The Best PDF Software in 2026
We researched PDF software using vendors’ official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Our rankings focus on the category’s core job, value for money, and verified features for creating, editing, converting, organizing, annotating, and managing PDF files.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Foxit PDF Editor#1 of 359.4/10A broad PDF editor with OCR, forms, redaction, and desktop, web, and mobile support.
14-day trial
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Runner-up
Smallpdf#2 of 359.3/10A broad PDF toolkit across web, desktop, mobile, and Chrome, with a free plan and paid tiers.
Free plan · 7-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
iLovePDF#3 of 359.2/10A broad PDF toolkit with a free plan, editing, OCR, conversion, and signing workflows.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 35 tools, best first
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Best forTeams needing a full-featured, cross-platform PDF editor
A broad PDF editor with OCR, forms, redaction, and desktop, web, and mobile support.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Foxit -
Best forIndividuals and teams handling varied PDF tasks
A broad PDF toolkit across web, desktop, mobile, and Chrome, with a free plan and paid tiers.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
Free plan · 7-day trial Our Smallpdf verdict → Visit SmallpdfFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #2 · $99/mo →9.3/10★★★★★Visit Smallpdf -
Best forUsers seeking free PDF editing and document workflows
A broad PDF toolkit with a free plan, editing, OCR, conversion, and signing workflows.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
9.2/10★★★★★Visit iLovePDF -
Best forUsers wanting broad PDF tools and AI features
A broad PDF toolkit for editing, document workflows, and AI-assisted tasks across devices.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
9.1/10★★★★★Visit PDFelement -
Best forBusinesses focused on signatures and audit trails
A business-focused signing service with audit reports, templates, bulk sends and integrations.
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forWindows users wanting capable PDF editing for a one-time fee
A capable Windows PDF editor with OCR and conversion at a one-time price.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit PDF-XChange -
Best forWindows teams processing PDFs in batches
A broad Windows PDF toolkit, with paid tiers for editing and advanced capabilities.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.8/10★★★★☆Try PDFsam Enhanced -
Best forPeople who need a free cross-platform PDF reader
A capable free reader for annotations, forms, signatures, and multiple desktop platforms.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Okular -
Best forWindows users wanting a free PDF creation utility
A free Windows utility for creating, converting, organizing and processing PDFs offline.
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit PDF24 Creator -
Best forOrganizations needing PDF editing with enterprise features
A broad PDF toolkit with a relatively high one-time entry price and added business controls.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forTeams needing desktop PDF editing and business workflows
A broad PDF toolkit for desktop teams, with business controls in its higher tier.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Nitro -
Best forWindows users wanting a broad PDF toolkit
A broad Windows PDF toolkit, with core viewing free and advanced tools in paid plans.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit PDF Architect -
Best forPeople and teams needing PDF tools across devices
A broad PDF toolkit spanning browser, desktop, mobile, and Chrome extension access.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Soda PDF -
Best forTeams focused on forms and signature workflows
A PDF editor with stronger form and signature workflows on its higher tiers.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit pdfFiller -
Best forUsers wanting AI-assisted PDF editing across devices
A broad PDF toolkit with AI features, but the free plan limits daily work.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit UPDF -
Best forUsers seeking a free PDF editor across devices
A broad, free PDF toolkit spanning browser, desktop, and mobile.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit PDFgear -
Best forTeams needing self-hosted PDF automation and APIs
Broad PDF tools and APIs, with self-hosting options and a $99/month Team plan.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Stirling PDF -
Best forUsers wanting PDF editing on web and desktop
A broad PDF toolkit spanning editing, OCR, conversion, forms and local desktop processing.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Sejda -
Best forUsers wanting low-cost PDF tools across many devices
A broad PDF toolkit with web, desktop and mobile access, plus offline Windows batch processing.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit PDF Candy -
Best forUsers building complex PDF forms on desktop
A focused desktop choice for advanced PDF forms, validation, signatures, and batch work.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit PDF Studio -
Best forUsers who mainly need free offline PDF page operations
A focused offline PDF utility for page operations, not a full editing suite.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit PDFsam -
Best forBudget users who mainly edit and annotate PDFs
A budget-friendly PDF editor for everyday edits, forms, and markup, with no OCR.
- PDF conversion
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit PDFescape -
Best forDesktop users wanting core PDF editing at low cost
A capable desktop PDF editor with broad core tools and strong lifetime-plan value.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit EaseUS -
Best forTeams focused on electronic signature workflows
A capable e-signature workflow tool, but not a complete PDF editor.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Xodo Sign -
Best forIndividuals and small teams needing web-based PDF workflows
A web-based PDF editor with forms, signatures, sharing, and AI tools.
- PDF conversion
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit DocHub -
Best forWindows users needing batch PDF conversion and OCR
A Windows-focused PDF suite for editing, OCR, conversion and batch processing.
- Edit PDF text
- E-signing
- Batch processing
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF-XChange -
Best forWindows users needing print-to-PDF and batch conversion
A focused Windows PDF printer with batch conversion, security and form tools—not PDF editing.
- E-signing
- Batch processing
- PDF conversion
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF-XChange -
Best forUsers arranging pages and optimizing PDFs offline
A desktop-focused toolkit for page operations, with free merge tools and paid access to all tools.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit PDFsam -
Best forUsers who need straightforward PDF page organization
An open-source desktop organizer for combining, splitting, and restructuring PDF pages.
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF Arranger -
Best forIndividuals needing free browser-based PDF markups
A free web editor for PDF markups and page tasks, with Word conversion and cloud uploads.
- PDF conversion
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF Bob -
Best forDevelopers automating PDF page and metadata tasks
A PDF automation toolkit for developers, with free AGPL use and paid commercial licenses.
- Batch processing
- PDF conversion
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Coherent PDF -
Best forConstruction and design teams working with technical PDFs
A deep technical-PDF workspace for teams that need measurements, revisions, and collaboration.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Bluebeam -
Best forUsers needing inexpensive batch PDF conversion
A broad PDF toolkit with batch conversion and OCR on one-time paid plans.
- OCR
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF Agile -
Best forDesktop users needing forms and editing on Linux
A feature-rich desktop PDF editor with a free tier and a paid perpetual version license.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forApple users editing PDFs across Mac and iOS
A capable Apple-focused PDF editor with OCR, conversion, forms, signatures, and AI assistance.
- OCR
- PDF conversion
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit PDF Expert
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | PDF conversion | OCR | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foxit PDF Editor | No | $10.99/user/mo | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Smallpdf | Yes | $7/seat/mo | Yes | Yes | 9.3 |
| 3 | iLovePDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 4 | Wondershare PDFelement | No | Yes | Yes | 9.1 | |
| 5 | Adobe Acrobat Sign | No | 9.0 | |||
| 6 | PDF-XChange Editor | Yes | $62/user one-time | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 7 | PDFsam Enhanced | Yes | $69/user/yr | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 8 | Okular | Yes | Free | 8.7 | ||
| 9 | PDF24 Creator | Yes | Free | 8.6 | ||
| 10 | Tungsten Power PDF | No | $179/device one-time | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 11 | Nitro PDF Pro | No | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 12 | PDF Architect | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 13 | Soda PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 14 | pdfFiller | No | $8/user/mo | 8.1 | ||
| 15 | UPDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | |
| 16 | PDFgear | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 17 | Stirling PDF | Yes | $99/mo | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
| 18 | Sejda PDF Editor | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 19 | PDF Candy | Yes | $6/mo | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 20 | PDF Studio | No | $149 one-time | 7.5 | ||
| 21 | PDFsam Basic | Yes | Free | 7.4 | ||
| 22 | PDFescape | Yes | $2.99/mo | Yes | No | 7.3 |
| 23 | EaseUS PDF Editor | Yes | $49.95/device/yr | Yes | Yes | 7.2 |
| 24 | Xodo Sign | Yes | 7.1 | |||
| 25 | DocHub | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | ||
| 26 | PDF-XChange PRO | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 27 | PDF-XChange Printer Standard | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | ||
| 28 | PDFsam Visual | Yes | 6.7 | |||
| 29 | PDF Arranger | Free | 6.6 | |||
| 30 | PDF Bob | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.5 | |
| 31 | Coherent PDF | Yes | $599/unit one-time | Yes | No | 6.4 |
| 32 | Bluebeam Revu | No | Yes | Yes | 6.3 | |
| 33 | PDF Agile | Yes | $39 one-time | Yes | 6.2 | |
| 34 | Master PDF Editor | Yes | $79.95/device one-time | Yes | Yes | 6.1 |
| 35 | PDF Expert | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.0 |
Head-to-head All 22 comparisons →
- Foxit PDF Editor vs Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Foxit PDF Editor vs PDF-XChange Editor
- Foxit PDF Editor vs PDFsam Enhanced
- Foxit PDF Editor vs Okular
- Smallpdf vs Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Smallpdf vs PDF-XChange Editor
- Smallpdf vs PDFsam Enhanced
- Smallpdf vs Okular
- iLovePDF vs Adobe Acrobat Sign
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How we rank PDF software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update