TOP the best free PDF editing and reading tool on your computer

While "all-in-one" PDFs can do everything, they cost quite a bit. For example, you have to pay 160 USD to get Nitro Pro , 90 USD for PDF Studio and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC for 15 USD per month. If you don't want to lose a penny then you will have good news and bad news. Which news do you want to hear first?

The good news is that there are a ton of free PDF tools on the market, and many of them give you pretty good results. The bad news is that you will have to choose different tools and create your own PDF set, because each individual tool will only meet a certain need. In this article, Download.com.vn will list for you the best free PDF tools for Windows and Mac, catering for each specific use case such as reading, taking notes / editing, signing, and combining. merge and split PDF files.

1. Read the PDF file

SumatraPDF

SumatraPDF is the fastest and most lightweight PDF reader you can find on the market for Windows. But it only has the function of reading files without the ability to edit, sign, annotate or change PDF documents. Besides PDF files, SumatraPDF can read other formats like EPUB, MOBI, XPS, CBR and more.

Skim

Preview (PDF reader application of Mac) is a PDF reader option of most Mac users, it serves your needs well as a plus that you do not have to install to use. But if you want to find a PDF reader with better usability, try Skim for Mac .

Skim was originally designed to read scientific papers in PDF format, but it was later developed for the purpose of reading general documents. It is extremely fast, lightweight and easy to navigate.

2. Notes and editing PDF files

PDF-Xchange Editor

PDF-Xchange Editor is one of the free tools that allows you to perform real text editing operations on PDF documents. However, you can only edit the text. Editing any other form of content such as lines, shapes, photos is a paid feature.

Paid features include page insertion and deletion, page replacement, template editing, header and footer, and more. However, other notable free features include text box notes, highlighting, label notes, line drawing and shapes.

Preview

Unfortunately, Download.com.vn does not find a reputable free tool to edit PDF files for Mac, only the note-taking and document-filling tools. The best free app for Mac is the default Mac Preview app.

Preview note options include highlighting, text box comments, drawing images and embedding document notes (only available when the PDF file is opened in Preview). It can also point to most PDF forms, including text fields, and checkboxes.

3. Sign the PDF file

and Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is a free PDF application that provides three ways to protect a PDF document.

• PDF Sign : Hand signature to verify authenticity.
• DocuSign : Electronic signatures using DocuSign eSignatures.
• Sign & Certify : Digital signatures embedded in document pages.

Besides, Foxit Reader also provides a Validation feature (to check whether a PDF document is compliant with ISO standards, thus ensuring it will be usable at any time in the future). hybrid) and a Time Stamp feature (using a third party service to verify that signature was signed at a specific time).

Download Foxit Reader

Download Foxit Reader for Mac

4. Merge PDF files

and PDFsam

Formerly known as PDF Split and Merge, PDFsam is the best way to merge multiple PDF documents into a single copy. It is open source and completely free for personal use, and it works on any platform that supports the Java Runtime Environment (Windows, Mac, Linux and more).

You can choose the number of PDF files and specify which pages you want to merge for each PDF file. If the PDF files have bookmarks or borders you can decide to keep, merge or remove them. Alternatively, you can create a Table of Contents for the final PDF.

Another useful function is to merge PDF files (combine multiple documents with alternative pages), rotate PDF files (apply to every page), extract PDF files (create a new document using certain pages). from source PDF file) and split PDF.

5. Split the PDF file

and Web browser

Today, you do not need a specialized tool to separate PDF files. The web browser you are using has a simple feature that can handle that job for you with great flexibility.

On Windows 10, open any PDF file in any web browser such as Google Chrome , Firefox or Opera , then:

• Print a PDF document (press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + P ).
• Change the location to Microsoft Print to PDF .
• Select the pages you want to keep. For example, if you want to split a 10-page PDF document into two, you can select pages 1 through 5 and 6 to 10. If you want specific pages, choose 3, 6, 8 or you Can also combine them as 1 - 3, 6 - 8, 10.
• Click on Print .

On a Mac, open any PDF file in any web browser, then:

• Print a PDF document (press the keyboard shortcut Cmd + P ).
• Change Pages to Range and enter the pages you want to split.
• In the lower left corner, click on the PDF menu and select Save as PDF .
• Name it and click Save .

Mac's print-to-PDF option isn't as flexible as Windows 10, but it's good enough for simple splitting. If you need more complex functions, you can use PDFsam.