PDF Arranger
What PDF Arranger is
PDF Arranger is a free desktop application for assembling and editing PDF documents on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its side-by-side page view supports reordering with drag and drop, copy, and paste. Page tools include rotating, deleting, duplicating, splitting, merging, resizing, and cropping; the manual also describes creating and splitting booklets. The application can search text in PDFs and edit document metadata. It imports images as PDF pages and exports pages in PDF, PNG, JPEG, or rasterized PDF formats. Options can preserve document details such as outlines and links, though some operations discard those properties. Image import requires img2pdf, and the project requires pikepdf version 6 or later. The project is licensed under GPL-3.0 and identifies itself as a fork of PDF-Shuffler. Installation routes include linked Windows downloads, Nix or manual dependency installation on macOS, and package instructions for several Linux distributions and FreeBSD. The Free plan costs nothing and covers the PDF editing and page arrangement features described in the manual.
Who it suits
PDF Arranger suits people who want to organize pages, combine documents, or make other listed PDF edits in a desktop application. It also fits users who need booklet tools, PDF text search, or image-to-PDF import across its supported desktop platforms.
What it does well
- Reorders pages visually with drag and drop, copy, and paste.
- Supports splitting, merging, resizing, cropping, and rotating pages.
- Can generate and split booklets.
- Searches PDF text and edits metadata.
- Exports pages as PDF, PNG, JPEG, or rasterized PDF.
- Licensed under GPL-3.0.
What to know first
- Image import requires img2pdf.
- Requires pikepdf version 6 or later.
- macOS setup guide suggests Nix or manual dependency installation.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | PDF editing and page arrangement features described in the user manual | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the project website on GitHub.
- Choose the installation route for Windows, macOS, Linux, or FreeBSD.
- Install pikepdf version 6 or later.
- Install img2pdf if you plan to import images as PDF pages.
- Open PDF Arranger and arrange or edit pages.
Verdict
Choose PDF Arranger if you need free desktop tools for arranging pages, combining or splitting PDFs, and making the other listed edits. Account for its pikepdf requirement and the additional img2pdf dependency when importing images.
Questions
How much does PDF Arranger cost?
The Free plan costs nothing.
Which platforms does it support?
It supports Linux, macOS, and Windows; the README also includes FreeBSD package instructions.
Can it merge and split PDFs?
Yes. It supports merging and splitting documents and pages, and it can generate and split booklets.
Can I import images and export other formats?
It can import images as PDF pages and export pages as PDF, PNG, JPEG, or rasterized PDF. Image import requires img2pdf.
What license does it use?
The project is licensed under GPL-3.0.
Does it preserve links and outlines?
Options can preserve document information such as outlines and links, but some operations can remove those properties.
Facts from PDF Arranger's own pages
- Booklets
- The manual lists generating and splitting booklets as supported features. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Image dependency
- Image import requires img2pdf to be installed. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Import and export
- The application can import images as PDF pages and export pages as PDF, PNG, JPEG, or rasterized PDF. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Interface
- The application visually displays PDF pages side by side and supports page reordering by drag and drop, copy, and paste. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository identifies the project as licensed under GPL-3.0. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Linux and BSD
- The README includes package installation instructions for Debian-based distributions, Arch Linux, Fedora, and FreeBSD. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- macOS
- The project’s macOS guide suggests using Nix, which provides a pdfarranger package, and also documents manual dependency installation. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Metadata and bookmarks
- Users can edit metadata, and the manual describes options for preserving document information including outlines and links, with some operations that lose these properties. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Page editing
- Supported operations include rotating, deleting, duplicating, splitting, merging, resizing, and cropping pages. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- PDF conversion
- Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- PDF dependency
- The project README says PDF Arranger requires pikepdf version 6 or later. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- PDF search
- The manual lists text search in PDFs as a supported feature. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- PDF Arranger is a graphical application for merging or splitting PDF documents and rotating, cropping, and rearranging pages. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support and project lineage
- The README describes PDF Arranger as a fork of PDF-Shuffler and links to a user manual for more information. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- Windows,macOS,Linux · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Windows
- The project links to a Windows download and documents building MSI and ZIP packages for Windows. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Where PDF Arranger stands on Freedom251
- PDF Software#9 of 35
- PDF Merger Software#12 of 36
- PDF editors#61 of 104