7 Best Online PDF Editors to Help You Edit PDFs Easily

Are you looking for an online PDF editor to edit your PDF document? If you are, you are at the right place.

Online PDF editors are now getting very popular thanks to their portability and easy-to-use interfaces. In addition to these, online PDF readers require no software installation and can be used on the go. Plus, these are (mostly) either free or are priced at very low rates compared to offline PDF editors.

Without much delay, let's have a look at the best online PDF editors in 2024.

Best Online PDF Editors in 2024

Best online PDF Editors

Xara

Xara PDF editor is a cloud-based, 100% free online tool that can help convert, split, annotate, merge, edit, and share PDFs with ease. It is one of the best free PDF editors out there.

xara pdf

This PDF editor tool magically turns every piece on the PDF into a fully editable format. This can help make advanced edits such as changing the text, replacing images without losing the layout, or changing the colors and fonts of an entire document while keeping a flawless look. It allows you to update any PDF in minutes or take elements from it such as images, text, or graphics and incorporate them into a new document. You can also convert other file formats such as Word, JPEG, or PPT to and from PDF.

Since it’s a cloud-based tool, all the work can be accessed online. That means you can edit or download your files anytime, anywhere, from any device. All you have to do is create a free Xara Cloud account to start using the PDF editor.

Features

  • Edit text and images in PDF with your browser.
  • Add comments to work with your teams.
  • Merge multiple PDFs into one.
  • Rearrange pages in PDF files.
  • Removes multiple pages from PDFs
  • Extract pages from PDF into separate PDF file.
  • Convert PDFs to other file formats.

Sejda

PDF files are often used to store sensitive financial and professional data. Sejda PDF editor, known for deleting all uploaded files from its servers after five hours, is an ideal PDF editor for working with such documents.

sejda

It also has a user-friendly interface with just one menu bar. As a result, you will have no trouble finding editing options for adding images, signatures, links, and text to your PDF documents.

After editing a document, you can save it on your local hard drive, Google Drive account, or Dropbox account.

It is important to mention that Sejda has some restrictions – you can only carry out three tasks and upload 200 pages or 50 MB of data to the Sejda platform per hour.

For casual users, though, this should not be too much of an issue.

PDFescape

pdfescape

For editing smaller PDF documents, PDFescape is a great option. It allows you to edit files both online and via its desktop application. The latter, which has more features, is not free to use. However, you needn’t worry because the online version has more than enough PDF editing options to help you out.

For example, it allows you to add clickable URL links to your documents and prepare freehand notes. It also lets you add, annotate, and rotate pages smoothly. Unfortunately, it only allows you to upload documents smaller than 10 MB. That should not be much of an issue unless you are working with a book-sized document.

Smallpdf

smallpdf

Smallpdf has more or the less the same features as the other online PDF editors in the list.

  • It has an Edit PDF tool with a user-friendly interface that can add images and text to PDF documents.
  • It also has an e-signing feature and allows you to add comments and highlights to content in PDF documents.
  • Apart from the editor tool, it also lets you convert PDF files to other formats, such as PowerPoint and Word files.
  • You can also merge multiple PDF documents into one larger file, thus conserving space.

Smallpdf's online version is completely free to use. But you can try their paid plans to do more, in case you are interested.

iLovePDF

ilove PDF

iLovePDF is a free online PDF editor that lets you edit a PDF document and save it as a new file. You can add text, shapes, comments and highlights to the PDF document. You can also remove text from the document or fill in form fields such as date, name etc. The tool is secure and simple to use.

You can upload your PDF file and edit it on your browser or download it after editing for offline editing later.

Docfly PDF

docfly

You can use Docfly to create, edit & convert up to 3 PDF files every month for free. This is one of the most powerful online PDF editors that I have seen in recent times.

PDFLiner

PDFLiner

PDFLiner is the all-in-one online platform for working with any kind of PDF document. It’s a perfect solution for those who’re looking for a complex online PDF tool. The platform has all the needed tools to edit a PDF and manage documents to use on any desktop or mobile device.

PDFLiner’s Features:

  • Redact text (even existing text) and images on any PDFs
  • Electronically sign any PDF files
  • Make custom branding and content
  • Protect and manage documents
  • Create, fill in, draw, and highlights on any PDFs
  • Make fillable fields on any PDF
  • Convert files and modify PDF documents any way you want
  • No software needed

PDFLiner has a free version to use. But you can try their paid plans to do more, in case you are interested. It is considered to be one of the best PDF editors for businesses.

Which of these PDF editors is the best?

Each of the PDF editors in the above list has a number of unique pros and cons. You should choose one of them depending on the way you want to edit your PDF files. For example, if you just want to add some more information to a document, you can select a basic editor with text insertion features. However, to make bigger changes, you will have to choose a more powerful PDF editor that can modify the file’s pre-existing content.

Why PDF editors?

The PDF format for documents is in high demand among users thanks to its portability, straightforwardness, and compatibility. Users, especially students and businesses, prefer using the PDF format for opening, reading, and sharing documents, by virtue of its high compatibility, portability, and ease of use.

It is impossible to find a sector in which PDFs are not used. They find extensive application in a wide range of fields – from law firms and supermarkets to educational institutions.

When Adobe launched PDF format, it wasn’t really possible to edit PDF files except by using their proprietary software Adobe Acrobat. Slowly several other PDF and Adobe Acrobat alternatives started to emerge in the market. Today, there are a number of powerful and efficient PDF editors available for people to use.

Online PDF editors, on the other hand, have started to emerge in the last couple of years due to the advent of new SaaS technologies.

How I chose the best Online PDF editors?

Since there are so many brands growing popular in the market that choosing from them can be quite a confusing task. Before using or purchasing an online PDF editor, you need to have a decent idea of what your requirements are. In this article, I have listed some of the most important features that an ideal online PDF editor must possess.

Proper editing, reading and collaboration features

Your search for the best online PDF editor needs to begin with a very clear goal, to find a tool that completely fulfills your specific needs. In other words, if you happen to work with a group of people who need to communicate and collaborate nearly every day, it is convenient for you to have an online instrument that provides annotation and commenting within the text. Electronic signatures will come in handy if you make deals with partners overseas.

If you have not yet tried working with collaborative tools, you are missing out on some truly valuable opportunities. The best of the PDF editors make it easy to collaborate in real time from any location in the world. In addition to the other editing features, a great tool offers the users access to annotation tools as well. You will be able to leave messages, comments, notes, or remarks on details directly in the file.

Your colleagues will be able to view your comments, as well as comments from other members who have access to the document. You can have fruitful conversations by discussing these comments in real time. It is very convenient and will save you the hassle of having to deal with endless phone calls or emails.

Reviews and Ratings

Although there are potentially several PDF editors which offer various combinations of essential features, you only need to choose one of them. Reviews and ratings from customers will help you a lot in making this decision. For that purpose, you will definitely have to invest a lot of time in going through numerous articles, comments, and blog posts. However, considering how important it is for you to get the full picture, it is definitely worth it.

Peer reviews are especially helpful, because they are written by average users who express their feelings regarding their experience freely. You should observe what a reviewer has to say about fillable PDFs, the software’s features, and what disappoints them the most. If a lot of other customers happen to mention the same issue, you should try to steer clear of that program.

Easier to navigate and learn

An online PDF editor does not need to be sophisticated and complicated in order to be the best of its kind in the market. It simply needs to have a straightforward design and toolbar that attracts the attention of average users and experienced businesspeople alike. You should try to give preference to a program that is easy to understand, so that your employees are able to master it quickly.

Full editing and annotation features

Software intended for editing PDF files should possess essential editing features to be able to perform a diverse range of tasks. You should clearly bear your requirements in mind right from the beginning, as well as other features that may prove to be useful in the future. You should especially pay close attention to the presence of the following features in the concerned software:

  • Add photos, images, and videos.
  • Add text to PDF files.
  • Rotate, delete, or paste pages.
  • Add stamps, signatures, and watermarks.
  • Make the PDF file editable; font, letter size, color of sentences or highlighted parts, etc.
  • Most users prefer to connect their editing tool to Google Docs and modify the PDF file online using a PC, smartphone, or laptop.

OCR capacities

The world has been desperately trying to go green as fast as possible; environment-friendly practices and products are in high demand today. When you choose to use an online editing tool, you make two good decisions simultaneously. First, it is a great tool for converting PDF files into editable Word documents, as well as editing them online. Second, a PDF editor serves as an efficient replacement for thousands of paper-based agreements, contracts, and notebooks in your office. As a result, your department will require less paper and contribute to the noble goal of saving trees.

A reliable PDF editor should be able to connect to a scanner. With the help of this option, users will be able to digitize paper files. You should consider programs that possess built-in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities. This particular feature plays a crucial role in converting printed material to digital form by allowing you to “extract” text from images. Advanced PDF editors can identify words present in photographs and pictures as well.

Security features

Security is imperative for people who deal with important files, sensitive databases, and other such crucial material. The issue of security is of top priority for everyone who understands the importance of confidentiality while working with classified documents. It might be a bit surprising, but even ordinary PDF editors actually allow you to set passwords to protect essential files from unwanted access.

Support and customer service

It is extremely important for you to consider the app or service that has the best customer support. Suppose you own a business. When you purchase any piece of software, any software - not just a PDF editor, for your company, someway or another you are going to face technical difficulties. Now you cannot hire a dedicated expert for such feeble thing right?

That is why customer support is essential. Every legitimate product comes with a customer support. A great PDF editor is only that which comes with a realtime customer support. But if you are opting for a cheaper alternative email support will do as well.

Make sure to check how the customer support is for that specific app by cross checking the customer support page before buying.

Summary

Let us sum up our discussion thus far by looking at some features that a quality PDF editor should possess:

  • Cost that corresponds to the quality and quantity of features it comes with
  • Top-notch compatibility: choose a cross-platform tool
  • High scores from professional reviewers
  • A convenient toolbox to edit PDF files online for free with ease
  • Easy navigation
  • High-level security
  • Built-in OCR option
  • Great customer support

This list is meant to serve as a starting point to help you make the right choice when it comes to the best online PDF editors.