# Best PDF Software 2026 | Capterra

> Find the top PDF software of 2026 on Capterra. Based on millions of verified user reviews - compare and filter for whats important to you to find the best tools for your needs.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/s/web-based

---

# Best PDF Software

Last updated on March 27, 2026

How to find the right PDF Software?

Learn more from our team about PDF Software pricing features and benefits in our PDF Buyers Guide

Verified Insights

Provider data verified by our Software Research team and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.  
[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

## What is PDF software?

Researched by: [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/capterra/)

Updated on March 27, 2026

[Portable document format (PDF) software](https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/), also known as a PDF editor, is a software tool that allows users to create and edit PDF documents, rearrange a document’s pages, and add digital signatures. It also lets them convert a PDF file to other formats such as Word, Excel, HTML, and JPG, and vice versa.

PDF software is used in businesses of all sizes across industries such as legal, construction, medical, and professional services.

* * *

For more information consult our [PDF Buyers Guide](#buyers-guide-content)

Page 1 of 7

## Top-rated software of 2026

### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.

Filter (152) Products:

Sort By:

Sponsored

* * *

Plan Type

Free Trial

Popular

85% of professionals opt for a 30-day trial before the software purchase

Other subsciption plans:

Free Version

Monthly Subscription

Annual Subscription

One-Time License

Key Features

All key features

Popular

We have selected the most important and critical features as defined by Capterra user reviews

Access Controls/Permissions

AI Copilot

Annotations

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Convert to PDF

Customizable Branding

Customizable Forms

Data Import/Export

Digital Signature

Document Management

Document Review

Document Storage

Encryption

Generative AI

Merge/Append Files

Offline Access

PDF Conversion

PDF Reader

Rich Text Editor

Secure Data Storage

Text Editing

Watermarking

Deployment

Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based

Desktop Mac

Desktop Windows

Desktop Linux

On-Premise Windows

On-Premise Linux

Desktop Chromebook

Mobile Android

Mobile iPhone

Mobile iPad

I'm looking for PDF Software that is:

[For Android](https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/s/android/)[Free](https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/s/free/)

Table of Contents

-   [The benefits of PDF software](#the-benefits-of-pdf-software)
-   [Typical features of PDF software](#typical-features-of-pdf-software)
-   [The cost of PDF software](#the-cost-of-pdf-software)
-   [Considerations when purchasing PDF software](#considerations-when-purchasing-pdf-software)
-   [Relevant PDF software trends](#relevant-pdf-software-trends)

## The benefits of PDF software

The benefits of using a PDF software solution include:

-   **Enhanced security:** PDF software offers features such as password protection, user restrictions, and encryption to restrict unauthorized users from modifying, copying, or printing file contents. These security features help prevent information misuse. Some tools also offer redaction, a security feature that allows users to remove sensitive and classified information from within a document.
    
-   **Seamless collaboration:** A PDF editor lets multiple users collaborate on the same document. Users can add notes or comments to a specific word or an entire section. They can also digitally sign the document from within the same interface.
    
-   **Version control:** A PDF software solution allows users to effectively track document changes by maintaining a version history, which lists the changes made to a document over its lifetime. It highlights who created each version, when the version was created, and what changes were made under that version.
    

* * *

## Typical features of PDF software

Here are some common features of a PDF software app:

-   **Merge/append:** Combine multiple PDF pages into a single document, and rearrange the pages in a preferred order.
    
-   **Digital signature:** Sign PDF documents electronically.
    
-   **Collaboration:** Add comments to PDF documents to ask questions or make suggestions to team members.
    
-   **File encryption:** Add encryption keys, such as passwords, to protect sensitive files.
    
-   **Redaction:** Remove sensitive information from a document before publishing or before sharing it with stakeholders.
    
-   **Watermarking:** Add your company’s watermark to PDF documents to protect contents and indicate ownership.
    

* * *

## The cost of PDF software

Most products in the market are priced on a per user, per month basis and can be divided into three pricing tiers based on their starting price.

**Price ranges\*:**

-   $6 - $20
    
-   $20 - $35
    
-   $35+
    

_\*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offering found on vendor websites on July 3, 2021. These ranges correspond to the 25th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of pricing information gathered from vendor websites of sample products._

The above list summarizes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product that’s priced higher may include additional features such as built-in spell checks, language support, merging of multiple files, and validating PDFs for ISO standards.

* * *

## Considerations when purchasing PDF software

Here are some parameters to consider when purchasing a PDF solution:

-   **Mobility:** Select an online PDF editor that runs smoothly on your laptop and desk computer as well as your phone and tablet. This capability will let you work on PDF files from any device and will be especially useful when you’re on the field and need to get a document signed urgently.
    
-   **Collaboration:** Ensure the PDF editor you choose allows multiple collaborators to edit and review a PDF document simultaneously. With the collaboration functionality, you and your team members can simultaneously add comments and make changes to a document while collaborating with other stakeholders.
    
-   **Integration:** You may need to integrate your PDF software with other tools such as document generation, optical character recognition (OCR), and document scanning to convert an output document into the PDF file format, to edit the document’s text contents, or to sign it digitally. Therefore, check for integration capabilities during your software research.
    

* * *

## Relevant PDF software trends

Here’s a market trend to keep in mind when selecting PDF editor software for your business:

-   **Increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in PDF software.** AI-enabled PDF tools can analyze and process documents faster and identify the most relevant sections such as a particular clause in a contract or a specific question that needs to be addressed immediately. They can also process corrupted images to extract necessary elements such as texts, barcodes, and labels without the need to improve the image or document quality beforehand. Additionally, these tools can recognize complex scripts in multiple languages. Many [vendors](https://pdf.abbyy.com/blog/finereader-powered-by-ai/) have already implemented AI into their PDF software offerings, and more are expected to follow suit.
    

* * *

**Sources**

Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s [PDF software directory](https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/), sorted by the number of reviews. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in [Capterra’s directory](https://www.capterra.com/pdf-software/) that offer them.