Best PDF Editors in 2026
Updated
In short: WPS PDF Editor is ranked #1 of 106 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor and Smallpdf. The best-ranked option with a free plan is ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor. The lowest first paid tier on this page is PDF Candy at $0.33/mo.
PDF editors help with tasks such as revising text, annotating files, creating forms, and converting PDFs. Compare text editing and PDF conversion with annotation tools, form creation, and OCR to see which capabilities fit your documents. Supported platforms can help you assess where you can work, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. WPS PDF Editor, ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor, and Smallpdf are among the options shown. Consider the kinds of PDF work you do and weigh the listed features and platform support against those needs.
106 PDF editors ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
22 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WPS PDF EditorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 8.3 | |
| 2 | ONLYOFFICE PDF EditorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 8.3 | |
| 3 | SmallpdfWeb · Windows · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $10/mo | 8.2 | |
| 4 | PDFgearWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 8.0 | |
| 5 | PDF CandyWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $0.33/mo | 8.0 | |
| 6 | DocHubWeb · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 7 | Sejda PDF EditorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 8 | UPDFWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 7.8 | |
| 9 | Stirling PDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $99/mo | 7.8 | |
| 10 | KDAN PDFWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $5/mo | 7.8 | |
| 11 | LightPDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $1.33/mo | 7.7 | |
| 12 | PDFescapeWeb · Windows | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $2.99/mo | 7.6 | |
| 13 | SwifDoo PDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $5.75/mo | 7.6 | |
| 14 | PDF2GoWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 7.6 | |
| 15 | PDF AgileWeb · Windows · Mac | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $39/mo | 7.4 | |
| 16 | PDF Reader ProWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 7.4 | |
| 17 | iLovePDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 7.3 |
| 18 | PDF ArchitectWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.3 | |
| 19 | PDFluentWindows · Mac | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.3 | |
| 20 | PDFAppsWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.2 | |
| 21 | DeftPDFWeb · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $4.17/mo | 7.2 | |
| 22 | Soda PDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 7.1 |
| 23 | HiPDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $3.33/mo | 7.1 | |
| 24 | Foxit PDF EditorWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | $4.17/mo | 6.9 |
| 25 | Online PDF EditsWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.9 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Text editing | Annotation tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WPS PDF Editor | 8.3 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor | 8.3 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Smallpdf | 8.2 | Free plan | $10/mo | Yes | $7/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | PDFgear | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | PDF Candy | 8.0 | Free plan | $0.33/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | DocHub | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Sejda PDF Editor | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | UPDF | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Stirling PDF | 7.8 | Free plan | $99/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | KDAN PDF | 7.8 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | $59.99/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | LightPDF | 7.7 | Free plan | $1.33/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | PDFescape | 7.6 | Free plan | $2.99/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | SwifDoo PDF | 7.6 | Free plan | $5.75/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | PDF2Go | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | PDF Agile | 7.4 | Free plan | $39/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | PDF Reader Pro | 7.4 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | iLovePDF | 7.3 | No | — | Yes | $283/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | PDF Architect | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | PDFluent | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | PDFApps | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | DeftPDF | 7.2 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Soda PDF | 7.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | HiPDF | 7.1 | Free plan | $3.33/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Foxit PDF Editor | 6.9 | No | $4.17/mo | No | $10.99/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | Online PDF Edits | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which PDF editor is ranked first on Freedom251?
WPS PDF Editor is ranked #1 of 106 with a score of 8.3. ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor is second and Smallpdf third.
How many of these have a free plan?
22 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, PDF Candy has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.33/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.