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PDF Editor

Free#67 of 102 in PDF Editors

PDF Editor: A capable open-source Windows editor for local PDF work, with OCR and security tools. Ranked #67 of 102 in PDF Editors by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for offline Windows PDF editing.

3.0/10Editor score

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At a glance

Editor score
3.0 / 10
Pricing
Free plan
Best for
Offline Windows PDF editing
Free plan
Yes
Paid from
Free
OCR
Yes
Facts checked
20 Sep 2026

Where it wins
- Directly edits PDF text and images on the page
- Includes OCR, annotations, and extensive page-management tools
- Runs offline with AES-256 protection and certificate signatures
Where it doesn't
- Supports packaged builds for Windows only
- Form filling is out of scope
- Full document reflow is out of scope

Our verdict on PDF Editor

PDF Editor is a free, open-source desktop application for viewing and editing PDF files on Windows. It is designed for people who want to work with documents locally rather than upload them to a cloud service. The application can open password-protected PDFs, edit existing text, and insert, move, resize, replace, or delete images. It also supports highlighting, comments, callouts, OCR for scanned or image-only PDFs, printing with preview, and cryptographic digital signatures using certificates.

Its strongest area is the combination of editing, page tools, and offline operation. Users can merge, split, rotate, delete, reorder, extract, and insert pages, while password protection adds AES-256 encryption and permission controls. OCR makes scanned documents searchable and supports text extraction. The application runs fully offline without an account, subscription, or cloud upload, and Windows installer and portable builds are available from the project's GitHub releases. That makes it a practical fit for local document workflows where cloud transfer is not wanted.

The main trade-off is scope. The project explicitly supports Windows x64, while building from source on other platforms may work; only Windows is packaged. Form filling and full document reflow are out of scope, so users needing those capabilities should choose a different PDF editor. Choose PDF Editor for free, open-source Windows editing with image handling, OCR, annotations, page management, encryption, and certificate signatures. Avoid it if cross-platform packaged support, interactive form filling, or full document reflow is essential.

Your product? Our editors can test PDF Editor in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

PDF Editor pricing

Plans Free planFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.

See plans on github.com

PDF Editor fact sheet

Free plan	Yes
Paid from	Free
Text editing	Yes
Annotation tools	Yes
OCR	Yes
PDF conversion	Not verified
Form creation	Not verified
Supported platforms	windows
Deployment	Desktop
Platforms	Windows
Support	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business (editorial estimate)
Pricing	Free plan
Website	github.com
Facts checked	20 Sep 2026

Alternatives to PDF Editor

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Featured on iTechGuides

PDF Editor is listed in our PDF Editors directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · How we research and update