Best Free PDF Tools in 2026: the buyer's shortlist

ToAny is our own product, so weigh this entry with that in mind. Among the best PDF tools for private files, its case is privacy rather than breadth. The PDF tools page lists 10 tools: merge, split, delete pages, rotate, unlock, protect, reorder pages, add page numbers, add a watermark and flatten. Compress PDF is a separate page, and ToAny also has PDF to JPG, PDF to PNG, PDF to text and JPG to PDF pages.

Everything above runs in your browser. No PDF tool uses ToAny's conversion server, and passwords typed for protect and unlock stay in browser memory. You can check this in the Network panel of your browser. ToAny also runs a small number of document conversions on its own server, 16 pairs out of 1,195, but only after you consent to each upload, and none of them is on the PDF tools page.

It is free, with no account, no email and no Pro tier. It states no daily limit. The limit is your device: a run takes up to 300 MB of input in total on desktop and 100 MB on touch devices. Merge accepts up to 100 files, split makes up to 1,000 pieces, and compress takes up to 400 MiB. At the time of writing, ToAny shows no ads, though its terms reserve the right to show them later.

The gaps are real. ToAny has no OCR, does not change the text inside a PDF, has no desktop or mobile app and no API, and its tool count is the lowest in this list. It loads each tool on first use, so it needs a network connection. PDF to Word is not a strength either: the output is positioned text boxes that are readable but weakly editable.

PDF24 is a free suite from geek software GmbH in Berlin, Germany. The company says the project dates from 2006, and its About page speaks of millions of people using it. It names Stefan Ziegler as the person who drives and develops it, but it does not name founders.

The tool list reads like a full toolbox. It includes Protect PDF, Unlock PDF, Compress, Merge, Split, Sign, Edit, OCR, Redact and Compare, so it covers three things ToAny does not: editing, OCR and redaction. We did not find a paid plan on the pages we read, and the Creator page says it is free of charge and without restrictions.

There are two ways to use it, and they treat your file differently. The web tools upload your file to servers in the EU. The privacy policy says uploads are usually deleted one hour after upload or after the result is created, and the help centre repeats the one-hour figure. PDF24 Creator is a desktop app for Windows only, and it processes files locally on your PC, so it works offline.

The trade-offs are mostly about ads and platforms. The Creator page shows ads marked as advertisements, and we could not find out whether the installed app shows any. There is no Mac or Linux version of the desktop app in the pages we read, and the web tools need an upload.

The web tools state no numeric limits on the pages we read, and we could not confirm that none exist, so the table says "Not stated" for them. Choose PDF24 over ToAny when you need OCR, editing or an offline app on Windows. Choose ToAny when the file must not leave your device and you are not on Windows.

PDFgear is a free PDF suite from PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD. in Singapore. The About page dates the first version to 2022; the company's founding year is not stated. The homepage presents it as completely free and without signing up, and its structured data lists a price of 0 USD.

It has the broadest platform reach here. The apps cover Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, and Android and a Chrome extension have store listings. The online tools hub advertises 30+ tools. The vendor says it does not display ads and that investment covers its operating costs.

Ratings are strong but come from the vendor and the stores. The homepage claims 4.9 from 10,000+ reviews without naming the source. The Apple App Store shows 4.7 from 8,842 ratings, and Google Play shows 4.7 stars from 48.7K reviews with 1M+ downloads.

Privacy depends on the tool. The online Unlock PDF tool runs in the browser with no upload, no limit on size, number or page count, and no watermark. Online Compress PDF is different: the file goes to Amazon cloud servers in the US and is deleted 20 minutes after leaving the site. That mix is why you should check each tool rather than the whole suite.

The caveat is the future. The vendor says it is considering charging for advanced features, with no timeline, and the 2025 milestone on its About page mentions some features shifting to paid options. PDFgear beats ToAny on tool count, apps and the stated absence of limits for Unlock. ToAny is the pick when every tool, compress included, must stay on your device.

iLovePDF is a hosted PDF suite founded in 2010 and based in Barcelona. It reports 16.5 million documents processed every day, which is a self-reported figure, and its pricing page quotes a 4.9 Trustpilot average. We could not open Trustpilot itself, so treat that rating as the vendor's claim.

The free Basic plan gives limited tools and limited document processing, and the limits are listed per task. Merge allows 100 MB and 25 files. Compress allows 200 MB and 2 files. Unlock and Protect allow 100 MB and 2 files each. Office, PDF-to-Office and OCR tasks are capped at 15 MB. The free plan shows ads, and removing them is a Premium benefit.

Premium is shown as 11 AUD a month billed monthly, or 84 AUD billed annually, which the page equates to 7 AUD a month. The prices looked geo-priced, and we did not verify a US dollar figure. Premium raises most file limits to 4 GB, adds unlimited processing, digital signatures, workflows and 2.000 AI credits, and students and academics can get a free year.

Files are uploaded and processed on iLovePDF's servers. They are deleted automatically within two hours of processing, and you can delete them yourself from the download screen. The vendor holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and states it is fully GDPR compliant. Signed documents are kept for up to 5 years.

It ships web, desktop (Mac and Windows) and mobile (iOS and Android), offers an API called iLoveAPI, and supports 26 languages by our count. Set beside ToAny, it offers more apps, an API, integrations, OCR and tool depth. It costs more, caps files per task and needs the upload step.

Sejda is made by Sejda BV in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It started in 2010 as an open source project, and its About page claims 30+ PDF tools. The homepage shows 4.5 from 1,874 Google reviews, a figure the vendor claims and that we did not verify on Google.

It comes in two forms with different privacy. Sejda Web uploads files and processes them on Sejda's servers. Sejda Desktop processes files on your computer, works offline and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. The privacy policy says web files are deleted after processing and shared links last 7 days.

The free web tier is described as forever free with no signup, but with page and hourly limits, limited uploads and tool-specific limits, and the page gives no numbers. The free desktop tier is clearer: 3 tasks a day, documents up to 50 MB and 200 pages, compress up to 100 MB and OCR up to 10 pages.

Paid plans are shown in Australian dollars for our location. Web-only monthly is A$12.50 per user per month. The Desktop plus Web annual plan is A$99 per user per year and is labelled as saving 30% over monthly. Short passes also exist: a Web Week Pass at A$8 and a Desktop Week Pass at A$12.95, both one-time for 7 days. Paid web plans allow uploads up to 500 MB per file and OCR up to 100 pages.

One privacy detail to know: desktop products contact Sejda's servers for licensing and update checks, sending product version, hostname, username and IP address. Automatic error reports, which can include file names, can be turned off. Sejda offers OCR, offline use and a longer tool list than ToAny. In return it charges for the full set and limits free desktop use to 3 tasks a day.

Smallpdf was founded in 2013 and is run by Smallpdf AG in Switzerland, with teams in Zurich and Belgrade. Its About page claims 40+ million monthly users and 100+ million monthly tasks, and the pricing page says it has been trusted by 1.7 billion people since 2013. These are self-reported. Trustpilot shows 4.8 from 5,278 reviews.

The pricing page lists 30+ document management tools, and a vendor blog post says 40+. The About page says 20+ PDF tools. The vendor's own numbers differ by page, so use the lowest as the safe reading. It is available in 24 languages on web, desktop and mobile.

The plans are Free, Pro, Team for 2 to 19 seats and Business for 20 or more. Pro starts with a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel any time. The free plan has limited downloads and a daily limit on most tools, with the exact number not shown. Strong Compression, Edit Text and OCR are Pro features. The yearly plan is 25% cheaper per month than monthly, but the absolute prices were not readable in the pages we fetched.

Files are uploaded to servers in Ireland and deleted after one hour on the free tools. The vendor is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and states GDPR, CCPA and nFADP compliance. Pro users see no ads, and the pages we read do not say whether the free tier shows them.

Smallpdf is a familiar name for teams. The cost is that free use is capped by a daily limit, which its blog says resets after 24 hours, and Edit Text and OCR sit in Pro. Compared with ToAny, it has the longer tool list, apps, OCR and the stronger brand. It also uploads your file, applies a daily limit and leads with a trial.

Adobe's online tools carry the name of the company behind Acrobat. The Acrobat online page lists 25+ free tools, including merge, compress and Protect PDF. Adobe was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, is headquartered in San Jose, California, and had 31,360 employees in November 2025.

The free tools are described as free with limited use, and no numbers are stated. Merge takes up to 100 files, each limited to 500 pages. Unlimited compression, batch processing and advanced settings need a paid plan. Basic compression does not require an account.

Online tools run on Adobe's servers. Files are deleted unless you sign in to save them, and no retention period is stated, so treat that as unknown. The desktop app compresses locally, which is a different product from the free online tool.

Paid pricing is shown in US dollars on the pricing page. Acrobat Standard is US$24.99 a month on the monthly plan, or US$14.99 a month on the annual plan billed monthly, or US$179.88 a year prepaid. Pro is US$29.99 a month, or US$239.88 a year prepaid, and Studio is US$34.99 a month. Acrobat Pro has a 7-day free trial. Acrobat Reader is free.

A caution on reputation. Trustpilot shows 1.1 out of 5 from 7,540 reviews for Adobe, but that score covers the whole company and not Acrobat alone, so it says little about the PDF tools. We use it only as context.

Adobe has the longer tool list and the desktop app. Past the free tools it costs more, and its free online tools upload your file.