Best 6 Free Tools to Edit PDF Without Adobe Quickly

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file type designed to present documents in a way that maintains consistency across all devices. Unlike Word or text files, PDFs keep the fonts, images, and layout exactly as intended, making them popular for reports, forms, and official documents. However, there are many times when you need to make changes, such as fixing a typo, adding a signature, or rearranging pages. For years, Adobe Acrobat has been the go-to software for editing PDFs, but it comes with a cost that not everyone can afford. Moreover, some users find it complicated and heavy for simple tasks. As a result, people often search for simpler and more affordable alternatives. In this article, we will introduce you to numerous alternative tools to Adobe and show you how to edit PDF without Adobe, making document editing more accessible to everyone.

Review of the 6 Alternative Tools to Adobe Acrobat

1. AcePDF

The first PDF editor we introduce in this article, which can serve as an alternative to Adobe for editing PDF files, is AcePDF. It comes with numerous features that help you edit your PDFs even if you're a beginner. Yes, compared to Adobe, which is not quite friendly to beginners, this PDF editor is made for all users, especially beginners. In addition, like a normal PDF editor, AcePDF allows you to change or add text, fonts, e-signatures, images, etc. directly within your file. This means you can edit text in PDF without Acrobat, making it possible to correct mistakes or quickly edit PDF resume documents. Besides that, AcePDF also provides tools to add notes, comments, and highlights to your PDF, which is perfect for reviewing or collaborating with others. Moreover, what makes this PDF editor stand out is its wide range of conversion tools. That means you can turn your PDF into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, image files, etc., or convert your files into PDF.

Key Features:

• AcePDF lets you add passwords and set permissions on your files after editing them to avoid sensitive documents from being copied or edited without your consent.
• This PDF editor can reduce the size of your PDF without compromising quality, which is helpful when you need to email documents or upload them online quickly.
• The tool comes with an OCR feature that helps to edit your image-based or scanned documents easily.
• AcePDF also lets you create, combine, and split PDFs, which is useful when you need to organize documents for work, study, or personal use.

2. PDFgear

Another free tool that helps you edit without Adobe is PDFgear. This tool offers software for both Windows and Mac, as well as an online editor for those who prefer not to install it on their computer. With this tool, you can freely edit text, images, shapes, links, and form fields in a PDF as if you were working in Word. Apart from that, the tool also allows you to highlight, underline, or strike through text, add comments, stamps, text boxes, and draw shapes, which are useful for reviewing documents or collaborating. Furthermore, PDFgear allows you to organize pages, which you can add, delete, rotate, extract, or rearrange within a PDF. Moreover, because it is more lightweight, PDFgear often loads faster and uses fewer resources, especially for everyday tasks, compared to Adobe, which can require more system resources and may lag on very large or complex PDFs, especially on lower-end machines.

Key Features:

• This PDF editor lets you convert files to/from PDF, including images, TXT, Word, PPT, Excel, and more.
• There is also batch conversion, so you can do many files at once, which speeds up work.
• Apart from its software and online tool, it also offers an app for iOS and Android devices, which is convenient when you need to edit PDFs on the go without needing a PC or laptop.
• PDF gear can also extract text from scanned documents using its OCR feature and supports over 30 languages, including English, French, Dutch, and Spanish.

3. PDFescape

The next tool on how to edit PDF file without Adobe is using PDFescape. This PDF editor allows you to view and edit your PDFs on a browser or using its software. Yes, it has an online PDF editor as well as software for Windows only. Like the normal editor, you can edit and add text, shapes, whiteout areas, insert images, move, delete, or insert pages within the PDF document. Additionally, PDFescape is also perfect for form filling or creating a form, as it provides text fields, radio buttons, dropdowns, and allows you to add checkmarks in PDF files. On top of that, though both Adobe Acrobat and PDFescape offer free trials, PDFescape’s 7-day trial is a great option because it gives you enough time to explore all its premium tools without feeling rushed. Compared to Adobe’s trial, which often feels tied to pushing you into expensive subscriptions.

Key Features:

• PDFescape comes with advanced protection, permanently hiding or removing sensitive information via redaction. You can also apply 256-bit encryption and certificate signing.
• You can also highlight text, underline, strike through, add sticky notes or comments, draw shapes, or use free-form drawing, which is useful for reviewing and creating documents.
• The file editor provides page management tools that enable you to insert, move, rotate, or delete pages within your PDF, making it easy to organize lengthy documents or remove unnecessary pages.
• This tool allows you to merge and compress PDFs, which is ideal when you want to combine multiple files into one or reduce file size for easy sharing.

4. SmallPDF

SmallPDF is a PDF editor that works online and offers free features to edit PDF without Acrobat. It works smoothly on both old and modern browsers, including Opera, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and more. With this tool, you can edit PDFs or any documents online, where you can add text, images, highlights, and shapes directly to your PDF. Additionally, both Adobe Acrobat and SmallPDF support file sharing and integration with cloud storage. However, Adobe has its own cloud storage that requires a subscription, whereas SmallPDF integrates with OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox, making it easy to store and share files. Plus, through its online tool, SmallPDF allows users to add passwords to protect sensitive files or remove passwords if they have permission, providing control over who can access or edit documents. Likewise, it includes a batch conversion feature that allows you to convert multiple files simultaneously, including PDF, DOC, TXT, Excel, PNG, JPG, and more.

Key Features:

• Smallpdf allows you to sign documents digitally and request signatures from others, saving you time on printing or scanning paperwork.
• The PDF online editor also features AI integration that can summarize and extract the necessary information from your PDFs without requiring manual review.
• Each tool, such as a converter, compressor, editor, and merger, in SmallPDF has its own homepage, making it less confusing for beginners.
• Merge or split your PDF files with SmallPDF to keep your documents organized and easily managed.

5. PDFCandy

Edit PDF without Adobe with this Chrome PDF editor called PDFCandy! With this tool, you can edit your documents without any hassle. It comes with features such as adding text, shapes, lines, and images, which are useful for basic editing. Aside from that, the online tool also supports an OCR function, which makes PDFs editable, perfect when you need to edit image-based files. One feature that makes it stand out with Adobe is its editing metadata feature. Yes, PDFCandy allows you to edit document metadata for free, unlike Adobe Acrobat, which requires a subscription. On top of that, if you don’t need to edit the PDF file you have, you can use this online PDF editor as a PDF viewer. This makes it a versatile tool, as you can open, read, and check your documents without needing to download extra software.

Key Features:

• Besides editing features, you can also use PDFCandy to convert files like DOC, JPG, TXT, and Excel to/from PDF.
• PDFCandy can resize, split, compress, crop, and annotate PDFs, giving you full control over how your documents look and function.
• The tool also provides extraction tools that allow you to extract text, images, or specific pages from a PDF, saving time if you only need part of a document.
• With PDFCandy, you can easily add page numbers and position them in the PDF wherever you want.

6. Sejda

The last tool we will review on how to edit a PDF without Adobe is using Sejda. It offers tools to highlight, underline, or add comments as well as insert images, draw shapes, and add clickable links to your documents. Likewise, this online editor allows you to insert another page within the existing PDFs, enabling you to add more content to the file. Besides that, if you need to sign the document, Sejda supports it as it supports e-signature support that lets you sign documents electronically or request others to sign. More than that, like the other PDF tool reviewed here, Sejda also offers a desktop version in addition to its online version, making it perfect for users who want to edit PDFs offline. Aside from that, you can rearrange, rotate, crop, or delete pages in your PDF. This gives you control to organize your documents exactly how you need them.

Key Features:

• You can change PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or JPG files, and also turn those file types back into PDFs.
• Sejda lets you split a PDF not just by page numbers, but also using bookmarks or specific text patterns, which helps when your document has chapters or sections, like in ebooks or reports, and you want to extract those parts quickly.
• The tool can convert interactive form fields into flattened forms. That means that once you fill the form, the fields become non-editable, which is good if you want to send it as a final version.
• Sejda automatically deletes uploaded files from its servers (approximately two hours after upload) to ensure your documents are stored only as long as necessary for file security.

How to Edit aPDF Document Without Adobe Acrobat

For this guide, we will use AcePDF to edit PDF documents without needing Adobe.

Step 1Install AcePDF

First things first, you need to download the AcePDF installer package. You can get it by clicking the download button corresponding to your operating system above. Once downloaded, locate the file in the Downloads folder and start the installation process. Ensure that you can follow the wizard's prompts on your screen to complete the installation successfully. Afterward, AcePDF will open automatically once the installation is done.

Step 2Upload the PDF Document

Next, start to upload your PDF that needs to be edited. Simply, click the "Open" button and choose the PDF file from the pop-up menu. Or, you can use the drag-and-drop function to upload the file to AcePDF easily.

Step 3Start Editing the File

Once the file is successfully uploaded, you can start editing it. Go to the "Edit" section and from there, you can edit or add text, images, links, and more within the PDF file. Also, you can change the font style and size by selecting all the text and choosing the desired font from the pop-up box.

Step 4Save the Edited PDF File

When you're done editing, you can now save it. To do that, click the save icon above to save the file. Or, click the "File" button and select "Save As" from the options. Then, rename the PDF file (if necessary) and choose a designated folder where you want to save it. Finally, locate the file and open it again to make sure you edited it correctly.

Tip: How to Edit PDF Efficiently

Editing PDFs can be faster and easier when you follow some practical tips. While tools and features are important, the way you organize and work with your files also makes a big difference. Therefore, applying these strategies can save you time and help you avoid common mistakes.

A. Organizing Files and Folders

First, keeping your PDF files well-organized in clearly labeled folders prevents confusion later on. Additionally, renaming your files with descriptive titles makes them easier to locate, especially when working with multiple versions. As a result, you can quickly access the right file without wasting time searching through your computer.

B. Keyboard Shortcuts and Other Time-Saving Techniques

Next, learning keyboard shortcuts for your PDF editor helps you perform actions like copying, pasting, or highlighting much faster. Moreover, using built-in batch tools can automate repetitive tasks such as compressing or merging files. Consequently, you can finish your editing work more efficiently and focus on the important parts of your project.

C. Best Practices for Collaborative Editing

Lastly, when working with others, always use commenting or annotation features instead of editing the original text directly to avoid confusion. Additionally, setting permissions or passwords ensures that only authorized individuals can modify your document. Therefore, collaboration becomes smoother, more secure, and less prone to accidental errors.

Extra Tip: Convert PDF Documents Online

Suppose you have a document that needs to be edited, but you want it in a PDF format. In that case, you can convert it using AceThinker PDF to Word Converter. It is a web-based converter tool that is not only focused on converting PDF to Word. The online tool supports converting various file types, including PDF, PNG, TXT, DOCX, JPG, and more. Additionally, this online converter ensures that you will retain the same format when converting your files to PDF. Therefore, the tool preserves the original layout, fonts, and images exactly as they were in the original. Moreover, it ensures your documents are safe by automatically deleting uploaded files after conversion. Meaning, you don’t have to worry about your privacy being compromised. Refer to the guide below for instructions on using this online converter.

Step 1Upload the File

To begin, open a browser and search for AceThinker Free PDF to Word Converter Online. When you’re on the main homepage, use the button on its interface to upload the file you want to convert into a PDF. Alternatively, you can drag the file directly from the homepage to upload.

Step 2Start to Convert the File

Once the file is uploaded, a pop-up box appears on your screen. Here, select the conversion function you prefer, such as DOC to PDF. Then, click the “Select Format” button, and the online converter will begin the conversion process.

Step 3View and Edit the Converted File

Once the conversion is complete, retrieve the converted file by using the “Download” button in the pop-up box. Then, locate the PDF file in the “Downloads” folder and open it in your preferred PDF viewer. Finally, view the PDF and start editing it without Adobe.

Conclusion

Editing PDF files no longer means you need Adobe Acrobat alone. Today, there are numerous reliable alternatives, including AcePDF, PDFescape, Smallpdf, PDFCandy, iLovePDF, and Sejda, each offering tools for editing, converting, merging, or securing documents. These options provide you with the freedom to choose what suits your budget and comfort level. When selecting the right method, think about what you need most. For quick edits or form filling, online tools are often the easiest. However, for advanced features like OCR, signatures, or offline access, dedicated software may be the better choice. Looking ahead, PDF editing technology is expected to continue improving. Therefore, more tools will become cloud-based, faster, and even smarter with AI-powered features. This means you will enjoy easier collaboration, better security, and more flexible ways to edit PDFs without relying on Adobe.