Honest comparison · 2026

The best free PDF software in 2026

Not all free PDF tools are equal: hidden caps, US hosting, uneven export quality. Our top 7 tested in 2026 against four criteria — free-tier generosity, GDPR posture, AI / templates, export fidelity.

The word "free" often hides restrictive caps: 2 tasks per day, watermarks on export, 10 MB file limit. This 2026 comparison ranks the 7 best truly-free PDF tools against four measurable criteria: (1) free plan generosity, (2) hosting and GDPR posture, (3) AI or business templates, (4) export quality and formatting fidelity. No disguised paid promotion — we name where competitors beat us.

PDF24 Tools

100% free, unlimited, hosted in Germany

Free unlimited (web + desktop Windows)

Pros

No announced limit — personal and pro use, files up to 100 MB
30+ tools covering 90% of needs (compress, merge, OCR, convert, protect)
Hosted in Germany (Geek Software GmbH), strict GDPR
Free Windows desktop for fully offline processing (great for sensitive docs)
No signup required

Cons

2015-era UI, awkward navigation
No AI auto-fill
No macOS/Linux desktop version
Discreet ad banner finances the service

iFillPDF

Our pick

Only free tool with real AI pre-fill + eIDAS / ESIGN signature

Free with a watermark, 0 AI Deep Detect (no credit card or signup needed for testing)

Pros

The only free tool that AI-pre-fills a PDF from your profile or a scanned email
Hosted in Frankfurt (EU), full CLOUD Act exit
eIDAS-advanced / ESIGN-compliant signature included on the free plan
Pre-built English templates: invoices, quotes, freelance contracts, NDAs, ToS
Zero install, works on Chromebook and iPad

Cons

Free plan adds a watermark and has no AI Deep Detect (fine for personal use, tight for pro)
No page-by-page graphic editing like Acrobat

Try free See full comparison

Smallpdf

Simple web utility suite (Switzerland)

Free 2 tasks/day — $9/month (Pro)

Pros

Hosted in Switzerland, EU-recognised GDPR adequacy
21 free tools (compress, merge, convert Word/Excel/JPG, simple sign)
One of the cleanest 2026 UIs
Useful Chrome extension

Cons

Very strict free tier (2 tasks per 24 h)
No AI, no business templates
Discreet watermark on some free exports

iLovePDF

Generous multi-language suite (Spain, EU)

Free generous (25 tasks/day) — $4/mo Premium (annual) or $7/mo monthly

Pros

25+ tools: compress, merge, split, convert, OCR, sign
Hosted in Spain (Barcelona) — EU, GDPR-native
Mobile app (iOS/Android) with camera scan, batch processing on Premium
Most generous free tier of any cloud suite (25 tasks/day vs Smallpdf's 2)

Cons

No AI pre-fill
Advanced signature reserved to Premium
No business templates

Sejda PDF

Web + desktop, decent OCR

Free 3 tasks/h, ≤200 pages, ≤50 MB — $5/month (Pro)

Pros

Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) for local processing
Multilingual OCR available on the free plan
30+ web PDF tools
Workable basic text editor

Cons

3 tasks/hour ceiling forces waiting
US-hosted (Pasadena, CA) — CLOUD Act
No AI, no templates

PDFescape

Long-running web PDF editor

Free (≤10 MB, ≤100 pages) — $8.99/month (Premium)

Pros

In-browser page editing
Basic AcroForms and annotations
Free testable without signup

Cons

10 MB / 100 pages cap is very tight
US-hosted (CLOUD Act)
2010-era UI
No AI, no advanced signature

LibreOffice Draw

Open source, 100% local, free for life

Free (donation-supported, MPL)

Pros

100% open source, community-audited
Local processing — files never leave your disk (good for healthcare, legal)
Available on Windows, macOS, Linux
Backed by The Document Foundation (Germany)

Cons

Outdated UX, steep learning curve
No built-in OCR
No eIDAS/ESIGN-compliant signature
Not suitable for complex interactive forms

Frequently asked questions

What is actually the best free PDF software in 2026?+

It depends on the criterion: for unlimited usage, PDF24 (fully free). For AI and business templates, iFillPDF Free. For maximum sovereignty (offline), LibreOffice Draw. For ease of use, Smallpdf. Most users combine PDF24 (volume) + iFillPDF (forms + signing).

Is there a free PDF tool with no caps at all?+

Yes — PDF24 Tools (Germany) and LibreOffice Draw (open source) are uncapped. iLovePDF and iFillPDF offer generous but capped free tiers (25 tasks/day, watermark + 0 AI Deep Detect). Smallpdf is very restrictive (2 tasks/day).

Which free PDF tool is the most GDPR-friendly?+

To fully exclude the US CLOUD Act: LibreOffice Draw (100% local), PDF24 (Germany), iFillPDF (Frankfurt EU), iLovePDF (Spain). Smallpdf is in Switzerland (EU adequacy recognised). Avoid Sejda and PDFescape for sensitive data — both US-hosted.

Which has the best PDF → Word or Excel export quality?+

For 95% formatting preservation: iLovePDF, Smallpdf and iFillPDF are neck and neck (commercial algorithms). PDF24 and Sejda land at 80–85%. PDFescape and LibreOffice Draw fall behind on complex layouts.

Is iFillPDF's free plan actually free?+

Yes — full access to AI pre-fill and eIDAS/ESIGN signature with no credit card or commitment, though the free plan adds a watermark and has no AI Deep Detect. Beyond that, a single $8.99 one-time Lifetime payment removes the watermark forever — no subscription, no recurring charge.