Best free pdf writer review

However, if you're looking for a PDF creator that has useful features but is also free, you are also in luck. There are plenty of free PDF creator programs on the market. Besides these creating features, it can help you edit, convert, sign, and combine PDF files. There is a series of markups available which enable you to highlight, underline, and strikeout or add links, add bookmarks or headers, and footers to customize your documents. You can also use the fill-in form feature to create your fillable forms.

Then you can share your documents online or print them. You can even convert password-protected PDF files. You can also protect your files using a password or other permissions.

With a friendly user interface, it is free for private use or for educational use. It does contain ads, however. If you would like to know more, read our full Nitro Reader review. The interface is a little more complex than some others but gives you easy access to plenty of helpful features.

You can use this platform to merge or split individual PDF files. Michael Graw is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Bellingham, Washington. His interests span a wide range from business technology to finance to creative media, with a focus on new technology and emerging trends. North America. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

A clear interface and every tool you could want in a PDF reader. Reasons to avoid - Relatively large. Foxit PDF Reader. Reasons to avoid - Some features require extensions. Slim PDF. Reasons to avoid - No editing features. Nitro Reader. Reasons to avoid - No document signing or filling. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jeffery Battersby is a writer, actor and raconteur, in addition to being an Apple certified trainer, a project manager and a specialist in smartphones, small business information technology, productivity software and office tools.

Do you need to alter a PDF document? PDF Candy. Specifications Developer: Icecream Apps. Upgrade from free version: None. Reasons to avoid - Limited text-editing features. Specifications Developer: Red Software. Category: PDF annotation. Reasons to avoid - Very limited fonts. Apple Preview. Specifications Developer: Apple. Compatibility: macOS. Category: : PDF annotation; image editing. Category: Legal forms, PDF annotation.

Reasons to avoid - Limited text tools - No way to change existing text.