Top 9 Free PDF Editor App in 2023

The PDF file format presents lots of perks for users. It maintains graphic integrity and configurations. Also, it can support different file types and is highly compact. However, it is often challenging to alter a PDF document, yet, there are always instances that warrant such editing. For example, many official documents requiring you to fill out information or append signatures are often PDF.

In the past, you would have needed to convert the PDF to another file format. But presently, all you need is a good PDF editor App. Here, we discuss some of the best PDF editor apps for iOS and PC.

Top 5 PDF Editor App for iOS (iPad and iPhone)

You already know a lot about PDF reader apps, as you likely use them every day to access PDF documents. However, PDF editor apps are somewhat different as they help to carry out so many functions on the PDF document, rather than merely viewing documents.

Here, we outline some of the best apps that make it possible to get the best out of a PDF file.

1)   UPDF

UPDF is one of the best PDF editor apps for iPad and iPhone, with lots of tools for viewing, managing, and annotating PDF files.

The actions you can carry out include adding comments to PDF, inserting and arranging texts and images, and cropping and rotating pages. With UPDF, you can create new PDFs from scratch and insert new texts, blocks, and images. In addition, you can add new fields and add signatures to documents.

By far, one of its most important features is the "Scan to PDF" feature. You can scan documents and make them as a PDF format. You can scan any receipt, photo, note, document, whiteboard, business card, and more.

Besides, you can unlock PDF document with this app, and you can manage all your files within this app. You can compress files into a zip file. There are so many features you can use.

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2)   XODO

Xodo is a comprehensive PDF reader tool that significantly improves the viewing and editing experience for PDF documents. With this free PDF editor app, users can comment and make notes on PDFs, customize forms, conduct full-text searches and review documents. You can also carry out annotations, including adding signatures.

Then, you can convert files from other configurations to PDF format and convert PDFs into different formats. Users can also import and export data from one PDF to another. You can insert text bars on the margins of PDF documents and type in notes and comments. You can also easily drag and drop PDF pages and then rearrange them. One of Xodo's most attractive features is its collaborative capabilities. A few persons can work on the same documents at the same time. All they need is to generate a link for the document and share it with participants.

There are, however, noticeable downsides to the Xodo app. For one, its PDF text and photo editing tools are pretty limited. Then, there is limited cloud storage integration as you don't get access to the best set of cloud offerings.

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3)   PDF Expert

PDF Expert will always make the list of the best PDF editor apps due to its blazingly fast software and brilliant series of functionalities that it affords its users.

Although it is a native PDF file editor app, it offers an excellent reading experience. For instance, users can open PDF files side-by-side. This will prove exceptionally useful when your task demands working across more than one file. With PDF Expert, you don't need to endlessly navigate between tabs as both files are concurrently open before you.

Then, you can customize your reading. For example, you can select the book-style reading format where you 'flip' books open just as with hardcopy papers. Alternatively, you can settle for the digital, traditional 'scroll-on' mode.

You can further improve your reading process by customizing the document themes. There are three major themes. First, there is 'Day' which is the brightest. Next is 'Septia,' which is relatively toned-down and very eye-friendly, and then you have 'Night.'

PDF Expert got ranked among the top apps to edit PDF files for free due to its great editing functions. With editing on PDF Expert, you essentially have to convert PDF files to a natively editable format such as Word. Then, all you need do is open the app and launch 'Editing' mode and start making your desired changes.

In this mode, you can insert links into PDF documents. You can redact sections of a PDF that you don't want others to see. This is especially useful when dealing with personal or official sensitive information. Then, if the PDF file is too long, it has tools to help you automate the process of creating an outline.

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4)   Small PDF

Smallpdf is another PDF editor app to download, as it empowers users with the tools with which to view and manage their PDF files. Essentially, whatever the challenge with PDF usage, you can always get a feature on SmallPDF developed to solve it.

For instance, if the PDF file is heavy, the 'Compress' tool will shrink its size. If you have an image or physical document that needs to be converted to PDF, the scan feature is available to fill that need. Then, you can split and merge sections of PDFs to create new documents.

Generally, you can fill forms, sign contracts, annotate texts and images, and make notes all within a PDF document. It features an attractive interface alongside seamless processing speed.

A significant downside is that SmallPDF lacks OCR capabilities.

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5)   LiquidText

A leading PDF editor app for iPad, LiquidText has been voted Apple's Most Innovative iPad App of the Year and the App Store Editors' Choice. With LiquidText, you can move segments of a document around seamlessly. Then, you can export files, which entails collating the notes you make on the file and transforming them into other file formats such as Docx.

In addition, you get a user-friendly product with real-time sync across devices.

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Top 4 PDF Editor App for PC

While it is common to view and manage PDFs from mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad, sometimes, PCs present the best experience. What is more: developers often reserve the finest set of tools for their PDF editor apps for PC.

Here, we discuss the top 4 PDF editor apps for PC from which you can make your choice:

6)   Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

The Adobe Acrobat Pro is the flagship PDF editor app by Adobe Inc, the inventors of the PDF file (that is, the Portable Document Format) itself. It is regarded by most experts as the complete multi-device PDF software, enabling users to edit, create, annotate, customize, and secure their PDF files.

There is a tool to collaborate, making it possible for multiple contributors to work on the same PDF document. The 'Send for Review' command dispatches the document to collaborators with just a few clicks. These collaborators can carry out various actions on the document, including using the 'Sticky Note' to make comments. Similarly, users can send personalized invites for signatures.

Then, there is the 'Share & Review,' which allows users to compare different versions of the same document. The tool automatically notes all the changes in the documents - what have been added or removed - and gives a detailed summary of these alterations.

PROS

1. Prioritizes security using redacting and passwords so as to protect document content or copyright.
2. Support for the latest editions of the PDF format, including PDF/A, PDF/E and PDF/X.
3. The 'Rich Media' tool found within the 'Create and Edit' section enables the embedding of audios and videos into the PDF documents. This feature is essential in today's world, where there is more preference for audio-visual content.

CONS

1. The OCR function that reads and enables the conversion of images into editable text documents isn't automatic. Users need to activate it before it can work.

Then, the feature is only available for premium users.

1. The premium version of Adobe Acrobat Pro can prove expensive.
2. Because it features various tools, the interface can be challenging to navigate.

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7)   Nitro PDF

Nitro PDF makes it possible to create, convert, edit, annotate, build, and fill forms on PDFs.

The Convert tool, for one, can transform most other files into PDF documents. These may include web pages, which content you want to be saved permanently. Then the Create function can help develop an entirely new PDF document from scratch or transform other file formats, including Word, PPT, Excel, JPEG, into PDFs. The annotation functions allow for branding PDF documents and team collaboration.

PROS

1. The form-building tool can work with all kinds of files, including images scanned into PDFs.
2. The annotation feature enables bulk signing where users can request individual signatures from several persons at once. Furthermore, you can customize PDFs to reflect your brand identity.
3. Rich templates allow for fast document creation.

CONS

1. The PDF editor app is not robust in editing. There's too much focus on annotation. Editing and formatting PDF documents are not user-friendly.
2. There is no Mac compatibility.
3. Only limited processing is allowed in free mode.

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8)   Foxit PhantomPDF

Foxit PhantomPDF provides cutting-edge tools for PDF management and use. In addition to the standard features that we get from most other PDF editor apps for PC, Foxit PhantomPDF provides advanced image editing. You can move, cut, paste, resize, reshape, paste, delete, and change their appearance.

It also has support for newer variations of the PDF file format. The edit tool allows adding and deleting texts and formatting fonts to suit the desired size and type.

PROS

1. Advanced security tools that include encryption, redacting and support for removing critical information such as metadata.
2. It provides support for multiple techniques to embed signatures. For instance, users can type, draw freehand or upload images of the signatures.

CONS

1. It's not adept at handling complex and bulky documents.
2. Its conversion tool can deliver output inconsistent with the original document.

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9)   SodaPDF

Made by Lulu Software, SodaPDF provides some of the best offerings in security, ease of use, and editing tools. While SodaPDF can excellently deliver on standard PDF editing functions, you also get such things as watermarks and tools to eliminate the watermarks you want to be removed.

You also get lots of flexibility as you, for instance, can choose to use the OCR or not. In addition to creating documents via typing and scanning, you can also use clipboards.

PROS

• It prioritizes cloud integration in a bid to ensure almost permanent document retaining.
• Innovative tools such as spell-check.
• A focus on security using 256 SSL security protocol.

CONS

• Conversion and other tasks can be somewhat slow.
• Scattered formatting when converting PDFs to different document types.

Conclusion

Being able to edit PDF is essential for seamless PDF use and management. In the past, this editing would warrant converting the PDF document into other file types, but this always involved damaging the formatting. However, PDF editing software has ended that. Here, we have featured the best PDF editor apps for iPad and PC.