You can find PDF files in anything from user manuals and eBooks to contracts and resumes. However, what occurs if you need to make changes to a PDF? At that point, having a competent PDF editor is crucial. The finest aspect? You don’t need to spend a fortune. There are good free PDF editors available that you can download and use right now, regardless of whether you’re a professional, student, or just someone attempting to make changes to a form.
Why Use a PDF Editor?
PDF editors let you:
- Add or remove text
- Insert images or signatures
- Highlight or annotate
- Merge, split, or compress files
- Fill out forms without printing them
And with the right free tool, you can do all this without spending a dime.
Top Free PDF Editors to Download (2025 Edition)
1. PDF-XChange Editor (Windows)
Best for: Annotation & advanced features
This lightweight editor gives you powerful tools like OCR (optical character recognition) and markup features. While some premium tools are locked behind a watermark, most core editing tools are completely free.
2. LibreOffice Draw (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Best for: Open-source editing
LibreOffice is a full office suite, and its Draw tool allows basic PDF editing. It’s not as intuitive as some paid editors, but it’s 100% free and open source.
3. PDFescape (Web & Windows)
Best for: Quick edits in your browser
PDFescape lets you edit PDFs without downloading anything. For offline use, there’s a free desktop version with more functionality.
Use PDFescape Online
4. Sejda PDF Editor (Web & Desktop)
Best for: Clean interface & ease of use
Sejda offers both a web-based and downloadable version, and it’s one of the few free tools that actually lets you edit existing text in a PDF (most free tools only allow annotations).
5. Smallpdf (Web)
Best for: Simple edits, compressing, converting
While the free plan has limits (2 documents per day), Smallpdf is a sleek tool for quick PDF tasks like compressing, converting to Word/Excel, and basic editing.
Try Smallpdf
Final Thoughts
PDFs are great—until you need to make a change. Luckily, with these free PDF editors, you can take control of your documents without shelling out for expensive software. Whether you’re editing a resume, filling out tax forms, or just combining a few files, there’s a free tool out there that fits your needs.