# Best PDF Editor Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing

> Find the best PDF Editor Software for your organization. Compare top PDF Editor Software systems with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos.

Source: https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/foxit-phantompdf-profile/vs

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# Best PDF Editor Software of 2026

Updated June 13, 2026

Written by [Supriya Deka](https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/author/sdeka/)

Market Research Specialist

Edited by [Lindsay Page](https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/author/lindsay-page/)

Editor

On this page

1.  Popular Comparisons
2.  Buyers Guide
3.  Related Software

Filter products

101 results

### Compare Products

Showing 1 - 25 of 101 products

#### Company Size

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-   2-10
    
-   11-50
    
-   51-200
    
-   201-500
    
-   501-1000
    
-   1000+
    

#### Pricing Options

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### Compare Products

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**Sponsored**: Sorts listings by software vendors running active bidding campaigns, from the highest to lowest bid. Vendors who have paid for placement have a ‘Visit Website’ button, whereas unpaid vendors have a ‘Learn More’ button.  
  
**Reviews**: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least.  
  
**Average Rating**: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest.  
  
**Alphabetically (A-Z)**: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z.

ABBYY FineReader PDF allows users to convert, edit, and share PDF documents. It is suitable for individuals and businesses. This...[Read more about ABBYY FineReader PDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/abbyy-finereader-profile/)

**4.7**

([428 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/abbyy-finereader-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

+3 more

+2 more

+1 more

ABBYY FineReader PDF's Best Rated Features

4.68Batch Processing

See All

ABBYY FineReader PDF's Worst Rated Features

4.0Forms Management

See All

Adobe Acrobat helps teams create, edit, sign, and share documents securely — trusted worldwide for reliable PDF workflows. As on...[Read more about Adobe Acrobat](https://www.softwareadvice.com/content-collaboration/adobe-acrobat-dc-profile/)

**4.7**

([4217 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/content-collaboration/adobe-acrobat-dc-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Docs

Google Drive

+16 more

+15 more

+14 more

Adobe Acrobat's Best Rated Features

5.0Document Templates

See All

Adobe Acrobat's Worst Rated Features

4.0Workflow Automation

See All

Nitro Pro is a cloud-based PDF solution that helps businesses create, edit, share and sign essential documents from any device. ...[Read more about Nitro PDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/174016-Nitro/)

**4.5**

([573 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/174016-Nitro/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+16 more

+15 more

+14 more

Nitro PDF's Best Rated Features

4.79PDF Reader

See All

Nitro PDF's Worst Rated Features

3.79Batch Processing

See All

Xodo PDF Studio is a powerful enterprise-level desktop PDF editor with advanced PDF editing, annotation, and organization tools ...[Read more about Xodo PDF Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/526669-Xodo-PDF-Studio/)

No reviews yet

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+3 more

+2 more

+1 more

[iLovePDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/ilovepdf-profile/)

iLovePDF is an online document management platform designed for managing and editing PDF documents. It provides tools for tasks ...[Read more about iLovePDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/ilovepdf-profile/)

**4.7**

([1765 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/ilovepdf-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+7 more

+6 more

+5 more

iLovePDF's Best Rated Features

4.90Convert to PDF

See All

iLovePDF's Worst Rated Features

3.89Third-Party Integrations

See All

[Edit Pdfs](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/edit-pdfs-profile/)

Edit Pdfs is an online solution for managing your PDFs. With the most advanced text recognition technology on the market. Test o...[Read more about Edit Pdfs](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/edit-pdfs-profile/)

**4.7**

([560 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/edit-pdfs-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

Edit Pdfs's Best Rated Features

5.0Commenting/Notes

See All

Edit Pdfs's Worst Rated Features

4.53Access Controls/Permissions

See All

[DocHub](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/dochub-profile/)

DocHub is an intuitive online tool that simplifies document management. With its powerful features, you can edit PDFs, eSign doc...[Read more about DocHub](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/dochub-profile/)

**4.8**

([263 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/dochub-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+3 more

+2 more

+1 more

DocHub's Best Rated Features

4.91PDF Conversion

See All

DocHub's Worst Rated Features

4.27Search/Filter

See All

[Smallpdf](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/smallpdf-profile/)

Smallpdf is a document management and editing tool for desktop and mobile devices. It includes PDF tools for converting, compres...[Read more about Smallpdf](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/smallpdf-profile/)

**4.7**

([981 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/smallpdf-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+2 more

+1 more

+0 more

Smallpdf's Best Rated Features

5.0Document Editing

See All

Smallpdf's Worst Rated Features

3.78Third-Party Integrations

See All

[FormatPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/formatpdf-profile/)

FormatPDF is an online, cloud-based service for you to swiftly and straightforwardly modify your PDFs. The website provides over...[Read more about FormatPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/formatpdf-profile/)

**4.8**

([101 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/formatpdf-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

FormatPDF's Best Rated Features

4.80Convert to PDF

See All

FormatPDF's Worst Rated Features

4.0Watermarking

See All

[iScanner](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/iscanner-profile/)

iScanner is much more than just a scanner. It combines a document scanner with AI filters to remove any noise, fingers, or skews...[Read more about iScanner](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/iscanner-profile/)

**4.7**

([294 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/iscanner-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

iScanner's Best Rated Features

4.71Document Storage

See All

iScanner's Worst Rated Features

3.88Data Import/Export

See All

[PDFgear](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdfgear-profile/)

PDFgear is an all-inclusive PDF solution for businesses, offering editing, protecting, converting, signing, annotating, organizi...[Read more about PDFgear](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdfgear-profile/)

**5.0**

([13 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdfgear-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

PDFgear's Best Rated Features

5.0Rearrange Pages

See All

PDFgear's Worst Rated Features

4.83Rotate Pages

See All

[Adobe PDF Library](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/adobe-pdf-library-profile/)

Create, edit and manage PDFs in large-scale applications to get to market faster with our SOC 2 Type 2 certified PDF SDK. Using...[Read more about Adobe PDF Library](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/adobe-pdf-library-profile/)

**4.8**

([26 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cms/adobe-pdf-library-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

Adobe PDF Library's Best Rated Features

4.71File Conversion

See All

Adobe PDF Library's Worst Rated Features

4.33Electronic Signature

See All

[iLovePDF 2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/450194-I-Love-PDF/)

iLovePDF 2 is a cloud-native document platform that lets teams convert, compress, edit, protect, and sign PDFs. Users can split,...[Read more about iLovePDF 2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/450194-I-Love-PDF/)

**4.9**

([15 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/450194-I-Love-PDF/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+6 more

+5 more

+4 more

iLovePDF 2's Best Rated Features

5.0Drag & Drop

See All

iLovePDF 2's Worst Rated Features

4.0Text Editing

See All

[PDNob PDF Editor](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/525330-PDNobPDFEditor/)

PDNob PDF Editor is a software that assists businesses with the management and editing of PDF documents. It is designed for use ...[Read more about PDNob PDF Editor](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/525330-PDNobPDFEditor/)

**5.0**

([9 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/525330-PDNobPDFEditor/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

PDNob PDF Editor's Best Rated Features

5.0Convert to PDF

See All

PDNob PDF Editor's Worst Rated Features

4.83Text Editing

See All

[Fabreasy PDF Creator](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/fabreasy-pdf-creator-profile/)

Fabreasy PDF Creator is a windows-based stationery / letterhead solution for a single user or a company. It allows you to add le...[Read more about Fabreasy PDF Creator](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/fabreasy-pdf-creator-profile/)

**4.7**

([38 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/fabreasy-pdf-creator-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

+1 more

+0 more

+0 more

[Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449925-Acrobat-Reader-DC/)

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is a PDF viewer, which helps organizations view, sign, share and annotate PDFs. It lets users create, se...[Read more about Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449925-Acrobat-Reader-DC/)

**4.6**

([10538 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449925-Acrobat-Reader-DC/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Integrations

Integrations

Google Drive

Dropbox Business

+5 more

+4 more

+3 more

Adobe Acrobat Reader's Best Rated Features

4.85Electronic Signature

See All

Adobe Acrobat Reader's Worst Rated Features

4.08Drag & Drop

See All

[Sejda](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/sejda-profile/)

Sejda is a comprehensive PDF editing tool that can be used on the cloud or as a desktop application. It includes features for ed...[Read more about Sejda](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/sejda-profile/)

**4.7**

([47 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/sejda-profile/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

Sejda's Best Rated Features

5.0Convert to PDF

See All

Sejda's Worst Rated Features

4.50Access Controls/Permissions

See All

[LightPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/lightpdf-profile/)

LightPDF is an all-in-one, AI-powered PDF productivity platform designed to help users create, understand, and manage documents ...[Read more about LightPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/lightpdf-profile/)

**5.0**

([7 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/lightpdf-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

LightPDF's Best Rated Features

5.0Text Editing

See All

LightPDF's Worst Rated Features

5.0Text Editing

See All

[DocMadeEasy](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/docmadeeasy-profile/)

DocMadeEasy offers tools for users to edit, sign, and share PDF files securely. Free and easy to use! With millions of document...[Read more about DocMadeEasy](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/docmadeeasy-profile/)

**4.9**

([8 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/docmadeeasy-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

DocMadeEasy's Best Rated Features

4.83Electronic Signature

See All

DocMadeEasy's Worst Rated Features

4.83Electronic Signature

See All

[UPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449950-UPDF/)

UPDF is a PDF editor with AI integration designed for editing, annotating, converting, and organizing PDF documents. It is suita...[Read more about UPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449950-UPDF/)

**4.6**

([16 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/449950-UPDF/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

UPDF's Best Rated Features

4.89Electronic Signature

See All

UPDF's Worst Rated Features

4.44Text Editing

See All

[MobiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdf-extra-profile/)

Professional PDF Editor PDF Extra is your all-in-one PDF toolkit - reader, editor and converter. Take full control of the conte...[Read more about MobiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdf-extra-profile/)

**4.8**

([6 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdf-extra-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

[Systweak PDF Editor](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/519896-Systweak-PDF-Editor/)

Systweak PDF Editor is PDF editing software for Windows. It allows users to view, annotate, edit, convert, compress, encrypt, an...[Read more about Systweak PDF Editor](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/519896-Systweak-PDF-Editor/)

**5.0**

([3 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/519896-Systweak-PDF-Editor/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

[HiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/hipdf-profile/)

Wondershare HiPDF is an AI-powered online PDF solution that offers a wide range of features such as chatting with PDF, AI readin...[Read more about HiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/hipdf-profile/)

**5.0**

([2 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/hipdf-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

[PDF-XChange](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/476965-PDF-XChange/)

PDF-XChange is a software solution that enables users to view, convert, and edit PDF documents. The software offers a free PDF e...[Read more about PDF-XChange](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/476965-PDF-XChange/)

**4.6**

([263 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/476965-PDF-XChange/reviews/))

Free trial

Free version

PDF-XChange's Best Rated Features

4.69PDF Reader

See All

PDF-XChange's Worst Rated Features

4.22Digital Signature

See All

[FlexiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/flexipdf-profile/)

Creating, editing and commenting in PDF files with FlexiPDF Professional 2022 as intuitive as exporting them for further editin...[Read more about FlexiPDF](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/flexipdf-profile/)

**4.8**

([4 reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/flexipdf-profile/#reviews))

Free trial

Free version

1

[2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/?page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/?page=3)[4](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/?page=4)[5](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/?page=5)

## Popular Comparisons

[

Adobe Acrobat vs Adobe Acrobat Reader

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/317350-adobe-acrobat-dc/vs/449925-Acrobat-Reader-DC/)[

Edit Pdfs vs iLovePDF

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/edit-pdfs-profile/vs/ilovepdf/)[

Smallpdf vs pdfFiller

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/pdffiller-profile/vs/smallpdf/)[

ABBYY FineReader PDF vs Nitro PDF

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/174016-Nitro/vs/207256-abbyy-finereader/)[

Soda PDF vs PDFelement

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/pdfelement-profile/vs/soda-pdf/)[

DocHub vs DocFly

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/pdf-editor/dochub-profile/vs/pdf-pro/)

PDFs are crucial for businesses. Whether you're sending out invoices or contracts, or maintaining customer records and scanned documents, PDFs ensure documents are viewed as intended.

But what if you want to make changes to a PDF, such as editing text, adding or removing objects, or commenting while reviewing? Instead of converting the PDF to an editable doc again, making changes, and converting back to a PDF, you can simply use a PDF editor and make changes in just a few clicks.

PDF editing software can save time and help you process PDFs faster without changing the file format. With the wide range of PDF editors available, choosing the one that best meets your needs can feel overwhelming. That's why we created this PDF editing software buyers guide with all the essential information you need to choose the right tool.

Here’s what we'll cover:

-   [What is PDF editor software?](#WhatisPDFeditorsoftware)
    
-   [Common features of PDF editors](#CommonfeaturesofPDFeditors)
    
-   [What type of buyer are you?](#Whattypeofbuyerareyou)
    
-   [Benefits of PDF editing software](#BenefitsofPDFeditingsoftware)
    
-   [Key considerations](#Keyconsiderations)
    
-   [Market trend to understand](#Markettrendtounderstand)
    

## What is PDF editor software?

PDF editors allow users to upload, create, and edit content within PDFs. These tools help users edit text and images within PDFs, rearrange pages, password-protect files, electronically sign documents, and more. Users can also convert other file formats such as Word documents, Excel sheets, HTML, JPG, Gifs, and images to PDFs (and vice versa).

PDF editors typically integrate with [optical character recognition software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/), document scanning software, and [document generation software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/document-generation/).

_Text editing feature in_ [ABBYY FineReader PDF Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/abbyy-finereader-profile/) _(_[Source](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/abbyy-finereader-profile/)_)_

## Common features of PDF editors

Most PDF editing tools have the following features in common:

**Convert to PDF**

Convert other file formats to PDFs.

**Image editing**

Edit existing images or add and remove images and shapes within PDFs.

**Text editing**

Add, remove, or edit text within PDFs.

**Annotations**

Add comments or notes to specific sections of PDFs.

**Access controls/permissions**

Add permissions to determine how users can interact with files to protect both sensitive information and file ownership.

**Electronic signature**

Sign a PDF electronically, and give others permission to digitally view and sign documents.

**Optical character recognition**

Convert images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into machine-encoded text.

**Forms management**

Create PDF forms, distribute forms, and receive responses. You can manage, track, and view all forms and responses within the software.

**Merge/Append files**

Combine documents, spreadsheets, emails, and more into a single, organized PDF. You can also reorder pages and assign page numbers.

**Side-by-side comparison**

Compare documents by opening two PDFs in the same window.

**Full text search**

Search PDF text to find specific words or phrases.

## What type of buyer are you?

Before purchasing PDF editing software, you should determine which buyer category you're in so you can choose the right tool. The majority of buyers fall into the following categories:

-   **Small and midsize businesses (SMBs; up to 500 employees):** SMBs generally have smaller teams and fewer clients, so they handle a limited amount of documents. Buyers in this segment can use PDF editors to alter contract templates and edit necessary fields for individual customers.
    
    Some free PDF editors or reasonably priced basic versions with features including optical character recognition, electronic signatures, page rearrangement, and text and image editing can work for these buyers.
    
-   **Large enterprises (over 500 employees):** Enterprises with large teams and client bases deal with a large number of documents. PDF editors can help such buyers create and manage sensitive documents, customize branding, and protect files with passwords.
    
    A fully featured PDF editor that offers password protection, user restriction settings, and customizable branding along with the ability to handle large files are often a better fit for buyers in this segment. Since these businesses often share documents with a large number of people, they should opt for a tool with security features to maintain the security of distributed PDFs.
    

## Benefits of PDF editing software

-   **Enhanced security:** PDF editors have built-in security features that ensure the safety of information within the documents. Features such as password protection, user restrictions, and encryption can restrict recipients and viewers from printing the PDF, and changing or copying the content.
    
-   **Easy editing:** PDF editors allows users to directly edit PDFs without converting or retyping the document. Optical character recognition features make scanned or image-based documents searchable and editable.
    
-   **Better control and visibility:** PDF editors can convert PDFs into a read-only format that can't be altered without leaving digital footprints. This lets you effectively track changes to maintain version control and visibility when collaborating on the same file.
    

## Key Considerations:

-   **Mobile:** The rise in bring your own device (BYOD) policies means employees work with many types of devices, such as tablets and smartphones, in the workplace. You want a PDF editor that supports use on smartphones, tablets, or laptops so you can view, edit, convert, and share files from anywhere. Look for dedicated mobile apps when evaluating PDF editors.
    
-   **Collaboration:** A PDF editor should allow multiple participants to collaborate on a single document. This will help both co-located and distributed teams to review and edit PDFs simultaneously. Look for PDF editors with shared review features to facilitate collaboration.
    
-   **Features and cost:** The cost of a PDF editing tool varies based on included features. Before buying software, determine the needs of your organization and which software features can help meet them. If you handle a small number of documents, consider a free or basic version of PDF editing software. But if you need advanced features such as a built-in spell-checker, language support, multi-file merging, and validating PDFs for ISO standards, you should look for an enterprise solution.
    

## Market trend to understand:

Here’s a market trend to keep in mind when selecting a PDF editor for your business:

-   **Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in PDF editors:** AI-enabled PDF editors are capable of analyzing document structure or image processing to find relevant objects within document images and compare documents faster. Such software can apply neural networks to extract necessary elements such as text lines, tables, barcodes, and labels without having to improve the quality of images and documents beforehand. This tech can use previously gained experience while processing pages character-by-character or line-by-line to provide better, faster results. PDF editing tools with AI technology also allow users to recognize complex scripts in multiple languages. Many [software providers](https://pdf.abbyy.com/blog/finereader-powered-by-ai/) have already implemented AI in their PDF editing software offerings, and more are expected to follow.
    

**_Note:_** _The application selected in this article is an example to show a feature in context and is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication._

### Related PDF Editor Software

-   [Document Generation Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/document-generation/)
-   [Document Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/category/722-document-management/)
-   [Forms Automation Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/forms-automation/)
-   [OCR Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ocr/)
-   [PDF Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/category/4791-pdf/)