Online PDF Editor Guide: Offline Safety Pros & Top Online Tools

Finding a good online PDF editor free with no sign-up can be hard because most free tools are either inadequate or don't have the right features you need. Users are also not accustomed to having access to premium tools in free PDF editors online or even offline. So, after we review this list of top 5 free PDF editors online, let's look at a robust desktop solution - UPDF that still gives you a cross-platform experience by offering Windows and Mac editions.

Why an Offline PDF Editor is Safer Than Online Tools

Online PDF editors are great because they're convenient, accessible from anywhere, and don't involve installing anything on your system. That also means they're device-agnostic and platform-independent. However, since your data is being transmitted over the Internet, it adds an unnecessary risk factor.

On the other hand, an offline PDF editor such as UPDF gives you many more features, can handle extensive workflows, and is faster because it leverages your system resources in an efficient manner. It's also more secure because you have the option of working completely offline. Here are some of the key features of this versatile and fast premium PDF editor - the first of its kind ever.

UPDF Key Features

• A fast premium PDF editor for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
• Full-fledged PDF editing: Modify, add or delete text, images and links in PDF. More easily, you can add text and images by dragging and dropping.
• Annotations: Extensive markup tools for notes, highlighting, comments, and feedback, such as highlight, underline, sticky notes, text box, stickers, stamps, etc.
• View PDF: Read a PDF with a book-like experience in multiple viewing modes and layouts.
• Organize PDF pages: It allows you to insert, delete, rotate, extract, and replace pages in PDF quickly.
• Convert PDF: transform PDFs into other file formats
• OCR: Convert scanned PDFs into editable text PDFs.
• PDF Security: Password security, legal digital signatures, etc.

Advantages of Using UPDF

• Secure offline environment for confidential document workflows.
• The elegant and attractive interface that's also intuitive for navigation, etc.
• Supports Windows, Mac, iOS and Android systems at the same time.

Compare UPDF with Online

Video Tutorial on How to Edit a PDF File on Windows

Top 5 Online PDF Editor Services

#1: Smallpdf Online PDF Editor

Smallpdf is a very popular online PDF editor with a range of features that covers nearly all basic and advanced PDF tasks. The feature list includes OCR conversion, PDF editing, file conversion, PDF protection, and all the major features you'd expect to see in a robust PDF editor for online use. The site offers multiple modules that house various PDF tools.

You can create PDFs from other formats, convert PDFs, optimize file size, perform OCR, and do a lot without leaving your browser. The one downside that irks free users of this platform is that many of the advanced tools are locked behind the paywall, meaning you'll need to upgrade to a Pro plan to take advantage of them.

Pros

• Free to use for smaller workflows - single PDF processing
• Eye-catching interface, simple to use

Cons

• Most advanced features are only available when you upgrade to Pro.
• Navigating to the right tool might be a little difficult at first.

#2: Sejda Online PDF Editor Free

Sejda is a powerhouse suite of PDF tools online. It comes with both basic and advanced PDF utilities that cover the gamut of PDF workflow requirements such as editing, conversion, file splitting, and merging, PDF security, OCR, PDF resizing, and much more.

Sejda is an accurate online PDF editor with useful tools to handle light to medium PDF workflows. Although Sejda is a great online PDF editor free without a watermark, you'll need to upgrade if you don't want to be limited by file size and processing quantity restrictions that apply to the free-forever version. Ideal for one-off requirements.

Pros

• Access to a desktop version
• A dedicated tool for each feature

Cons

• The batch process is locked behind the paywall
• No advanced features for free
• Generous file size limit of 500MB for all paid plans

#3: PDFescape Online PDF Editor

PDFescape is your basic everyday PDF editor online to replace text, markup files, and perform other simple PDF actions. The replace text function requires a workaround because you can't directly edit the text in a PDF file.

However, it does offer a significant number of core features such as text, image, shape insertion, freehand drawing, annotations, form field creation, and so on. The interface is severely outdated and very minimalistic so don't expect a superior user experience. It is merely a functional online PDF editor that you can turn to in a pinch and will get you through most document workflows.

Pros

• Add a pop-up note along with annotations
• Special settings to show or hide highlighted form fields and links

Cons

• Very primitive interface
• Limited PDF tools

#4: Adobe Online PDF Editor

Adobe also has an online PDF editor but it's more of a PDF reader. Although the company doesn't call it a PDF editor, many users will be confused because they'll assume that all the features from Adobe Acrobat for desktops will be offered here.

They're bound to be disappointed because this is essentially a PDF annotation, review, and commenting tool for online use. However, the main website contains a bunch of other online tools for file conversion, file sharing, PDF protection, eSignature (signing and sending for signatures), and so on. On the flip side, you'll need to sign in or sign up with an Adobe ID if you want to use this tool free of cost.

Pros:

• Easy annotation tool for collaborative work
• Simple upload/download process
• Extensive markup tools

Cons

• Requires signing up for an Adobe account
• No editing of existing content
• Expensive to upgrade

#5: DocFly Online PDF Editor

DocFly is a sort of quasi-editor for PDF documents. It doesn't allow you to modify existing text but you can add text and remove text with this versatile online PDF editor.

You can use this online PDF editor free without watermark addition for up to 3 documents per month but, after that, you'll need to upgrade to access features such as form creation and form filling. It also offers PDF creation from and conversion to other file formats but the range of files supported is minimal. It also supports password protection for PDFs.

Pros

• Simple interface - easy to use
• 10GB cloud storage with a paid account
• Fairly affordable PDF tool for editing, conversion, and PDF creation

Cons

• No in-line text editing in PDF
• No specific annotation tools but you can add text, images, etc.

FAQs about 5 Online PDF Editors

1. Which Online PDF Editors is the Best?

This five online PDF editors is all good. You can see the pros and cons in the article. You can select the ones which is suits you. But the best choise is the offline PDF editor like UPDF. It is more stability and safe.

2. Can I Edit PDF Online?

Yes, you can. You can go to Google and search "Online PDF editor" and select ones to edit PDF. Or you can choose the ones in this article.

3. How Can I Edit PDF with Smallpdf?

When you open the smallpdf website, click the "Tools" on the top bar. And then tap the "Edit PDF" to edit PDF. But we are not recommend you to use online PDF. It is not safe to upload your file to the website.

4. Is Online PDF Editor Safe?

Actually, all the online PDF editor is not safe. Beacuse using online PDF editor means you need to upload your files to the website by the internert. This means your files could be stolen by someone else. The online PDF editor is also not stability, it is depends on the stability of your network. So we recommend an offline PDF editor - UPDF for you, it assure the secure environment for users, you can add password as your needs also.

Conclusion

Online PDF editors are convenient. But it has lots of downsides. It is not safe to use online PDF editors. Your information may be leaked to others. We suggest you use an offline PDF editor like UPDF. It is completely safe and is also convenient. It has no ads on the application. The interface in UPDF is also friendly for users. So, let's download it today and have a trial.