
• Basic OCR: Make scanned PDFs searchable by extracting text.
• Batch Processing: Apply actions to multiple PDFs simultaneously (plus version).

Final Words on Free PDF Editing Programs

These are some of the best free PDF editors in 2024 that can help you create and edit PDF files with ease. Whether you need to modify text, images, graphics, or other elements, these free PDF editors have the tools and features you need. Try them out and see which one suits your needs best.

The world of free PDF editing software is vast and ever-evolving, offering solutions for virtually any editing need.

Whether you’re a student juggling assignments, a business owner managing contracts, or simply someone who needs to tweak a personal document, there’s a free tool out there waiting to empower you.