Free Stirling-PDF alternatives

All Stirling-PDF alternatives

1. 

   

   PDF24 Tools

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   PDF24 Tools is a free collection of PDF utilities from the German company Geek Software, covering merging, splitting, compressing, converting, OCR, editing, signing and redacting. The tools run in the browser, and the PDF24 Creator app for Windows offers the same features offline along with a virtual PDF printer. There is no paid tier, and the website shows ads.

   10 PDF24 Tools alternatives

   Pros

   • Completely free, with no paid tier
   • Wide range of tools, including OCR, redaction and signing
   • Windows app works offline and adds a virtual PDF printer

   Cons

   • The website shows ads alongside the tools
   • The desktop app is Windows only
   • Interface is functional rather than modern

   Cost / License

   FreeProprietary

   Categories

   PDF Editors

   Platforms

   WebWindows

   Features

   Electronic signaturesMerge and split PDFsOCROffline modePDF conversionPDF text editing

   Visit websiteMore about PDF24 Tools
2. 

   

   iLovePDF

   4.8(51.9K) · App StoreLike

   iLovePDF is a web-based PDF toolkit from a company based in Barcelona, with single-purpose tools to merge, split, compress, convert, rotate, watermark, OCR and sign PDF files. Desktop and mobile apps cover the same tasks, and a developer API is offered separately. Most tools are free with file-size and usage limits, and a Premium subscription removes them.

   8 iLovePDF alternatives

   Pros

   • Simple single-purpose tools for merging, splitting and compressing
   • Most tools work free in the browser, with nothing to install
   • Developer API for automating PDF tasks

   Cons

   • Free use has file-size and usage limits
   • Uploading files to a web service may not suit sensitive documents
   • Text editing is basic compared with desktop editors

   Cost / License

   FreemiumProprietary

   Categories

   PDF Editors

   Platforms

   WebWindowsMaciPhoneAndroid

   Features

   API accessElectronic signaturesMerge and split PDFsOCRPDF conversionPDF text editing

   Visit websiteMore about iLovePDF
3. 

   

   Smallpdf

   4.8(6.9K) · App StoreLike

   Smallpdf is a Swiss PDF platform with simple tools to compress, convert, merge, split, edit and sign PDFs from the browser, plus desktop and mobile apps. It is aimed at individuals and teams with quick, occasional PDF tasks. Free users get a limited number of tasks per day, while the Pro plan removes limits and adds OCR, batch processing and AI tools for summarising documents.

   8 Smallpdf alternatives

   Pros

   • Clean, simple tools for quick PDF tasks in the browser
   • Compress, convert, merge, edit and sign in one place
   • Desktop and mobile apps alongside the web version

   Cons

   • Free users get only a few tasks per day
   • OCR, batch processing and AI tools require Pro
   • Files are processed online, a concern for sensitive documents

   Cost / License

   FreemiumProprietary

   Categories

   PDF Editors

   Platforms

   WebWindowsMaciPhoneAndroid

   Features

   AI assistantElectronic signaturesMerge and split PDFsOCRPDF conversionPDF text editing

   Visit websiteMore about Smallpdf
4. 

   

   PDFgear

   4.7(8.8K) · App StoreLike

   PDFgear is a free PDF application from Singapore-based PDF Gear Tech for reading, editing, converting, merging, compressing and signing documents. It includes OCR for scanned files and a Copilot assistant that summarises PDFs and carries out edits from chat requests. It is available on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, without watermarks or a required account.

   10 PDFgear alternatives

   Pros

   • Free editing, conversion and signing without watermarks
   • No account required to use the apps
   • Copilot assistant summarises PDFs and applies edits from chat

   Cons

   • Text editing is less precise than in Acrobat or Foxit
   • Younger product with less of a track record than established editors

   Cost / License

   FreeProprietary

   Categories

   PDF Editors

   Platforms

   WebWindowsMaciPhoneAndroid

   Features

   AI assistantElectronic signaturesMerge and split PDFsOCRPDF conversionPDF text editing

   Visit websiteMore about PDFgear
5. 

   

   Adobe Acrobat

   2.2(646) · App StoreLike

   Adobe Acrobat is the PDF application from Adobe, the company that created the format. The free Acrobat Reader views, annotates and signs files, while paid Acrobat Standard and Pro add text and image editing, OCR, conversion to and from Office formats, redaction, comparison and e-signature requests. An AI Assistant can summarise documents and answer questions about them.

   11 Adobe Acrobat alternatives

   Pros

   • Reference PDF tool from the company that created the format
   • Free Reader for viewing, annotating and signing
   • Pro adds editing, OCR, redaction, comparison and signature requests

   Cons

   • Editing and conversion require a costly subscription
   • Heavy app with frequent prompts to upgrade

   Cost / License

   FreemiumProprietary

   Categories

   PDF EditorsE-signature

   Platforms

   WebWindowsMaciPhoneAndroidBrowser extension

   Features

   AI assistantElectronic signaturesMerge and split PDFsOCRPDF annotationPDF conversion

   Visit websiteMore about Adobe Acrobat
6. 

   

   Okular

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   Okular is the document viewer developed by the KDE community, opening PDF, EPUB, DjVu, XPS, comic books and other formats in one application. It supports highlighting, notes and other annotations, form filling and digital signatures for PDFs. Okular is free and open source, is usually installed with the KDE Plasma desktop on Linux and is also available for Windows.

   6 Okular alternatives

   Pros

   • Opens PDF, EPUB, DjVu, XPS and comics in one viewer
   • Highlights, notes, form filling and digital signatures
   • Free and open source, with no ads

   Cons

   • Cannot edit the text or images of a PDF
   • Works best on KDE Plasma and feels less native elsewhere

   Cost / License

   FreeOpen source

   Categories

   PDF Editors

   Platforms

   WindowsLinux

   Features

   Ad-freeElectronic signaturesOffline modePDF annotation

   Visit websiteMore about Okular