Best PDF Editing Tools (2024)
Free, Online, AI-Powered, Windows, Mac, Linux & Mobile PDF Editors
Last Updated: June 2025
Looking for the best PDF editing tools in 2025? Whether you need a free, online, AI-powered, or premium PDF editor for Windows, Mac, Linux, or mobile, this guide has you covered. We've tested and ranked the top PDF editors for text editing, merging, signing, OCR, and more—so you can choose the perfect tool for your needs.
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Top 10 PDF Editing Tools (2024)
Rank | Tool | Best For | Platform | Pricing |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Adobe Acrobat Pro DC | Professionals | Win, Mac, Web | $$$ |
2 | Foxit PhantomPDF | Security & Speed | Win, Mac | $$ |
3 | PDFelement (Wondershare) | Affordable Alternative | Win, Mac | $$ |
4 | Nitro PDF Pro | Business Use | Win, Mac | $$ |
5 | Sejda PDF Editor | Free Online Editing | Web | Free/$ |
6 | Smallpdf | User-Friendly | Web, Mobile | Free/$ |
7 | PDF-XChange Editor | Advanced Features | Windows | Free/$ |
8 | iLovePDF | Batch Processing | Web | Free/$ |
9 | Soda PDF | All-in-One Solution | Win, Web | $$ |
10 | PDFfiller | E-Signatures & Forms | Web | $$ |
Why These? These tools offer OCR, e-signing, cloud sync, and collaboration—making them the best PDF editors in 2024.
Free PDF Editing Tools
Best for Budget Users
- LibreOffice Draw (Open-source, offline)
- PDFescape (Online & desktop versions)
- PDFsam (Split & merge PDFs for free)
- Xodo PDF (Great for Android & Windows)
- PDF24 Creator (Offline tool with OCR)
Pro Tip: Free tools often have watermarks or page limits—upgrade for full features.
Online PDF Editors (No Installation)
Tool | Key Feature | Free Plan? |
---|---|---|
PDF2Go | Edit, compress, convert | ✅ |
PDF Candy | 40+ PDF tools | ✅ (with limits) |
DocHub | Sign & fill forms | ✅ |
PDFZen | Simple UI | ✅ |
PDF.co | Cloud API for developers | ❌ |
Best for Quick Edits: No downloads, works on any device!
AI-Powered PDF Editors
AI is transforming PDF editing with smart OCR, auto-summarization, and chatbots.
- ChatPDF – Ask questions about your PDF
- PDF.ai – AI-powered document analysis
- Kami AI – Great for students & teachers
- Nitro AI – Smart redaction & automation
- Lumin PDF – AI annotations & collaboration
Use Case: Extract key insights from large PDFs instantly!
PDF Editors for Windows, Mac & Linux
Windows
- ABBYY FineReader (Best OCR)
- PDF Architect (Modular editing)
- Master PDF Editor (Powerful & affordable)
Mac
- PDF Expert (Smooth performance)
- PDFpen (Great for annotations)
- Preview (Built-in basic editor)
Linux
- Okular (KDE default)
- Master PDF Editor (Paid but powerful)
- LibreOffice Draw (Free alternative)
Mobile PDF Editors (Android & iOS)
App | Best Feature | Free? |
---|---|---|
Adobe Acrobat Reader | Cloud sync | ✅ |
Xodo PDF | Annotate & sign | ✅ |
Foxit Mobile PDF | Fast rendering | ✅ |
CamScanner | Scan & edit | ✅ (Premium) |
Notability (iOS) | Handwriting | ❌ |
Pro Tip: Use Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens for scanning documents to PDF.
How to Choose the Best PDF Editor?
- Free vs. Paid – Need advanced features? Go premium.
- Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux, or mobile?
- Key Features – OCR, e-signing, batch editing?
- Cloud vs. Offline – Do you need web access?
- User Reviews – Check G2, Capterra, Trustpilot.
Final Verdict: Best PDF Editor?
- Best Overall: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Best Free: Sejda PDF Editor
- Best Online: Smallpdf
- Best AI-Powered: PDF.ai
- Best Mobile: Xodo PDF
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Get the Full PDF GuideAuthor: Gurmail Rakhra Published by: Rakhra Blogs - https://moneyearnrakhra.blogspot.com