# PDFsam Basic Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is PDFsam Basic the right PDF solution for you? Explore 56 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/182728/PDFsam-Basic/reviews --- PDFsam Basic 4.4 (56) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/182728/PDFsam-Basic/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of PDFsam Basic Ease of use 4.6 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews BG Benjamin G Private Practice AdministratorMedical Practice, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Completely free, and if you need basic edits to PDF's such as splitting or merging documents it works fine.“ June 24, 2024 BG Benjamin G Private Practice AdministratorMedical Practice, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Not a criticism, but if you're looking for something free to replace more pricey software, you won't find it here.“ June 24, 2024 Jose P usiness Change Manager. IPMA. PMP.Computer Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “PDFsam Basic is great for merging all or part of PDF documents and specifying which pages we want to merge for each input file, on the other hand, we can add tables of contents at the beginning of the document, which makes it easy for us to incorporate a list of inputs that work with a single click, allowing easy navigation within the file.“ December 4, 2022 Peter S Assistant DirectorNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It often crashed on my computer when going through the PDF merge process.“ July 2, 2023 Jose P usiness Change Manager. IPMA. PMP.Computer Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It is a tool that we must necessarily have in our laptops, it behaves excellently in operating systems such as Mac OS and Windows, in addition to being widely used worldwide and preferred in many organizations due to the simplicity with which the functionalities have been implemented.“ December 4, 2022 MB Michael B PresidentHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I've requested a full refund for my product, but PDFSAM does not respond my requests. “ April 18, 2022 Ema N EditorWriting and Editing, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “For basic use, I don't see any need for other software. If I needed the premium PDF editing features, I'm confident that the PDFsam family of apps will work just as well.“ May 28, 2022 MB Michael B PresidentHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “PDFSam has provided no technical support. “ April 18, 2022 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 56 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Jose P. usiness Change Manager. IPMA. PMP. Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "PDFsam Basic, an excellent option to manipulate and interact with PDF documents." December 4, 2022 5.0 It is a tool that we must necessarily have in our laptops, it behaves excellently in operating systems such as Mac OS and Windows, in addition to being widely used worldwide and preferred in many organizations due to the simplicity with which the functionalities have been implemented. that allow the successful management of documents in PDF format. Pros PDFsam Basic is great for merging all or part of PDF documents and specifying which pages we want to merge for each input file, on the other hand, we can add tables of contents at the beginning of the document, which makes it easy for us to incorporate a list of inputs that work with a single click, allowing easy navigation within the file.PDFsam has many features that increase its usability, such as the Drag and Drop option to drag PDF documents directly from the file manager to the application. Cons PDFsam Basic has little by little incorporated new functionalities in addition to the fact that we can use it in Windows and Mac OS environments without problems. Another notable feature is that we can extract pages from PDF files very easily, and this is a really important aspect when manipulating individual pages or ranges of pages to create a new PDF file. Switched from [PDFelement](https://www.capterra.com/p/148193/PDFelement-6/) PDFsam Basic is an excellent platform, highly intuitive, and has no drawbacks during its use. Review Source AK Anne K. practice manager Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great little pdf editor" October 27, 2023 5.0 I've been very happy with the program Pros I have to regularly gather documents and create one file, in healthcare to upload files securely onto the cloud. PDFsam basic is easy to use and super fast, even when my internet is not! Thanks! Cons The free basic program is not as intuitive for splitting pdfs, but it does work once you figure out the method. Switched from [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) They seem to keep taking away free solutions and making you pay for everything. Review Source Rebecca (Becca) N. Designated Broker Real Estate Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Hidden Costs" October 17, 2020 3.0 Disappointing and a waste of money and time. Pros Honestly, there is very little that I like about this product. And nothing worth what I have paid for so far. Cons I don't need it to print to PDF and even using it for that is not simple. I have upgraded twice now and it still doesn't have the functionality that I need. It prompts me constantly to upgrade. The product description is unclear which is why I have upgraded. And I still don't have a function that I would like to have. It is helpful to delete pages from a PDF document, but I will need to upgrade another time to be able to merge documents together . I am not going to bother. I will switch to Nitro PDF and know exactly what I am getting. And their customer service is awful. I went back and forth several times with their customer service, explaining and re-explaining before someone actually took the time to read what I was writing and not just respond with what felt like a scripted reply. Reason for choosing PDFsam Basic I thought I was getting comparable features for a lower price, but quickly found out that was not the case. Review Source NP Neel P. Firm Technical Specialist Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great, effective and powerful free tool with an outdated interface" August 20, 2021 5.0 Overall, I am very happy with this piece of software -- it is reliable, available at little to no cost, and easy enough to train users on and recommend. I wish it were available on a platform like Ninite so that it would be easier to install with other utilities at the same time. I have no hesitation recommending this software. Pros This software is very reliable, and works quickly. It can handle or generate a large number of files without stuttering, and is very easy to use once you get used to it. Cons The interface is outdated, and requires users to read what each field or line is asking before and choosing the acceptable option. After each A more modern interface would come preset with common defaults for each type of job, and then allow the users to modify those with a popup menu if needed. I also did not like that the most accessible download pushes the paid version so heavily. However, download the MSI version (for Windows) from the download page eliminates that issue. Alternatives considered [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) Reason for choosing PDFsam Basic Cost and enough functionality present in a free platform Review Source Marianela F. Water Treatment Consultant Chemicals Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "PDFsam, an excellent software designed to split, merge, extract pages, merge and rotate PDF files." October 8, 2022 5.0 PDFsam is extremely useful during digitization procedures and the generation of consolidated files. It is important to have PDFsam's functionalities, in addition to the many opportunities for its use, either to deliver official documents or to avoid losing files attached to a main document. Pros PDFsam allows it to be installed very simply and quickly in windows and mac environments, in addition to its features being fast, especially for processing large documents that require incorporating multiple pages, which makes it very reliable when generating documents to deliver, for example in a bidding process, since it incorporates proven elements in document management. Cons PDFsam is widely used worldwide, being tested by thousands of users daily, which creates a great opportunity to incorporate this tool with great functionality in the mobile environment and smart devices. Review Source Pascual G. Project Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Highlights in the use of PDFSAM." June 16, 2022 4.0 An excellent tool and very easy to use, it is perhaps one of the most important features, and the updates that are notified to the user allow them to incorporate new features that increase the level of satisfaction. Pros One of the most outstanding aspects is precisely the fact that it is possible to carry out the functionalities with just a few clicks. Among which, it is possible to use the merge, split, rotate and "split by size" options most often. Additionally, there are many default options and each one of them has its contextual menu and with the icon (?) it is possible to interpret the operation of that particular option. Cons It is possible that so many configuration options can overwhelm the novice user so that he will probably have to perform the (run) option several times until he achieves the objective that he had set for himself. Review Source Ramunas K. Engineer Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fast and reliable PDF merging tool" October 11, 2022 5.0 It is a life saver when in need to merge some pdf files. Pros Fast and reliable. Most important - it's free. Cons There is not much not to like. It does what it is designed for. Reason for choosing PDFsam Basic PDFsam basic is free!! Merging files should not be paid option. Switched from [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) PDFsam basic is free!! Review Source Ema N. Editor Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A winner: free app that works like a charm" May 28, 2022 5.0 For basic use, I don't see any need for other software. If I needed the premium PDF editing features, I'm confident that the PDFsam family of apps will work just as well. Pros It's easy to extract or split pages or merge them. The interface is clear, and you can drag and drop files to work on, specify which pages to extract, change the order of files to merge, etc. Bottom line: it does exactly what it says it will do and works quickly. Cons There isn't anything I don't like; it works beautifully. Review Source Peter S. Assistant Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love the features but it often crashed on my computer" July 2, 2023 3.0 I like all the features and the low price, however the constant crashing was problematic. Pros The ease and level of controls given to merging PDFs into one document. Cons It often crashed on my computer when going through the PDF merge process. Review Source Stéphane M. Sales Manager Information Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The swiss army knife of softwares" September 8, 2020 5.0 It enabled us to modify PDFs the way we wanted in order to publish, share or archive. Pros Super easy to work with. It has most features you are probably looking for in order to edit, compile, merge or whatever else you might have to do with PDF files. Cons Frequent advertising pop-up. A little bit long to launch the application. Review Source US Uwe S. Administrator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Tolle kostenlose PDF Software " July 28, 2025 4.0 Ich nutze das Programm sehr oft. Ich erstelle PDFs, oder ich teile sie auf. Auch einzelne Seiten lassen sich aus einem PDF extrahieren. Pros Das es eine kostenlose Version gibt, die vieles schon macht. Es kann schon sehr viel, was man zum Erstellen von PDFs braucht. Cons Es ist nicht so intuitiv wie Adobe Acrobat. Viele Funktionen müssen erst einmal gesucht und gefunden werden. Alternatives considered [Foxit PDF Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/175376/ConnectedPDF/) Reason for choosing PDFsam Basic Weil es kann was es soll und kostelos angeboten wird. Review Source AB Alessandro B. Studente (Computer engineering) Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Must-have per la gestione pdf" February 1, 2023 5.0 Permette di tenere slegate alcune parti variabili di un file (ad esempio la copertina aziendale) dal resto del documento. Così che tutto possa essere modificato nel tempo in maniera slegata.Decisamente salvifico per gli studenti, unendo molti file è possibile tenere aperto un unico pdf con tutte le slide di una materia o risparmiare tempo quando lo si vuole stampare per intero (senza dover aprire i singoli file). Pros Permette di unire pdf, dividerli in singole pagine, dare un titolo al file prodotto, molto semplice ed intuitivo. Cons Se proprio bisogna cercare il pelo nell'uovo.. l'interfaccia utente è migliorabile, la tabella con la lista dei file da unire non è esteticamente bella, ma devo dire comunque funzionale. Switched from [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) Perché adobe nella versione gratuita non consentiva il merge dei file. Review Source JYG Jean Yves G. Conseiller Immobilier Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Super outils pour fusionner les rectos et versos de scans" August 16, 2023 5.0 Dommage que la version pdfsam enhanced 7 et pdfsam basic ne fusionne pas ensemble Pros Je le trouve très facile d'utilisation (glisser/déposer) coche inversé et directement choix de la destination et du nom. De plus la fusion est hyper rapide. Cons Les autres fonctionnalités sont moins intuitives et plus limité nécessitant une version payante pour avoir des résultats corrects. Switched from [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/)[iLovePDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/173963/iLovePDF/) Rapport/qualité prix Review Source MH Mustafa H. Sr. Project Manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "PDF Sam review" October 25, 2020 5.0 Pros Amazing software that allows you to split, merge, combine pdf documents in seconds. No Ad trouble as such and super light and simple interface. Cons The interface could use some uplift. It remains basic to use. Review Source BN Brian N. Development Assistant Performing Arts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Save that ream for a rainy day! PDFsam saves paper and time!" April 26, 2021 5.0 Excellent! It has saved me tons of paper and headache by allowing me to merge, extract, and mix & match a wide swath of scanned documents, with high quality resolution, too. Pros PDFsam is user user-friendly, versatile, reliable, capable of high-quality resolutions, and consistently free of charge. Cons It can sometimes be easy to overwrite files that you really need, but the program does its best to safeguard that. Also, each time you use the program, duplicate PDFsam icons appear, which can be confusing. Review Source MR Mijail R. Director Financial Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excelente herramienta para fusionar archivos PDF" October 1, 2022 4.0 Me ha facilitado enormemente el trabajo cuando tengo que enviar un expediente en un solo archivo Pros Su facilidad de uso, ya que se trata de arrastrar y soltar los archivos Cons Podría tener la función de reacomodar las hojas una vez "fusionados" los documentos Review Source sS stephanie S. roi Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "I like this product. " October 14, 2021 5.0 Pros I like the easiness of this product. Would definitely recommend. Cons I think there should be fewer steps to get the files to convert but other than that it is perfect. Review Source GM Gustavo M. QA Program Development Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Avaliação PDFsam Basic" July 5, 2023 4.0 Pros A versão gratuita é simples de usar, para o que se propõe realiza um bom papel. Cons o tem padrão é branco demais, talvez com mais cores ou outros tons ficaria mais bonito e com aparência mais intuitiva. Review Source MS Mike S. Programmer Analyst Paper & Forest Products Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "PDFSam Basic helps you to do more with your PDF documents" February 20, 2020 4.0 I have used PDF Sam both at work and also at home. Splitting and merging documents is so easy. Pros \- Great features even in the Basic version - Easy merging and splitting up of multiple PDF documents - Splitting by size - Different Merge options Cons \-Some features only available in the Premium version like Convert PDF to Excel, Word, Powerpoint; Create PDFs from scanned images, from Word Excel and other applications Review Source FC Francesco C. No Information Technology and Services Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Programma migliore " January 22, 2026 5.0 Eccellente programma, accessibile, semplice e gratuito con potenzialità al pari di altri programmi più rinomati. Pros Velocissimo nel esportare il file definitivo, mai visto un programma così potente e gratuito. Grazie Cons Nulla, non ho trovato alcun problema fino ad ora con l'utilizzo di questo programma, che consiglio a chi deve lavorare con certi file pesanti e ha poco tempo a disposizione. Switched from [PDFgear](https://www.capterra.com/p/10010138/PDFgear/) Perché è migliore per dimensione pagine unite ora ha la stessa dimensione copertina Review Source JG Jessica G. Assistante commerciale Insurance Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "PDFsam Basic : l'essentiel du PDF, sans fioritures " November 26, 2024 4.0 Mon expérience est globalement positive. Je cherchais un outil simple et efficace pour fusionner ou scinder rapidement des pdf. J'ai surtout apprécié sa gratuité et son fonctionnement local qui garantit la confidentialité des fichiers. Cependant son interface un peu datée me semble moins intuitive ou moderne par rapport à d'autres logiciels. Pour des besoins qui se limitent aux fonctionnalités basiques, il convient parfaitement. Pros Le logiciel est gratuit et open source donc facile d'accès, il garantit également un respect de la confidentialité. Cons Pour ma part, je trouve que l'interface n'est pas du tout intuitive. Pour une personne peu habituée à ce genre d'outil, la manipulation est compliquée, de plus, les fonctionnalités sont limitées, il manque certaines fonctions avancées telles que l'édition de texte ou encore l'ajout d'annotations qui est quand-même même très pratique lorsque l'on souhaite travailler sur les documents. Switched from [iLovePDF 2](https://www.capterra.com/p/10019533/I-Love-PDF/) Car ma société n'autorisait plus l'accès à d'autres logiciels. Review Source BG Benjamin G. Private Practice Administrator Medical Practice Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Can't Go Wrong for £0" June 24, 2024 4.0 Pros Completely free, and if you need basic edits to PDF's such as splitting or merging documents it works fine. Doesn't do much more than that, but when it's free you can't really complain. Cons Very limited in what you can do. By no means a replacement for things like Adobe Acrobat. Not a criticism, but if you're looking for something free to replace more pricey software, you won't find it here. Review Source Jonatan F. Psicólogo Mental Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Melhor aplicativo para editar PDF" July 6, 2021 5.0 Eu sou psicólogo e sempre recebo pdf dos pacientes com suas documentações, entretanto, quase sempre me enviam todos agrupados em um só pdf e é o Sam basic que me salva nessas horas, pois com ele eu edito qualquer pdf de maneira simples e prática. Pros Praticidade sem igual. Muito intuitivo, não senti dificuldade alguma para editar os meus PDFs nele. Cons Na realidade eu não vejo muita coisa desvantajosa no aplicativo, mas acredito que poderia estar disponível para baixar na playstore, pois nem todos confiam baixar um aplicativo que não esteja disponível na loja do seu celular. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer legale Law Practice Used the software for: 2+ years ### "PDFsam Basic ottimo programma con varie utility per pdf" March 12, 2023 5.0 Assolutamente positiva. Un must have per chi fa lavoro di ufficio e lavora con i file pdf Pros Spesso devo unire più documenti pdf oppure separare o riordinare le pagine. PDFsam Basic ha molte utility per lavorare con i file pdf. È diventato un software indispensabile per me. Non potrei più farne a meno. Molto ricco di opzioni, permette di fare tutto ciò che serve Cons A volte avrei necessità di un live preview mentre si uniscono documenti oppure si lavora sull'ordine delle pagine o altro. Farebbe comodo poter vedere subito il risultato prima di creare il nuovo file. Review Source NA Nancy A. Risk Management Specialist Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "PDFSAM for splitting and merging PDF documents" February 10, 2021 5.0 PDFSAM has been a very helpful tool for me to perform basic functions such as pulling together several documents into one easy to review document, and breaking apart large documents into more manageable pieces. Pros PDFSAM is a basic tool for merging together or splitting apart PDF documents. It is very easy to use and understand with no training needed. I work in Risk Management and often need to submit insurance claims. PDFSAM allows me to put together all the pieces as a single document for the claim -- a summary incident report, witness statements, estimates and invoices, police reports, photos, etc. It makes a nice easy to review document -- and this is all the more beneficial when working remotely as has been the case for the past year or so. Furthermore, PDFSAM can break apart large PDF files into smaller pieces that are more conducive to email and can narrow down to just the pages the receiver needs to see. Cons The software does only have a very basic function -- to split and merge PDFs. It would be nice if it could also convert PDFs to Excel. Review Source Similar Products Featured