By: Robert Soares | PDFs run the business world. Over 290 billion new PDFs get created every year, and that number keeps climbing. Proposals, contracts, catalogs, training docs. They're everywhere.
But raw PDFs have a problem. They just sit there. You can't track who opened them. You can't tell if someone read past page two. And when you need to merge three files or shrink one for email? Good luck finding a tool that actually works without signing up for seventeen things first. As one r/LifeProTips user put it about discovering iLovePDF: "I use this one at work a lot!" That kind of instant recommendation is rare with PDF tools. Most of them over-promise.
This list sticks to tools that are still live, still working, and still worth your time. Some tools from the original version of this article are gone now. Others have SSL errors or redirect to parked domains. What's left here has been verified.
Want to learn more about PDF manipulation? Check out our complete guide to PDF tools.
How This List Was Curated
This roundup uses a mixed evidence approach:
- Primary product and standards sources (official tool pages and PDF standards references).
- Market context sources for format usage and document engagement behavior.
- Practitioner signal from user communities for "works in real workflows" checks.
That keeps the list practical while avoiding overreliance on anecdotal opinions.
The Quick Answer
If you just need to merge, split, or compress a PDF right now, use our free PDF tools. No signup. No file upload to random servers. Everything happens in your browser.
For more serious work, here's how it breaks down:
| What You Need | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Quick one-off tasks | iLovePDF or PDF24 |
| Professional editing | Adobe Acrobat |
| Turn PDFs into something people actually read | Flipbooker |
| Free desktop software | Foxit Reader |
| Bulk conversion | Convertio |
1. Flipbooker
Flipbooker takes a different approach. Instead of converting your PDF to another static format, it turns the file into an interactive flipbook with page-flip animation, reader analytics, and optional email gating. You can also export to JPG, PNG, or offline HTML5.
Best for: proposals, catalogs, or any document where knowing whether someone actually read it matters more than the file format itself.
2. Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is the obvious choice for a reason. Adobe invented the PDF format back in 1993, and they've been maintaining the standard ever since. The PDF specification is now an open ISO standard (ISO 32000), but Adobe's tools still set the benchmark.
Acrobat converts PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint. It handles OCR for scanned documents. You can edit text directly, fill forms, sign documents electronically. The full package.
The catch? It's expensive. $22.99/month for the Pro version. Worth it if PDF editing is part of your daily work. Overkill if you just need to merge files occasionally.
3. SmallPDF
SmallPDF keeps things simple. Upload a file, pick what you want to do, get your converted file back. No learning curve.
They offer 21 tools: compress, convert, merge, split, edit, sign. The free tier limits you to two tasks per day, which is fine for occasional use.
SmallPDF's compression is particularly good. A 15MB file can drop to 2MB without visible quality loss. Handy when email attachments have size limits.
4. iLovePDF
iLovePDF is the workhorse option. Free tier is generous. Interface is clean. Tools work reliably.
You get merge, split, compress, convert (to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG), rotate, add page numbers, watermark, unlock, protect. The basics, done well.
If you need to compress a PDF for email or split out specific pages, this handles it without fuss.
5. PDF24
PDF24 is genuinely, completely free. Over 25 tools. No hidden paywalls. No upgrade nags.
The desktop app (Windows only) includes a virtual printer that converts anything to PDF, plus merge, split, and edit tools. All offline. German company, operating since 2006. Nothing flashy. Just works.
6. Foxit PDF Reader
Foxit started as a lightweight alternative to Adobe Reader. The full Reader is still free and handles viewing, annotation, and form filling well.
Their paid Editor competes with Adobe Acrobat at a lower price point. Better for enterprise deployments where you need consistent PDF handling across a team.
Recent versions added AI features for summarizing and translating documents. Useful or gimmicky depending on your needs.
7. Wondershare PDFelement
PDFelement sits between free tools and Adobe pricing. One-time purchase option available instead of subscription-only.
Good for: form filling, signatures, basic editing. The OCR works well enough for searchable PDFs from scans. Mobile apps for iOS and Android if you need to work from your phone.
Not as powerful as Acrobat for advanced editing, but most people don't need advanced editing.
8. Nitro PDF
Nitro targets enterprise teams. PDF editing, e-signatures, collaboration, and workflow tools in one package. Track changes, comments, version history. Integrates with Microsoft 365. Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams, but the collaboration features justify it if your team passes documents back and forth constantly.
9. Soda PDF
Soda PDF works online, as a desktop app, or as a Chrome extension. Has AI tools for summarizing and translating. Free tier exists but pushes paid plans aggressively.
10. PDF Candy
PDF Candy has 90+ tools and claims 7.6 billion files processed since 2016. GDPR compliant, files deleted within two hours. Cluttered interface, but functional.
11. PDF2Go
PDF2Go is a solid free option. You can write directly on PDFs, highlight, add shapes. German-based (like PDF24), good privacy practices, no account required.
12. Convertio
Convertio handles more than just PDFs. Over 300 file formats, 25,600+ conversion combinations. Audio, video, images, documents, ebooks.
For PDF specifically, you can convert to/from most common formats. The batch conversion handles multiple files. API available if you need to automate conversions.
Free tier limits file size to 100MB. Paid plans go higher if you work with large documents.
What About Tracking Engagement?
All twelve tools above help you create, modify, or convert PDFs. None of them tell you what happens next.
Did anyone open that proposal? Did the decision-maker read past page three? A World Bank study found that nearly a third of their PDF reports had never been downloaded. Not even once. And those were reports meant to influence policy.
If you're sending documents where engagement matters, converting a PDF into a flipbook gives you what static files can't: analytics. Open times, page-by-page attention, link clicks. That's a different category of tool entirely.
Quick rule of thumb:
- Need format conversion only: choose from the tools above based on workflow and budget.
- Need reader behavior visibility: use a format that supports analytics, not a static attachment.
Free Tools You Can Use Right Now
Need something quick without signing up anywhere? We built free browser-based tools that run entirely client-side. Your files never leave your computer.
- Merge PDF - Combine multiple PDFs into one
- Compress PDF - Shrink file size without quality loss
- Split PDF - Extract specific pages
No account required. No file uploads. Just drag, drop, done.
How to Choose
For occasional use: iLovePDF, PDF24, or our free tools. Why pay for something you use twice a month?
For daily editing: Adobe Acrobat if budget allows. Foxit or PDFelement if you want similar features at lower cost.
For business documents that need tracking: Flipbooker. The analytics and lead capture features aren't available in traditional PDF tools.
For developers: Convertio's API or PDF24's desktop automation.
The right tool depends on what you're actually doing with the file. Most people need merge, compress, and convert a few times a month. A free tool covers that. But if your documents need to do more than sit in someone's Downloads folder, the answer is probably not another converter.
Last updated: January 2026