Top 8 Free PDF Editor for Windows 2021

Elise Williams

2021-07-29 17:07:06 • Filed to: Top List of PDF Software • Proven solutions

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PDF has now become the most preferred document format to be used in business transactions, which makes a PDF editor essential. However, many PDF editing software makes it tricky to edit PDF files online. Here, we've listed the Free PDF editor in 2021, compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista.

PDF Editor - What can I edit in a PDF document?

As we all know, the PDF document is generally not editable. But sometimes, we may need to directly change some things of the PDF document without converting it to other editable formats. So for a PDF document, the elements you may want to edit:

• Text - add, edit, and delete text, change the text font, color, align, line space, etc.
• Image - rotate, extract, replace, overturn the image, change its position and size.
• Link - add, edit, or remove the hyperlink and its appearances, such as color, type, highlight style, line style, and line thickness.
• Watermark - add watermark, edit its position, the proportion of pages, color, opacity, etc., or remove the watermark.
• Background - add and edit the background color and image or remove the background.
• Header and Footer - add or delete the page number, header and footer, edit their font,c color, position, style, page range, and so on.
• Bates numbering - add, edit, and delete text, change the text font, color, align, line space, etcadd and edit bates numbering, including the font, size, style, position, etc.

For the above elements in the PDF document, you can easily edit them using a PDF editor, such as PDFelement, an all-in-one PDF solution, making you edit all elements above with ease. In this article, there are some other useful PDF editors, and you can choose one appropriate tool to help you edit your PDF document.

Choose the Right PDF Editor for Free Trial

8 Best Free PDF Editor for Windows

1. PDFelement

PDFelement is an outstanding Windows 10 PDF editor that tops the list. It is a worthy alternative to Adobe Acrobat, which has been widely regarded as the industry standard when it comes to PDF editing. The good thing is that this wonderful PDF editor has a free trial that comes with basic PDF editing solutions. Meanwhile, the paid version offers good value for the cost, as it is affordable when compared to other PDF editors.

It boasts of a lot of incredible features which include annotating, editing, and converting PDFs to other formats, add a signature, and filling PDF forms. In fact, this best Windows 10 PDF editor gives you a complete solution to edit PDF files like never before. More importantly, it allows you to enjoy a large cloud storage space (up to 100GB) from Wondershare Document Cloud. Download this simple PDF editor now.

Pros

• PDFelement can do what Adobe can do, making it the editor with the best value for money.
• Users can try it out before they commit to buying it.
• Its simple design provides a user-friendly interface for both beginners and pros.
• It is secured with your documents.
• It has OCR technology, which allows you to edit/extract the PDF files from scanning.
• Moreover, it possesses the Document Cloud service, making you access your cloud documents on any device.

Cons

• It has limited features when used as a free PDF editor with the trial version.

Price

• The free version offers basic PDF solutions.
• Only costs $79.99 for the PDFelement professional version, which offers a comprehensive PDF solution.

System Support

• Windows System Support: Best PDF reader and editor for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10.
• Mac System Support: Highly compatible with all macOS from 10.14 to the latest macOS 11.

2. Nitro Pro

The Nitro Pro PDF editor offers many PDF editing features similar to other PDF editors for Windows 10 listed above. Its features include the ability to edit, create and merge, review, and collaborate, among others. In addition, the Nitro editor will allow you to fill, sign, and secure your PDF files. It supports all windows operating systems and comes in 2 versions, personal and business. The professional version costs $179.99 and has its own set of more advanced features.

Pros

• It is easy to use and also fast.
• Includes OCR technology for editing scanned PDFs.

Cons

• It is expensive in comparison to other top PDF editor software.
• The trial version has limited features.

Price: The professional version costs $179.99 with its own set of features.

System Support: It can work on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 PDF editor.

Learn more about Nitro Pro>>

3. Acrobat^® Pro DC

There is no doubt that the Adobe Acrobat PDF editor sets the pace for PDF editing and is widely regarded as the best PDF editing tool for Windows 10; however, it is considered to be overpriced. It is important to note that PDF editing is not just for large businesses but also for individuals and small businesses, and therefore the price is critical. But Adobe is still a great PDF editor with top-class features that helps users convert, edit, and annotate, among other functions.

Pros

• One of the best PDF editors with top-notch features.
• It is easy to use with a decent and friendly user interface.
• OCR technology is available to edit scanned PDFs.

Cons

• It is a more expensive PDF editor when compared to other alternatives.
• It may not be suitable for individuals and small businesses due to the cost.

Price: It costs $179.88 for one year or $14.99 per month for the subscription.

System Support: This PDF editor can be compatible with all Windows systems.

Learn more about Adobe^® Acrobat^®>>

4. Foxit Phantom PDF

This is another PDF text editor capable of editing your PDF files in Windows systems. Apart from the editing feature, Phantom PDF can also perform other functions, including merging and splitting PDFs, annotating and sharing PDF files, creating PDF forms, and converting PDFs to other file formats. What's more, you can also add encryption to PDFs, redact PDFs, and sign PDFs.

Pros

• Provides a trial of 14 days to customers to try it out.
• With the OCR function, users can work with the scanned PDFs.

Cons

• The trial version has limited features.
• The user interface of this PDF text editor isn't as easy to use.

Price: It comes in three versions: standard, business, and education. The standard version is $159 in a one-time payment.

System Support: It supports all Windows systems as well.

Learn more about Foxit Phantom>>

5. AbleWord PDF Editor

This PDF reader and writer may not be as well-known as software, but it still made it on our list of the best free PDF editor tools for windows. It is also a word processor, which means that you can edit files easily like you would with a word document. AbleWord supports reformat images, add or edit headers and footers, and tables, among other useful functions. It also includes spell check and other functions.

Pros

• It is easy to use and also free.
• It also supports some Microsoft Word features.

Cons

• It has limited features.
• Its output is not as good as some other top PDF editors.

Price: This is a free PDF editor. Just install and use it.

System Support: It can be used to edit PDF on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows XP.

Learn more about AbleWord >>

6. Sejda PDF Editor

Sejda is a free PDF editor on our list, and this is due to its impressive features. It allows you to edit your PDF files easily. Apart from editing PDFs, it can also add signatures on PDF files, add comments and links on PDFs, create fillable PDF forms, edit the content in PDF documents.

Pros

• You can edit an unlimited number of documents.
• There is no page or hourly limit.

Cons

• It is not as secure as other PDF editors.
• There is no OCR included in this online PDF editor.
• The user interface is not user-friendly.

Price： Sejda PDF Editor comes in 3 plans: The web week pass ($5), the web monthly pass($7.5), and the Desktop+ Web annual pass, which costs $63 per year.

System Support： Work as a PDF editor software for all Windows systems.

Learn more about Sejda PDF Editor>>

7. Nuance Power PDF

The Nuance Power PDF editor for Windows can convert, annotate, edit and add encryption on your PDF documents. As another best PDF editor software, this PDF editor also boasts unique features such as voice note recognition technology. This makes it possible to add notes to your PDF files by simply speaking them instead of typing them out.

Pros

• Offers the ability to edit, convert and perform many other functions.
• Comes with voice note recognition technology.

Cons

• More expensive in comparison to other PDF editing alternatives.
• The UI is not user-friendly as some other PDF editors.

Price： The price for Nuance Editor is a bit on the high side, likely due to the voice note recognition technology. The cost starts at $149.

System Support： It is compatible with all Windows platforms.

Learn more about Nuance Power PDF>>

8. PDF Buddy

This is another one of the best free PDF editors in 2021. You do not need to download and install it on your PC to edit PDFs for free. It is a free PDF editor for Windows that allows you to edit PDFs files online easily. There's no need to download a PDF editor, as everything is done online.

Pros

• Uploading files and editing them is easy.
• The instructions are clear, and you can complete tasks quickly.
• Signing up takes just a few minutes.
• It is a free PDF editor for Windows.

Cons

• The features are limited, so there are many things you might not be able to do with this editor. For example, you cannot merge PDF files using this tool, and you can't use it to create a PDF file.
• The security and privacy of your documents are a concern with this editor because all edits are done over the internet.

Price: Free

System Support: This free PDF editor software works on all Windows systems, from XP to 10.

Learn more about PDF Buddy >>

Best Free PDF Editor for Windows 10

After considering the above factors, we've come to the conclusion that PDFelement is the best PDF editor for Windows 10. It allows you to create, edit, convert and make annotations on your PDF documents, and its range of embedded tools will allow you to work with your PDF files easily. Download the free trial of this simple PDF editor Windows 10 now. 

Comparing the Performance Rating of Free PDF Editors

The detailed information above outlined our top 8 best Windows PDF editors by comparing pricing, system support, and the pros and cons of each software. You can now make the right choice when selecting the best PDF editor software for Windows 10 to edit PDF files online or offline. If you still aren't sure which PDF editor is right for you, below is a comparison of the performance rating of different PDF editors that makes it easier for you to make the right choice.

Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!

Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!

Buy PDFelement right now!

Buy PDFelement right now!

Elise Williams

chief Editor