7 Best Open-Source PDF Editors (2023)

By : Matthew Martin Matthew Martin
Hours Updated

Most visitors (like you) searching for open-source PDF editors are not looking to edit the tool’s source code but want FREE options to edit their PDF files. Paid PDF Editors tools could be pricey, while open-source PDF tools could have limited features. We have tried to strike a balance and included paid tools that offer a generous no-restrictions free trial as well as open-source tools.

Best Open-Source PDF Editor Tools

Tool Name Best for Free Trial Link
Adobe Acrobat Side-by-side PDF comparison Yes, 7-day Learn More
PDFfiller Signing forms online Yes, 30-days. Learn More
IceCream Apps PDF Editor Rearranging pages of documents Free to use. Learn More
Ashampoo PDF Pro 3 Adding texts/images/shapes to PDFs Lifetime Free Basic Version Learn More
PDFSam Basic Mixing PDF files Open Source Learn More
PDFedit Ability to convert documents with a single click Open Source Learn More
LibreOffice Draw For Presentations Open Source Learn More

1) Adobe Acrobat

Best for side-by-side PDF comparison

Adobe invented the PDF, and their Acrobat product is the market’s most popular PDF editor tool. Businesses primarily use it as a cloud-based tool to view, annotate, and sign PDF documents. It allows you to edit and view documents from your browsers, desktops, and mobile devices. You can also store all the documents in Adobe Document Cloud for future reference.

You can also use it to create, secure, and distribute PDF files. It can automatically detect multiple fields and allows you to insert symbols, texts, or signatures.

#1 Top Pick
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat
5.0

OCR Feature: Yes

Edit Text and Images: Yes

Supported Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android

Free Trial: 7-Day Free Trial

Visit Adobe Acrobat

Features:

  • View, store, and share PDFs.
  • Lets you annotate and print files.
  • Robust features to password lock and secure your PDF.
  • Allows you to scan documents.
  • Convert PDF to other file formats.
  • Enables you to import/export data.
  • Easy feature for Text Recognition.
  • You can split your PDF files.
  • You can keep track of the Original Layout.

Pros

  • Allows for third-party integrations.
  • Has several collaboration tools.
  • Let’s you to create your digital signature.
  • It helps you to extract text from PDF pages.

Cons

  • Does not let you access control/permissions in PDF reader mode.
  • Does not have a data synchronization feature.

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: Yes
Edit Text and Images: Yes
Pricing: Plan starting at $19.99/ per month. Discounts on yearly payment.
Free Trial: Yes, 7-day

Visit Adobe Acrobat

7-Day Free Trial

2) PDFfiller

Best for filling forms online

PDFfiller is one of the best PDF editors that allows you to edit, create, and manage PDF documents and forms online. It has good organizational tools and lets you store your documents on the Cloud. If you need a tool that will help you streamline the tedious process of filling digital forms, PDFfiller is an obvious choice. This open-source tool can add or remove text from PDF files. It also enables you to add checkmarks, and watermarks, and highlight or annotate specific elements in PDF files.

PDFfiller

Features:

  • You can easily merge PDF files.
  • You can export your edited PDF in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, TIFF, or RTF formats.
  • Quickly collect data & payments.
  • Allows you to extract the matter of PDF files in bulk.
  • Easy filling of digital forms.
  • It removes unnecessary pages.
  • Has the option to let you view the meta-info of the document.

Pros

  • Instantly share PDFs
  • Streamlines filling of forms
  • It offers end-to-end document solutions and has an API.
  • It offers a handy spellcheck function

Cons

  • It has a steep learning curve
  • Some key editing features are missing

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: No.
Keep Original Layout: Yes.
Edit Text and Images: Yes.
Supported Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Pricing: Starts from $8/ per month
Free Trial: Yes, 30-days

Visit PDFfiller >>

30-Day Free Trial

3) IceCream Apps PDF Editor

Best for rearranging pages of documents

IceCream Apps PDF Editor helps you easily create and edit PDFs. It has all the basic amenities of a generic PDF editing tool. It offers multiple language support and has a documented training regime to familiarize you with the tool. You will also be able to password-protect your documents with this tool. It allows you to include links and watermarks in PDF.

IceCream Apps

Features:

  • Allows you to access/control permissions.
  • It offers a provision for you to make annotations.
  • It has a page rotation feature.
  • Offers features for rearranging and collating documents.
  • It helps append/merge files.
  • You can export your edited PDF in JPG, PNG, TIFF, or RTF formats.
  • Add digitally verified signatures.
  • Offers a very good form management feature.

Pros

  • It can be used by freelancers, small and large businesses, and large enterprises
  • Allows you to comment/make notes in PDFs
  • It enables you to combine PDF files.

Cons

  • It does support electronic signature
  • Does not let you compare PDFs side-by-side

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: Yes.
Keep Original Layout: Yes.
Edit Text and Images: Yes.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7.
Pricing: $49.95 for a lifetime plan.
Free Trial: There is a free version of the app available.

Visit IceCream Apps

Download for Free

4) Ashampoo PDF Pro 3

Best for adding texts/images and shapes

Ashampoo PDF Pro is a PDF editor tool that enables you to create, edit, and convert PDFs online. It comes complete with almost every PDF editing feature that you may need. It offers multiple language support that has skyrocketed its global popularity. You can export your edited PDF in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, text, and image file formats.

Ashampoo PDF Pro

Features:

  • It offers a protection features to help you safeguard your documents from prying eyes.
  • Ashampoo allows you to add text, images and shapes to PDFs.
  • It allows you to change the text and link sizes, colors, and font styles.
  • Offers PDF page management features like merge, split, compress, Flatten PDF, etc.
  • It allows you to set a password to protect PDF files.
  • It is good at helping you organize PDFs.

Pros

  • Allows for Dropbox integration
  • Smart and intuitive, easy-to-use interface
  • Allows processing of unlimited batches

Cons

  • The latest version of the software is only available for Windows OS.
  • It offers limited text-editing features

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: Yes.
Edit Text and Images: Yes.
Supported Platform: Windows
Pricing: $49 One-time Payment, No Time Limit
Free Trial: Lifetime Free Basic Version

Visit Ashampoo >>

Lifetime Free Basic Version

5) PDFSam Basic

Best for mixing PDF files

PDFSam Basic is one of the best Open-Source PDF editors to virtually combine files, rearrange pages, and organize and optimize documents. It also allows you to compress, crop, and split pages. The tool contains page extraction features, size, rotate, extract, and repair texts. It allows you to convert PDFs to grayscale. Your PDF documents stay private on your computer; no need to upload them to a third-party service. A feature allows you to decrypt, encrypt, extract, and mix pages.

PDFSam

Features:

  • Maintains a comprehensive editing history.
  • Allows you to scan documents.
  • You can export your edited PDF in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, text, and image file formats.
  • Offers you the document management feature.
  • It helps you to merge and compile PDFs seamlessly.
  • Provides the Field Function feature for editing purposes.

Pros

  • It is a user-friendly, reliable, and versatile tool capable of high-quality resolutions
  • It is completely free of cost

Cons

  • There is a bug that makes duplicate icons of the tool appear at times after usage
  • Continuously prompts you to upgrade to PDFSam Enhanced

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: Yes
Keep Original Layout: Yes
Edit Text and Images: Yes
Supported platforms: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Pricing: Free Basic Version

Link: https://pdfsam.org/download-pdfsam-basic

6) PDFedit

Best for the ability to convert documents with a single click

PDFedit is an open-source PDF editor software for PC with a library for manipulating PDF documents. It offers a GUI, a set of CLI (command-line tools), and a pdf editor. You can delete or add text images into the PDF by selecting the part or section you want to edit. This tool also includes a pdf editor whose graphical interface is based on QT3.x, with all features implemented using a scripting language.

PDFEdit

Features:

  • It offers the ability to convert documents with just the click of a button
  • It can be used as a PDF reader and editor both
  • Reliable tool to handle different PDF versions

Pros

  • Provides multi-platform support.
  • You can convert files to other formats.
  • It has many more advanced options available.

Cons

  • Does not offer advanced-level PDF editing features.

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: No
Keep Original Layout: No
Edit Text and Images: Yes
Supported platforms: Windows and Mac OS
Pricing: Open Source Software and is Free

Link: http://pdfedit.cz/en/support.html

7) LibreOffice Draw

Best for presentations

LibreOffice Draw is an Open-Source PDF editor that helps you create anything from a simple sketch to a complex plan. It allows you to effectively communicate your ideas via visual cues of graphic details and diagrams.

It allows you a maximum page size of 300×300 sq. cm, which makes it an effective tool for creating posters, brochures, technical drawings, and much more. I

LibreOffice

Features:

  • Has a good photo editing feature.
  • Streamlines workflow with the help of spreadsheets.
  • Allows you to create 3D objects and Vector graphics.
  • Has a feature that connects objects to show relationships.

Pros

  • Easy-to-learn functions and features
  • Allows customizations via coding
  • It allows you to interact with graphics and drawings and lets you render them in 3D.

Cons

  • The menu button has a bug that makes it migrate to various places

Key Specs:

OCR Feature: No
Keep Original Layout: Yes
Edit Text and Images: Yes
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac OS
Pricing: Free to use.
Free Trial: Open Source

Link: https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/draw

FAQ:

Here are some best Open-Source PDF Editors:

Every tool comes with its own set of pros and cons. The trick here is to list your requirements and see which fits the bill. In this section, let us look closely at the criterion for selecting an Open-Source PDF Editor.

  • Pricing/Free Trial – A free trial is an ideal way to understand the tool. Pricing needs to be competitive. Good apps which have sky-high prices are not cost-effective. However, cheap options will not provide you with adequate features. So, we tried to strike a balance between these.
  • Digital Sign–Signing Documents is a digital necessity in today’s day and age. And a good editing tool should let you sign a document online.
  • Ability to create/edit/share PDFs – Just editing isn’t enough. We should look for tools that will allow you to create, edit, and share documents online.
  • OCR – OCR stands for optical character recognition. This feature is also known as the text recognition feature.
  • Collaboration feature – This feature allows you to collaborate with multiple PDF files. It comes in handy when you are working on multiple PDFs.

Best Open-Source PDF Editor Tools

Tool Name Best for Free Trial Link
Adobe Acrobat Side-by-side PDF comparison Yes, 7-day Learn More
PDFfiller Signing forms online Yes, 30-days. Learn More
IceCream Apps PDF Editor Rearranging pages of documents Free to use. Learn More
Ashampoo PDF Pro 3 Adding texts/images/shapes to PDFs Lifetime Free Basic Version Learn More
PDFSam Basic Mixing PDF files Open Source Learn More
PDFedit Ability to convert documents with a single click Open Source Learn More
LibreOffice Draw For Presentations Open Source Learn More
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