A complete comparison of the best free PDF editors available online. All tools work in your browser — no downloads needed.
| Tool | Free | No Uploads | File Limit | No Signup | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDFTools | ✅ | ✅ | 10MB | ✅ | ★★★★★ |
| SmallPDF | ❌ Paid | ❌ Server | 2/day | ❌ | ★★★★ |
| iLovePDF | ✅ | ❌ Server | 10MB | ❌ | ★★★★ |
| PDF Candy | ✅ | ❌ Server | 10MB | ✅ | ★★★ |
| Sejda PDF | ✅ | ❌ Server | 3/day | ✅ | ★★★★ |
| Adobe Acrobat Online | ❌ Paid | ❌ Server | 1/day | ❌ | ★★★ |
PDFTools is the only tool that combines completely free usage, zero server uploads, no signup requirement, and generous 10MB file limits. All 24+ tools work entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files never leave your device.
Try PDFTools Free →Most PDF editors require uploading your files to their servers. PDFTools processes everything in your browser. Your sensitive documents never leave your computer. This is a fundamental privacy advantage.
No free trial, no credit card, no "2 free files per day" limit. All basic tools are completely free with a 10MB file limit. Premium removes usage limits and unlocks advanced workflows for users who want more.
Compress, merge, split, convert, edit, sign, protect, unlock, and now chat with PDFs using AI. Everything on one site — no jumping between different tools.
PDF processing runs in your browser after the required tool code has loaded. An already-open workflow may continue through a temporary connection loss, but opening an uncached tool or loading a processing module for the first time still requires internet access.
Adobe Acrobat Pro costs ~$25/month. SmallPDF Premium is ~$12/month. iLovePDF Premium is ~$7/month. If you need basic PDF editing (compress, merge, split, rotate, convert), free tools like PDFTools handle 90% of use cases with zero cost. Only consider paid if you need advanced features like OCR, PDF/A conversion, or very large file support.
No uploads, no signup, 100% private. Start editing your PDFs instantly.