Awesome PDF Tools

A curated list of free online PDF tools — with a focus on privacy, no-registration, and client-side processing.

Web-based PDF tools fall into two categories: those that upload your files to a server for processing, and those that process entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. This list highlights both, with clear labeling so you know what happens to your data.

Contents

• Client-Side (No Upload)
• Server-Side (Upload Required)
• Self-Hosted / Open Source
• Desktop PDF Software
• Developer Libraries

Client-Side (No Upload)

Tools that process PDFs entirely in your browser. Files never leave your device.

• PDF Toolbox — Free browser-based PDF tools: compress, merge, split, convert, protect, and unlock PDFs. All processing happens client-side using WebAssembly and pdf-lib.js. No uploads, no registration, no limits.
• SimplePDF — Online PDF editor that works in the browser. Fill forms, add text, sign documents. EU-hosted but files are processed client-side.
• PDFEscape — Online PDF editor with form filling and annotation. Basic editing is client-side; some features require upload.

Server-Side (Upload Required)

Popular tools that upload your files to their servers. Convenient but be mindful of privacy.

• SmallPDF — Full-featured PDF suite: compress, merge, split, convert, edit, e-sign. Free tier limited to 2 tasks/day. Files uploaded to their servers.
• iLovePDF — Comprehensive PDF tools with API access. Files retained up to 2 hours. Paid plans available.
• Sejda — PDF editor with desktop app option. Free tier: 3 tasks/hour, 200 pages or 50 MB limit.
• PDF2Go — Online PDF converter and editor. Files deleted after 24 hours (claimed).
• PDF Candy — 47 online PDF tools. Desktop version also available. Free tier has file size limits.

Self-Hosted / Open Source

Run your own PDF processing server or integrate PDF manipulation into your app.

• Stirling PDF — Self-hosted web PDF manipulation tool with 50+ operations. Docker deployment. ⭐ 60K+
• pdf-lib — JavaScript library for creating and modifying PDFs in any JS environment. Used by PDF Toolbox for client-side processing. ⭐ 7K+
• PDF.js — Mozilla's PDF rendering library. Powers Firefox's built-in PDF viewer. ⭐ 50K+
• pdfmake — JavaScript library for PDF generation from JSON/HTML. ⭐ 11K+
• gotenberg — Docker-powered stateless API for PDF generation from various formats. ⭐ 8K+

Desktop PDF Software

Full-featured desktop applications for offline PDF work.

• PDF Arranger — Open-source desktop app for merging, splitting, rotating, and rearranging PDF pages. Python/GTK. ⭐ 3K+
• PDFsam — Split and merge PDFs on desktop. Free basic version, paid enhanced version.
• Okular — KDE's universal document viewer with PDF annotation support.

Developer Libraries

Programmatic PDF manipulation for developers.

• pypdf — Pure Python PDF library for reading, writing, splitting, merging. ⭐ 9K+
• qpdf — C++ library and CLI for PDF transformation. ⭐ 3.5K+
• PDFKit — JavaScript PDF generation library for Node.js and browser. ⭐ 10K+
• iText — Java PDF library (AGPL / commercial license).

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please read the contribution guidelines first.

Criteria for Inclusion

• Tool must be actively maintained
• Clear labeling of server-side vs client-side processing
• Free tier available (freemium OK, trial-only is not)
• No malware, adware, or deceptive practices

License