Summary

• Different PDF editors offer varying levels of features and prices, so choose wisely based on your needs and budget.
• Adobe Acrobat is recommended for its robust features, while Nitro Pro caters more to businesses' needs.
• EaseUS PDF Editor offers a budget-friendly option for Windows users, while Soda PDF is a web-based alternative.

Life is full of documents in different file formats that cater to our changing needs. If you want to draft a letter, you'll need Microsoft Word or another program that can create .doc files. And if you’ve got a TED Talks presentation coming up, a .pptx made with PowerPoint will do the job. But if you want to share versions of these documents and look professional too, you will probably want to use a PDF.

PDF, short for Portable Document Format, was originally designed by Adobe as a means to format all manner of documents into a single unified form that could be used and viewed regardless of operating system and available programs. Many modern content creation apps, including Microsoft Office, let users convert their projects to PDFs; but unless you have the right program to work with it, the resulting file is immutable. That is, without a PDF editor, you wouldn't be able to edit PDFs. Of course, not all PDF editing programs are created equal: some are better equipped to handle certain jobs, while others offer more features for less.

While you can use editors to read and edit PDFs on any OS, including macOS and Android, here are some of the best programs designed for Windows use.

10 Adobe Acrobat

Of course, the inventors of the PDF would know how to create the best PDF editor

When it comes to PDFs, most people recommend Adobe Acrobat, and for good reason. The program is robust and streamlined, and its user interface is easy to understand. Not only can Adobe Acrobat convert and sign contracts, the program also lets you edit text and images, build PDFs from scratch via templates, and merge files to form one big PDF. And don't forget the cloud functionality, which lets you access and edit your PDFs from anywhere with a solid internet connection. Recent program updates have even added an AI assistant.

Adobe Acrobat comes in three subscription tiers. The first, Reader, is free, but only lets you view and print PDFs – no editing allowed. In order to alter PDFs, you need Adobe Acrobat Standard for $13 per month. The most feature-rich version, Adobe Acrobat Pro, is available for $20 and includes extras such as the ability to redact information and create web forms. And the new AI assistant is an extra $5 per month, regardless of your plan.

While some PDF editors do certain things better, only Adobe Acrobat offers the complete package.

9 Nitro Pro

An all-in-one business suite

If you run or are part of a business and need PDFs, you are best off using Nitro Pro. This program is easy to use because it mimics the popular design of Microsoft Office. Nitro Pro provides an all-in-one business suite that lets you and other license holders convert any file format into a streamlined PDF that can be pulled up whenever needed. Most importantly, this app features a robust eSign feature that lets you sign documents a multitude of ways and easily send signature requests to other users.

Since Nitro Pro is geared towards businesses, the program comes in numerous tiers. Individuals and teams of up to 20 people can purchase a subscription for $15 a month per user, whereas teams of over 20 can pay a discounted $10 per month per user. The company behind Nitro PDF also offers Nitro PDF Pro, a desktop-based version of the program for a one-time fee of $180, as well as Nitro Pro Business, which adds analytics and integrations to the basic Nitro Pro package for $15 a month. You can also just purchase the eSignature part, known as Nitro Sign Premium, but you’ll need to contact the sales department for that.

Without Nitro Pro, some people might not take your company and its PDFs seriously.

8 Foxit PDF Editor

When you absolutely have to outfox anyone who wants to steal sensitive information from PDFs

Foxit PDF Editor is another robust PDF suite geared towards businesses. The program offers features such as the ability to edit and resize text, merge and split PDF documents, and fill out forms. Foxit also brings businesses together with cloud document sharing, AI-powered annotation tools, and compression software that catalogs documents and converts them into searchable text. However, this PDF editor primarily shines thanks to its security features. Foxit PDF Editor includes strong redaction tools that protect sensitive data, and it can also hide documents behind powerful passwords and permissions.

Foxit offers several free PDF apps, mostly conversion programs, but the power lies in its Editor Suite for Teams and Editor Suite Pro for Teams packages. Both offer editing tools, signature capabilities, and integration services. PDF Editor Suite for Teams costs $130 a year, while for $160 a year, PDF Editor Suite Pro for Teams provides more robust security, complete compression, and true cross-platform support.

When security is paramount to your job, Foxit PDF Editor helps make sure that your documents are safe.

7 EaseUS PDF Editor

When free doesn’t cut it, but you don’t want to spend too much money

EaseUS PDF Editor’s name says it all: the program is designed with ease of use in mind. As is the case with other PDF editing suites, you can edit text, sign your name, and format documents. EaseUS also adds the ability to edit scanned PDFs, compress files to send them without triggering email attachment size limits, and allows you to add your own watermark. Sounds pretty standard, but that’s the point.

At first glance, EaseUS PDF Editor doesn’t have any standout features, but then you look at its pricing model and realize that price is its standout feature. You can purchase a one-year subscription to EaseUS PDF Editor for only $50, but if you want to own the program for life, you can shell out just $80 instead. While EaseUS offers a free option, this version is extremely limited, and it will add its own watermark to every PDF document that goes through the program. The only downside of EaseUS PDF Editor is that it is exclusively for Windows.

EaseUS PDF Editor demonstrates that a budget product doesn’t have to sacrifice quality.

6 Soda PDF

Why take up valuable hard drive space with a PDF editor when the internet can do it for you

Unlike most PDF programs, Soda PDF is a web-based app. Instead of downloading a program that you can use to edit your PDFs, you can upload a PDF or similar document to the Soda PDF server. You can merge, edit, and sign PDFs, convert Microsoft Office documents to PDFs and vice versa, and even add watermarks. Soda also offers a desktop version for when you don’t have an internet connection, but the main draw of Soda PDF is its ability to edit PDFs in your browser.

While you don’t need to devote any hard drive space to Soda PDF, you still need to pay for its services. The company behind the program offers three tiers of subscriptions. The first, Soda PDF 360 Standard, is $7 a month and only lets you view, create, edit, and convert PDFs. The next up, Soda PDF 360 Pro, costs $10.50 a month and also adds the ability to secure, batch, optical character recognition (OCR) search, comment, and sign documents. The final tier, Soda PDF 360 Business, costs $16.50 a month and adds phone support and OCR editing.

Soda PDF is a great solution if you don’t think your computer can run a PDF editor, or if you don't have enough hard drive space.

5 pdfFiller

Even though you use Windows, other people might not

While PDF documents are designed to be cross-platform, the same isn’t always true for their associated apps. But pdfFiller is an exception to that rule as it is available across a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. This app runs on a cloud-based editing program that lets you seamlessly edit PDFs, convert them to and from other formats, and share the results with co-workers. Because of its online nature, you can easily transfer files to and from other cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

What's more, pdfFiller comes in a variety of plans catering to different needs and price points. Individual users can purchase the Basic, Plus, or Premium subscription. The first covers standard functions such as PDF editing, merging, and conversion for $8 a month. Plus adds PDF templates and password protection for $12 a month. Premium includes everything in the previous tiers, plus custom branding and access to a legal forms library for $15 a month. The developers also offer two business versions, Basic and Premium, for $8 a month and $15 a month, respectively. Potential users can also try pdfFiller absolutely free for 30 days.

If you are working on Windows, pdfFiller will deliver a solid PDF editing solution. And if you need to share your documents with people who don’t use Windows, pdfFiller will continue to provide stellar service.

4 PDF Candy

No download or payment necessary, assuming you don’t mind a bit of bottlenecking

Normally, you can’t expect much from a free program, especially a PDF editor, but PDF Candy is an exception to the rule…so long as you can put up with a few caveats. This suite has plenty of features: Most are file conversions, but you can still edit PDF documents too. And since PDF Candy is web-based, you don’t need to download any programs aside from a good browser, although you can download an optional desktop program if you want.

As previously stated, you can use PDF Candy for free, but you will have to deal with some limitations. For instance, you will be limited to one PDF task per hour, whether that's editing or conversion. If you buy a subscription for around $6 a month, you will be able to convert and edit as many files as you want while also increasing your allowed file size by 500 MB. You can also purchase a lifetime license for $99, which provides all the benefits of a PDF Candy subscription while also removing restrictions from the PDF Candy desktop app.

As far as free web-based PDF editors go, PDF Candy is solid, as long as you don’t need to edit a ton of documents in a short amount of time.

3 WinZip PDF Pro

According to Occam’s razor, the simplest solution is often the best

You probably know WinZip as one of the premier file compression services for computers, but the company behind it also offers PDF editing software. WinZip PDF Pro’s interface is fairly clean and easy to understand. Whether you need to merge PDFs, sign them, or lock them behind a password, you will find the requisite tools quickly and with zero hassle.

While WinZip offers a free trial for PDF Pro, if you want to buy the program, you have only one option: a yearly fee of $75. That is a ton of money up front, but it equates to about $6.25 per month, which is on the inexpensive side. Unlike other WinZip programs, PDF Pro is only available for Windows, which is bad news for Mac users but good news for everyone reading this article, since you’re all here to learn more about PDF programs for Windows.

WinZip PDF Pro is an excellent alternative to other PDF editors if you’re looking for something inexpensive and intuitive.

2 Tungsten Power PDF

Sometimes you don’t need to do everything, just do what you do well

Tungsten Power PDF, formerly Kofax Power PDF, is a small, robust PDF editor that doesn’t overwhelm users with features. While you can’t create a PDF from scratch on the Windows program (that feature is reserved for their Mac version), you can still convert, edit, sign, and secure documents. Moreover, Tungsten Power PDF slips easily into any Microsoft Office-powered workspace via smooth integration and an Office-like interface.

Unlike most PDF editors, Tungsten doesn’t ask for a subscription fee. Instead, the publishers charge a one-time fee — pay once, own the program for life. If you own a Windows computer, you can buy Power PDF Standard for $130, or Power PDF Advanced for $180. The Standard option has all the PDF tools we just mentioned, while the Advanced version adds batch processing and stamping, advanced data redaction tools, and eSignature capabilities.

Tungsten Power PDF lives up to its name by providing an editor that packs a lot of power into a small package.

1 DocHub

The only thing better than a PDF editing program is an app that integrates into your Google workspace

DocHub is as much an app as it is a plugin. The standalone suite has all the standard features you would expect. You can create PDFs using templates, sign and edit documents, and convert files to and from numerous formats. But with the DocHub for Google Drive add-on, you can integrate all of these features into Google Drive. With DocHub, you can download files directly from your drive, edit them, then upload the changes seamlessly back into your Google cloud.

You can start using DocHub for free, but you can pretty much only use the app for signatures at this point, which includes five e-signatures per month, and three signature requests per month. But if you sign up for DocHub Pro, you will unlock all of the above features for $10 a month. Still, you can try the Pro version for 30 days with no money down.

DocHub is ideal for people who rely on Google Drive for their work, but if you only need to sign a few documents every month or so, the free option will still fill that niche.

With PDF editors, you get what you pay for

While most PDF editors carry out many of the same functions, their full range of services will mostly be determined by their price tags. The more you spend, the more you get. Still, you can easily find a quality program without spending too much money, even if you might have to sacrifice a few niceties to do so. If you don't need all of a PDF suite's features, you can easily use a cheaper or free option without missing anything. Thanks to the internet, you don't even need to download PDF editors anymore; cloud servers can more than suffice. Just pick the program that's right for your needs and budget.