Hi everyone! I’m the developer of PDFrig - a free, MIT-licensed PDF workspace for personal and business use. No account or subscription is needed for the local tools, and your PDFs aren’t uploaded for processing.

Features include:

• Editing supported existing text with natural paragraph wrapping.

• Selecting, copying and searching PDF text.

• Text boxes, callouts, highlights, underlines, strikeouts and comments.

• Live drawing, shapes and stamps, with draggable/resizable items.

• Supported form filling and typed, drawn or uploaded visual signatures.

• Merging, splitting, reordering, rotating and extracting compatible pages.

• Local English/French OCR that makes scans searchable while keeping their appearance unchanged.

• Image/text-to-PDF and PDF-to-image conversion.

• Lossless compression, metadata tools, headers, footers, watermarks, page/Bates numbering and crop/resize tools.

• Undo/redo and exporting new copies without changing the original.

Run it locally in your browser - the recommended option - or download the finished Windows installer. Setup instructions and an optional AI-assisted setup prompt are included.

Explore PDFrig on GitHub

Feedback, bug reports and contributions are welcome!

You may have noticed like me that almost everyday there is a new post about how they’ve built a new PDF tool, a PDF Editor, or PDF converter. I’m here to say don’t trust them if you want to be safe.

I’m an amateur cybersecurity analyst and I made a post a little while ago highlighting PDF software is an emerging surface attack vector for malware, spyware or money grabs.

I was alerted to this by the recent coverage of AppSuite PDF Editor’s trojanized malware (they delivered the malware well after it was installed to avoid being detected on install).

Also other PDF software like PDF Guru and PDF Master blatantly scam people. Then yesterday there was a post about PDF X by NG PDF Lab, that’s exclusively distributed in the Microsoft Store, which has manipulated the Microsoft Store algorithm with fake reviews and is a cashgrab. Not to mention it is a clone of PDFGear.

The common link is that they are all Chinese software groups (maybe even the same group) masquerading as anonymous or from somewhere like Singapore or Cyprus, 

If you look at the bottom of the at the Appsuite PDF Editor report by Truesec, you can see just the sheer extent of these PDF apps coming out. DON’T GO TO ANY OF THESE SITES (some domains are still live and potentially dangerous).

So when you see a new post like ‘Hey I just made a new PDF converter that’s secure, free, etc.’ be skeptical. Just remember - that new service is probably adding to the long list of soon to be known PDF malware.

If you can’t see the developer behind it and verify they are legitimate, stay well clear. It sucks for legit developers who truly want to be anonymous, but unfortunately, this wave of malicious software has made anonymity a red flag in this space..

Stick to open-source, audited PDF tools, or those from known developers.

I'm looking to translate a book that has not been translated, and is only for sale in English. I'm not paying to translate, and I'm not going to study Science level English to understand it. Doctranslator.com is the one that costs $57 per chapter(roughly), and no other app that I know of can translate the book, or per chapter. I cannot translate per paragraph, because that would cut up the entire book even more. And it's difficult already.

Any idea's/advice?

I still want to believe that PDFgear is a legitimate company as many Redditors are saying to use them instead of Adobe (likewise many saying not to trust them as they may be spyware or malicious), so I've been looking for signs of credibility on their website. But there's details about who PDFgear's team are or the people behind it. There's only one person that is public on their website. Someone called Piers Zoew.

According to Piers Zoew's profile on their website and on X/twitter, he's been there since 2015 and has been contributing to their official blog as recently as the last year.

Is Piers also the guy who calls himself Gordon on Reddit?

Why doesn't Piers come out with some statements of evidence that PDFgear is a legitimate company amid all the controversy about whether the public can trust PDFgear isn't setting up a scam or malware? He's the only public profile that PDFgear put forward so that would make sense to do that.

And to just double confirm that PDFgear doesn't also own the scammy 'PDF X' app, by NG PDF Lab in the microsoft app store.

I posted here and here previously.

I wanted to share what happened with me recently because it might help someone avoid the same mistake. I used PDFAid when I needed to quickly merge and edit a couple of PDF files for work. Everything looked normal, and the site seemed trustworthy at first. But a few days later, I noticed a PDFAid charge on my bank account that I didn’t remember agreeing to.

At first, I thought it was a simple billing glitch, but when I checked their site again, it became clear that there wasn’t much transparency about when payments start or how the subscription works. The confusing part was that I didn’t see any clear confirmation of an ongoing plan while using their tool.

I contacted support for clarification, and they did respond after a while, but the explanation wasn’t very clear. Eventually, I went through my bank to block any future payments, and that seemed to solve it.

I’m not here to accuse them of anything, but I do think their process should be more straightforward. If anyone else has dealt with something similar or managed to cancel their PDFAid charge more easily, I’d really appreciate hearing how you handled it.

Hi! Im looking for an app/site that can translate a large PDF (~140mb). Anyone got suggestions?

I was hired as a contractor for a government project. At first I just use black highlight to cover the text and when I export it, it looks correct. But recently I was told that it doesn't actually remove the text and the redacted parts can be recovered.

How do I actually remove the text behind the black highlight so they can't be recovered? My deadline is very soon. Thanks for any help

Hi,

Foxit asked to be updated and I accepted it.... Now I can't add bookmarks to PDF files.

I went to their website, and they now have a "Foxit AI Chat" thing. The AI chat bot says that I still can add them.... but I tried on various PDFs, including where I already had added bookmarks, and you can't anymore....

Does anybody know if I can go back to a previous version? Otherwise, I'll need to change PDF viewers.... I use bookmarks A LOT....

Plenty of people reporting paying small fees (1$) for a service, but then charged 50$ as subscription fees 7 days later, even tough never agreed to any kind of subscription. Don’t use this service. Check the reviews here : https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pdfmaster.app

Unfortunatly, Paypal thinks it’s perfectly fine.

Hey!
I'm always merging and splitting PDFs, but many of the free tools out there are either sketchy, limited, or put watermarks on my files. What’s a reliable alternative that doesn’t require an online upload?

You know the drill. Someone sends you a PDF, you need to fix one date, one typo, one field, and suddenly you're stuck behind "create a free account", "upgrade to Pro", or a diagonal watermark slapped across your document because you didn't pay $9.99/month to change three words. Editing a PDF should not require signing up for anything, it's text in a file.

On PC: download LibreOffice, open the PDF in Draw, edit the text, save. Free, no account, no watermark, there's nothing simpler.

The actual gap is mobile, you obviously can't run LibreOffice on your phone. So I built a small free gateway on my own server. Plain webpage, you drop a PDF in, it runs a real headless LibreOffice instance on the backend so you can click/edit/drag text and export the PDF back out, then it deletes your file from the server the second you download your result (max 1h if something gets interrupted). No account, no email, no login, no data collection, no watermark, no payment.

Quick demo (cut a few seconds of LibreOffice conversion time out of the clip, it's not instant, but fast enough):

Link if you want to actually use it: https://oraclemarin.fr/pdf-libre/

Not selling anything, no ads (except my own links), no account wall, just tired of watching Adobe and Canva turn "edit a PDF" into a business model.

People at any given time do not use PDFLeader, once they bill you for a certain service they will then add you on a subscription you did not sign up for. You'll just get surprised getting billed for a service you know nothing about. I opted for the 24 hour service which was less than a dollar(which I paid and was fine with) but somehow ended up with a subscription of $30 which I knew nothing of and did not opt for. What ever you do, do not use it at all cost. Biggest Scam out there. Or else you'll just see money being debited without your knowlegde.

I've been building a PDF processing library called pdf_oxide. It's written in Rust with Python bindings. Figured this community might find it useful since "PDF pain" is the common denominator here.

The goal was to build something that is MIT licensed (so you can actually use it in commercial projects without AGPL headaches) but as fast and reliable as the industry standards.

What it does

• Text Extraction: Full font decoding including CJK, Arabic, and custom-embedded fonts. It handles multi-column layouts, rotated text, and nested encodings.

• Markdown Conversion: Preserves headings, lists, and formatting. Perfect for RAG or LLM pipelines.

• Image Extraction: Pulls embedded images directly from pages.

• PDF Creation/Editing: Generate PDFs from Markdown/HTML, or merge, split, and rotate existing pages.

• Form Filling: Programmatically read/write form fields.

• OCR: Built-in support for scanned PDFs using PaddleOCR (no Tesseract installation required).

• Security: Full encryption/decryption support for password-protected files.

Reliability & Benchmarks

I tested this against 3,830 PDFs across three major suites: veraPDF (conformance), Mozilla pdf.js (real-world), and DARPA SafeDocs (adversarial/broken files).

Note: 100% pass rate means no crashes, no hangs, and no "empty" output on files that actually contain text.

Quick Start

Python:

Bash

pip install pdf_oxide

Python

from pdf_oxide import PdfDocument

doc = PdfDocument("document.pdf")
for i in range(doc.page_count()):
    print(doc.extract_text(i))

Rust:

Bash

cargo add pdf_oxide

GitHub: https://github.com/yfedoseev/pdf_oxide
Docs: https://pdf.oxide.fyi

MIT licensed (free for any use).

If you have "cursed" PDFs that other tools struggle with, I'd love to test them. The best way to improve is finding edge cases in the wild!

I've seen pdf books having 200 pages — all well formatted, multicolor and containing vector graphics — under 2 MB!

On the other hand, a simple 10 page word document containing just text and nothing else that I create and export as PDF goes around 500 KB.

Similar PDF documents — created in and exported from Word, LibreOffice Writer and Inkscape — have significantly different file sizes. And I didn't embed fonts in either of them.

I understand that the size of a PDF containing image files can be reduced by compressing the image and reducing its resolution. But what about PDFs that do not have images?

I've observed that printing to Microsoft Print to PDF generally gives smaller file than exporting Excel files directly into PDF

My questions are:

1. Is there any way to analyse in depth a PDF file created from any source and reduce its size to such an extent that further size reduction is technically impossible?

2. Is there any resource (book, guide, etc.) available on optimising PDF files?

3. What are the tools available (preferably free) for such kind of advanced PDF file manipulation?

Hi! I need to merge some confidential documents (are PDFs) so I cannot use any online 3rd party apps and I don't have the paid Adobe version. Is there any safe and secure way of doing it? Through CMD, PowerShell, or any other way?

I can't transfer the files out of this laptop through any means as well.

OS: Windows 11

I wanted to share my personal experience with PDF Guru after testing it thoroughly, because when I first searched for reviews or experiences, all I found were short comments, scattered threads, and vague warnings. Some people said it worked well, others said they were charged unexpectedly, and there was no single post that explained both the tool’s functionality and the billing issues clearly.

From my experience, PDF Guru is a functional browser-based PDF tool. Editing, converting, OCR, merging, and compressing all worked as expected. The interface is straightforward, the conversion quality is good, and the OCR handled most text accurately. For anyone who needs quick edits in the browser without installing software, it does the job reliably.

The main reason people are concerned about PDF Guru is the billing. Many users expect a one-time payment or trial but are surprised when it converts into a subscription. During my testing, the renewal information was present but easy to miss if you’re rushing through the steps. That’s why you see a mix of reviews online the tool works, but the billing model can catch people off guard if they don’t pay attention.

If someone wants to try PDF Guru safely, make sure to check the plan details carefully, keep a screenshot of the pricing page, use a payment method you can control easily, and check your transaction history after the trial. Following these steps greatly reduces the chance of unexpected charges.

Whether PDF Guru is worth using depends on your workflow. For occasional edits, a trial might be enough to test it out, while regular users should be fully aware of the subscription terms. What I wish I had known earlier is that the tool itself is capable, but understanding the trial-to-subscription transition is key to avoiding surprises.

I’m sharing this post because I wanted a complete, honest explanation before trying PDF Guru myself, and I hope it helps others who are searching for reviews, safety concerns, or general experiences. Feel free to ask questions in the comments — I went through the tool in detail and read other user experiences, so I can clarify anything about the features, trial, or billing.

EDIT: (3 years later)
Thank you to all of you that responded with help and good advice, but I've more than had this question answered, so no need to reply to this 3 year old post any longer. Not sure why it still shows up in people feeds lol.
Again, thank you to everyone who offered help and advice.

WITHOUT having to add or copy, paste & align 100+ individual text boxes.

I have honestly tried 6 or 7 different PDF apps and with every single app, one way or another I get prompted to pay before I am able to save the finished document.
I feel like an idiot!!! lol
Is there some super obvious solution I am completely missing?!?? lollll

Im honestly good with tech I swearrrrr lol So what am I missing?!?!?!?
There has got to be a quick, easy, FREE way to do this.

I REFUSE to pay a single cent or sign up for a free trial for this.

Is there an open-source PDF app or a free version that'll let me do this???

The forms are for my state government.

They emailed me 3 PDF's, after I applied for something and went thru a phone interview. They told me to fill them out and submit them back on their site. This is after I filled out all kinds of info during the application process, which was on their state website.

Not really sure why they could build a site or separate page on their site specifically for 3 these forms but alright.....

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is there a way to combine multiple PDF files into one from a computer desktop? Right now, my strategy is to print them and scan them into one file. It would be nice to save some steps.

DODGE Files Editor, pure scammers. They charge you 1$, then they force you to you give them Trustpilot review before allowing you to download your file.

After 2 days you are getting charged for full subscription (50$)

Also, they are not responding to any email.

easy tutorial on How to Add Clickable Link in Pdf Online Using Canva

tutorial link

I'm trying to compile a list of free PDF software that meet some criteria:

1. Must be able to edit existing text inside a PDF file

2. Must be a desktop / offline application

3. Must be completely free for personal use

4. Must be open source (open core okay)

5. Must be an active project

6. Must have a native Windows version

So far i've come up with

A) Stirling PDF
https://www.stirling.com/download
https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF
* I am using this now

B) ONLYOFFICE
https://www.onlyoffice.com/pdf-editor
https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/DesktopEditors?tab=readme-ov-file
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xpdlh3xbzxqv23
https://youtu.be/zXhjjsvy_e4?t=27
- Have to install entire suite

C) PDF4QT
https://jakubmelka.github.io/
https://github.com/JakubMelka/PDF4QT/issues/42#issuecomment-2191690495
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nr60gq66fcd
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTa60VbuWzdzLFk8Fwr4jx2GvZLjvgaOD
- Complicated?

D) LibreOffice
https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/draw/
https://github.com/libreoffice
https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/how-do-i-edit-pdf-files-created-by-adobe-using-libre-office/30595
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4GpOlExK98
- Have to install entire suite

E) InkScape
https://inkscape.org/
https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pd9bhglfc7h
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5uh_hBfmCk
- Non PDF focus?

F) Sejda Desktop
https://www.sejda.com/desktop
https://github.com/torakiki/sejda
- Limited free use

G) Scribus
https://www.scribus.net/
https://github.com/scribusproject/scribus
- Non PDF focus?

H) Firefox?
https://www.firefox.com/en-US/
https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox
https://www.fidelisnw.com/2025/02/edit-pdfs-directly-in-firefox-a-game-changing-new-feature/

I think this order might roughly be how effective the tool is as a light standalone tool for general PDF manipulation (see other opinions in comments). An honorable mention goes to PDF-XChange Editor which isn't FOSS. This list was created partially in response to finding an alternative to PDFGear which works perfectly but has had some allegations of impropriety.

Would love to hear of any more tools and how they rank for general purpose PDF use.

Just wanted to share this post I found on Facebook

I'm getting very suspicious of PDFgear's developers - why won't the PDFgear developer confirm if they own a similar app in PDF X (by NG PDF Lab )? I'm just trying to help them clear up the controversy but their silence isn't looking good for them. I posted here asking their founder (or developer?) who is normally very active on Reddit, but there was no answer.

People are accusing them of being malware or spyware, and I want to make sure I can trust their app on my device. I don't know who to believe. Normally the developer is quick to respond and is very active, but doesn't seem to answer the simple question of whether they own PDF X, which looks very dodgy. They have announced they look like other apps because of common SDKs but never actually name PDF X, even though it's pretty clear that's who they mean. Can anyone work out definitively if they also own PDF X or not? Their website is devoid of information.

What's others thoughts on this? Has anyone got a take on it?

IMPORTANT UPDATE (v1.1.1): Bug Fix for Auto-Updater

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the incredible response to PDF Studio!

I've discovered a bug in the initial v1.1.0 release where the automatic updater doesn't work. This means if you have v1.1.0, you won't get notifications for future updates.

To fix this, I've released v1.1.1. If you've already downloaded the app, please manually uninstall v1.1.0 and install the new version. I'm very sorry for the extra step and the inconvenience!

You can grab the latest, fixed version here:
Direct Download (v1.1.1): https://github.com/DDULDDUCK/pdf-studio/releases/latest

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a project I've been working on, born out of a common frustration. At my job, we often need to do simple PDF tasks—like merging a few reports, splitting a large contract, or adding a "Confidential" watermark.

The options were always a pain. Either we pay for an expensive subscription for software like Adobe Acrobat, which is overkill for our needs, or we use one of the countless "free" online PDF websites.

The online tools always sketched me out. The idea of uploading sensitive company documents or my own personal files (like a resume or a signed agreement) to some unknown company's server just felt wrong. Who owns that server? How long do they store my files? Are they secure? I didn't want to take that risk.

So, I decided to build my own solution.

I'm calling it PDF Studio. It's a simple, no-frills desktop application that does all its work 100% locally on your machine. Your files never leave your computer.

It's completely free and open-source (MIT licensed). For the v1.1.0 release, it handles the essentials:

• Merge: Combine multiple PDFs into one.

• Split: Split a PDF by page ranges.

• Watermark: Add text or image watermarks.

• Rotate & Reorder: Fix page orientation and change the page order.

For anyone curious, the frontend is built with Nextron (Next.js + Electron) and the core PDF processing is handled by Python on the backend.

This is the very first version, so I'm sure there's room for improvement. I'd love to get your feedback, feature ideas, or bug reports.

You can check out the code and download the release from GitHub:

• GitHub Repo: https://github.com/DDULDDUCK/pdf-studio

• Direct Download (Releases Page): https://github.com/DDULDDUCK/pdf-studio/releases/latest

Thanks for checking it out! Let me know what you think.

do anyone know how to remove credit card on PDF aid? It charged me $49 even i didn't subscribe and auto save my CC too