I won’t go back to Adobe after trying this free PDF editor

Viewing PDF files in my browser or with Acrobat Reader is a piece of cake, but editing them is always an issue. I either have to pay for software I’ll hardly use or scour the internet for sketchy PDF converter websites with questionable functionality.

That’s why I was excited to come across a free app called PDFgear. It’s an all-in-one PDF viewer, creator, and editor available on multiple platforms so that I can use it on my Windows 11 laptop or Samsung Galaxy phone. I tried this free PDF editor for a week and won’t go back to Adobe after discovering these excellent features.

100% Free

No strings attached

Trying PDFgear was a no-brainer because it’s completely free, and I had nothing to lose. Many PDF apps I’ve tried either ask for cash upfront or lock certain features behind paywalls, which I only discovered after I’ve already started working on a document. Other free PDF apps require me to create unnecessary accounts to track me and sell my data.

There’s no need to create an account or log in to access the full range of features. I also appreciate that everything is straightforward, and I can work uninterrupted by unwanted ads or prompts to try other products.

Multi-platform capability

Mobile or desktop

I prefer using apps that work on my phone and laptop because they have a lower learning curve and let me sync my files between them. PDFgear works on Mac, Windows, and Android, so it’s accessible to me wherever I am.

The Windows version offers a comprehensive feature set with all the bells and whistles, while the mobile version is a bit more streamlined with fewer features for on-the-go users.

PDFgear on my Samsung phone is good enough for my smaller tasks, and I can edit and sign documents while I’m sitting at coffee shops or train stations.

It also has a conversion feature that changes Excel files or images into PDF format. When I’m done, I can save my files to OneDrive so I can access them from my laptop later.

Turn images and documents into PDFs

I don’t need to try other apps because PDF has me covered with all the conversion options I’ll ever need. Accessing them is simple because they are separated into Convert from PDF and Convert to PDF pages, or I can find all of them in a single location on the All Tools page.

Most importantly, PDFgear’s conversion tools are a cinch to use. All I need to do is drag and drop the file into the app, click the Convert button, and it’s done. All my converted files are saved in the PDFgear folder in Documents, or I can map them to a custom folder on my desktop.

The overall functionality is outstanding, and it only takes seconds to convert my PDFs to and from Excel, Word, JPEGs, PPTs, and other popular file formats.

Add or remove pages from your PDFs

I often need to remove outdated pages from my resume and other documents, and the Split PDF tool makes the process easier. All I do is drag and drop the file into PDFgear and select between the Fixed or Custom range options for splitting the document.

The Custom range option lets me input specific page numbers or a range of page numbers to split. Alternatively, I can use the Fixed range to split the file into individual pages or groups of equal size.

Merging files works similarly, and I can drag and drop all the separate PDFs I’d like to merge into a single file. This tool takes things a step further by letting me choose specific pages from multiple PDFs for the merger.

After selecting my options, I click the Merge button, and the operation completes instantly. PDFgear even opens the file’s location so I can view and access it without wasting time navigating to the folder.

PDF Editor

Add text and fill forms

PDFgear offers numerous user-friendly tools to edit my documents. I can create a new PDF from scratch and add images, text, and other elements to make it exciting.

I find this feature perfect for creating flyers and other business documents. The Edit option is ideal for working on existing PDFs and lets me modify text and images, as well as add elements such as links and watermarks.

I like that PDFgear includes a Form menu to help me manage my agreements and contracts. I can skip reading the text and use the Highlight Form Fields to find the places to add my signature, dates, and other required information. The app also provides options to insert images, text, and signature files, as well as elements, like ticks, crosses, and bullet points.