PDF editing
A free, open-source Windows desktop PDF editor for viewing, annotating, OCR, merging/splitting, signing, and filling forms.
Solves the same problem with a different architecture or at a different layer. Expect to rewrite the integration.
Runs fully in-browser, so no Windows install needed but you lose desktop app integration.
PDFCraft is a free, privacy-focused PDF toolkit that runs entirely in your browser. With 90+ professional tools, you can edit, convert, merge, split, and secure your PDF files without ever uploading them to a server.
Self-hostable web app works across devices, but requires running a server.
#1 PDF Application on GitHub that lets you edit PDFs on any device anywhere
Full office suite with PDF editing module, more feature-rich but heavier.
Open-source office suite pack that comprises all the tools you need to work with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, and PDF forms on Windows, Linux, and macOS
In-browser PDF toolkit with privacy focus, no desktop integration.
The Privacy First PDF Toolkit
An earlier or more limited way to do the job. Still the right call when you need something small, proven, or CPU-only.
Dedicated desktop app for split/merge/rotate, but lacks annotation/OCR/editing features.
PDFsam, a desktop application to split, merge, mix, rotate PDF files and extract pages
GTK-based page manipulator for merge/split/reorder, but no text editing or OCR.
Small python-gtk application, which helps the user to merge or split PDF documents and rotate, crop and rearrange their pages using an interactive and intuitive graphical interface.
Web app for signing and filling forms, but not full PDF editing.
Open source DocuSign alternative. Create, fill, and sign digital documents ✍️
Handwritten note-taking app with PDF annotation, lacks page organization/OCR.
Xournal++ is a handwriting notetaking software with PDF annotation support. Written in C++ with GTK3, supporting Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, SUSE), macOS and Windows 10. Supports pen input from devices such as Wacom Tablets.
These projects were analysed and named KillerPDF among their alternatives. The relationship is not symmetric — how KillerPDF rates them is a separate judgement, made when KillerPDF is analysed in its own right.
calls KillerPDF “a Windows desktop PDF editor, choose it for a native GUI without a server.”
#1 PDF Application on GitHub that lets you edit PDFs on any device anywhere
calls KillerPDF “a Windows desktop PDF editor with OCR, not a library to embed.”
Fast Rust library for PDF inspection, classification, and text extraction. Intelligently detects scanned vs text-based PDFs to enable smart routing decisions.
calls KillerPDF “Windows PDF editor GUI with OCR; choose it for interactive PDF editing, not programmatic parsing.”
A fast, helpful, and open-source document parser
calls KillerPDF “Windows-native PDF editor with OCR and annotation; choose for a desktop GUI on Windows.”
PDFCraft is a free, privacy-focused PDF toolkit that runs entirely in your browser. With 90+ professional tools, you can edit, convert, merge, split, and secure your PDF files without ever uploading them to a server.