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By Jenefey Aaron

Updated on 2025-08-01

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9 Best PDF Editors for Windows 11/10 | Tested 40+ Free & Paid Tools

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By Jenefey Aaron

2025-08-01 / PDF Editor

What’s the best free PDF editor for Windows 11? Tried Adobe but wondering if there's something lightweight to highlight, merge, and edit PDF without Adobe.

There are many PDF editors for Windows 11 and 10, but not all are worth your time. We tested over 40 free and paid tools to find the best PDF editor for Windows 11/10 in 2025. This list shows the top 9 PDF editors for Windows 11 and 10 that deliver great features, performance, and value. Whether you want to edit, convert, or sign PDFs, you’ll find the right tool here. Let’s get started!

Part 1: 8 Best PDF Editor Software for Windows 11/10

If you're using Windows 11 or 10, having a reliable PDF editor can really make a difference - whether you're working with contracts, school files, or just filling out forms. I’ve tested several popular options in 2025 and looked at how each one performs in real-world use, not just on paper.

The table below doesn’t cover every detail, but it gives you a solid overview of what each PDF editor does best, so you can quickly see which one might be right for you.

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Best For
Supported Systems
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Best All‑In‑One Powerhouse PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
Foxit PDF Editor
Best Secure & Collaborative PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
Nitro PDF Pro
Best Business-Grade PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
PDNob PDF Editor
Best Lightweight and Simple UI PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, online
EaseUS PDF Editor
Best Budget-Friendly PDF Editor
Windows
pdfFiller
Best PDF Editor for Teams
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
PDFgear
Best Completely Free PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
UPDF
Best Casual & Cross‑Platform PDF Editor
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
PDF-XChange
Best Feature‑Rich Free PDF Editor for Windows
Windows, macOS

Part 1: 2: 9 Best PDF Editors for Windows 11/10 in 2025

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these top PDF editors for Windows 11/10 in 2025.

1. Adobe Acrobat Pro

Best All‑In‑One Powerhouse PDF Editor

Adobe Acrobat Pro, developed by Adobe Systems, was first released in 1993 and revolutionized the way we create, share, and manage digital documents. As one of the earliest and most influential PDF editors, it has become a trusted standard worldwide. On Windows platforms, Acrobat Pro stands out as one of the most powerful and professional PDF editors available.

Its robust editing tools, strong security features, and seamless integration make it a top choice for businesses and professionals using Windows 10 and Windows 11. For anyone searching for a reliable PDF editor for Windows, Adobe Acrobat Pro remains the industry benchmark.

adobe pdf editor for windows 10 11
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
  • Pricing Plan: $29.99/month, $239.88/year
  • Memory Size Taken: 2GB of RAM and 4.5GB of available hard-disk space
Enter Adobe Acrobat Pro

Key Features:

  • Advanced PDF Editing: Edit text, images, and links within PDFs seamlessly.
  • OCR: Convert scanned documents into editable and searchable PDFs.
  • E-Signature Integration: Send, track, and manage electronic signatures with Adobe Sign.
  • Document Comparison: Compare two versions of a PDF to identify differences quickly.
  • Password Protection & Permissions: Secure PDFs with passwords and set permissions to restrict editing or printing.
  • PDF Conversion: Convert PDFs to and from Microsoft Office formats like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
  • Form Creation & Management: Create fillable forms and collect responses efficiently.
  • AI-Powered Features: Utilize the AI Assistant for summarizing documents and rephrasing text.

Pros:

  • Industry-standard PDF solution with broad compatibility
  • Powerful e-signature features with Adobe Sign
  • Accurate OCR support for multiple languages
  • Advanced editing and form tools for professionals

Cons:

  • Resource-heavy, often slowing down system performance
  • Slow to launch and install, which can reduce work efficiency
  • Occasional crashes that may cause data loss or file corruption
  • High pricing and confusing subscription plans
  • Poor customer support and billing issues

2. Foxit PDF Editor

Best Secure & Collaborative PDF Editor

Foxit PDF Editor was developed by Foxit Software, founded in 2001, with the goal of providing a fast, lightweight alternative to traditional PDF editors. Over the years, it has grown into one of the leading PDF editors for Windows, trusted by millions worldwide.

Known for its balance of powerful features and user-friendly design, Foxit stands out as a reliable PDF editor for Windows users who need advanced editing, secure document handling, and collaboration tools without the heavy system load of some competitors. Its strong market presence and continuous updates make it a top choice for professionals and businesses in 2025.

foxit pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
  • Pricing Plan: $129.99/year
  • Memory Size Taken: 1.2 GB
Enter Foxit PDF Editor

Key Features:

  • Create documents, merge, rotate, reorder, delete, and split PDFs
  • Edit text and images in a PDF
  • Convert PDFs and export to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Easily create, fill, sign, and send forms
  • Scan documents into editable, searchable PDFs (OCR)
  • Compare two versions of a PDF to review all differences
  • Add security and password-protect PDF files

Pros:

  • Comprehensive features with an intuitive interface similar to Microsoft Office
  • Supports collaboration with shared reviews and comment integration

Cons:

  • Many features require separate fees
  • Desktop download requires email and sign-in
  • Large desktop installer
  • Customer support is difficult to reach

3. Nitro PDF Pro

Best Business-Grade PDF Editor

Nitro PDF Pro is a comprehensive PDF editor for Windows, developed by Nitro Software, an Australian company founded in 2005. Recognized as a leading alternative to Adobe Acrobat, Nitro PDF Pro offers a robust suite of tools for creating, editing, converting, and securing PDF documents. Its user-friendly interface, inspired by Microsoft Office, ensures a seamless experience for both individuals and businesses seeking an efficient PDF solution.

With support for Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms, Nitro PDF Pro provides versatility across devices. Whether for personal use or enterprise needs, Nitro PDF Pro stands out as a professional-grade PDF editor for Windows, delivering both functionality and value.

nitro pdf pro for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
  • Pricing Plan: $15.00/month, $180.00 annually
  • Memory Size Taken: 1 GB
Enter Nitro PDF Pro

Key Features:

  • Create, convert, and combine PDFs
  • Manage and edit PDFs
  • Annotate and share PDFs with ease
  • Efficient team management through Nitro Admin portal
  • AI tools to boost productivity

Pros:

  • Comprehensive feature set for PDF tasks
  • 14-day free trial with full access
  • Fast online file conversion

Cons:

  • Outdated interface and complex navigation
  • Slow startup and laggy performance
  • Lifetime license deactivated without notice
  • Hard to read toolbar/menu in new version
  • Complex installation and activation process
  • May cause system issues after installation

4. PDNob PDF Editor

Best Lightweight and Simple UI PDF Editor

PDNob PDF Editor is a modern PDF editor developed by Tenorshare, a trusted name in PC utilities. Since its launch, PDNob has aimed to simplify document handling without sacrificing power. With AI-powered features like OCR and image translation, it handles editing, annotating, merging, splitting, and converting PDFs smoothly.

Designed for both individuals and teams, PDNob offers a clean, intuitive interface that stands apart from bloated alternatives. Users appreciate its fast performance, cross-platform support, and smart tools that save time — all at a more approachable price than big‑name ditors.

Enter PDNob PDF Editor
pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, online
  • Pricing Plan:$14.99/month, $35.99/year, $69.99 lifetime
  • Memory Size Taken: 250 MB

Key Features:

  • Smarter AI: 300X faster for PDF reading, summarization, and insight extraction
  • 30+ Format Conversion: PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, Image, PDF/A, Text, EPUB, etc.
  • 100+ Edits: Text, image, watermark, link, background; combine, protect PDFs, etc.
  • 200+ Annotations: Sticker, highlights, underlines, shapes, stamps, and more
  • 99% OCR Accuracy: Convert scanned PDFs to editable and searchable content

Pros:

  • Lightweight and reliable with no lags or crashes
  • Free to try all features with lifetime updates and no trial expiration
  • World's #1 OCR converts scanned PDFs into editable, searchable text
  • Very small installation size and fast startup

Cons:

  • AI features are still developing and not fully mature
  • Lacks collaboration tools for team use

5. EaseUS PDF Editor

Best Budget-Friendly PDF Editor

EaseUS PDF Editor comes from EaseUS, a software company known for its reliable PC utilities and data recovery solutions. Designed as a robust yet simple PDF editor for Windows, it offers tools for editing, converting, annotating, and securing documents. Since launch, it has earned praise as a cost-effective Adobe Acrobat alternative, blending powerful features with a clean interface.

Built for both individuals and teams, EaseUS PDF Editor supports batch processing, OCR, form handling, and cloud collaboration. Though only available on Windows, its feature-rich toolkit and reasonable pricing—monthly, annual, or lifetime—make it a strong contender among professional PDF editors.

easeus pdf editor for windosw 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows
  • Pricing Plan: $19.47/month, $49.95/year, $79.95/lifetime
  • Memory Size Taken: 150MB
Enter EaseUS PDF Editor

Key Features:

  • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, or back
  • Edit text, images, and layout easily
  • OCR scanned PDFs into editable content
  • Merge, split, compress, and create PDFs
  • Add comments, highlights, and notes
  • Sign, encrypt, remove password, and add watermark

Pros:

  • Covers essential PDF tools like editing, OCR, and converting
  • User-friendly interface for beginners

Cons:

  • Only available on Windows
  • No built-in AI features
  • Can lag during heavy use
  • Advanced tools need improvement

6. pdfFiller

Best PDF Editor for Teams

pdfFiller was founded by Vadim Yasinovsky in 2008, with inspiration from Semyon Dukach, aiming to simplify the process of filling and sending PDF forms online. Since then, it has evolved into a comprehensive PDF editor for Windows, offering a suite of tools for editing, signing, and managing PDF documents. Its cloud-based platform ensures accessibility across various devices, making it a versatile choice for both individuals and businesses.

pdffiller pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
  • Pricing Plan: $15/month
  • Memory Size Taken: 2GB
Enter pdfFiller

Key Features:

  • Edit, fill, draw, print, save, or fax
  • Erase, highlight & re-write PDFs
  • Merge, rearrange or add pages
  • Convert PDFs to editable Word documents

Pros:

  • Clear instructions help new users navigate core features easily

Cons:

  • Can lag or freeze during editing
  • Uploading documents is slow, with long loading times before editing
  • Free editing is limited; downloading edited files requires payment
  • Not truly free despite the free editing claim

7. PDFgear

Best Completely Free PDF Editor

PDFgear was developed by PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD., aiming to provide a comprehensive, user-friendly PDF solution accessible to everyone. Unlike many premium PDF editors, PDFgear offers a full suite of features—including text editing, OCR, annotation, conversion, and AI assistance—completely free of charge.

pdfgear pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, online
  • Pricing Plan: Free
  • Memory Size Taken: 200MB
Enter PDFgear

Key Features:

  • Read and edit PDF files easily across all your devices
  • Convert and merge PDFs quickly without limits
  • Sign documents digitally for free, no sign-up required

Pros:

  • Offers full editing features
  • Completely free
  • Lightweight software with no ads

Cons:

  • OCR functionality is very limited and often doesn’t work well
  • PDF to image conversion sometimes causes errors with numbers
  • Does not support Arabic language

8. UPDF

Best Casual & Cross‑Platform PDF Editor

UPDF is a versatile PDF editor developed by Superace Software Technology, designed to meet the needs of both casual users and professionals. Launched in 2021, UPDF offers a comprehensive suite of tools for reading, editing, annotating, converting, and securing PDF documents.

The latest version, UPDF 2.0, introduces AI-powered features such as PDF summarization, translation, and interactive Q&A, enhancing the user experience.

updf pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
  • Pricing Plan: $39.99/Year, $69.99/Lifetime
  • Memory Size Taken: 300 MB
Enter UPDF

Key Features:

  • Intuitive PDF editing with text, images, and links
  • Advanced annotation tools: highlights, shapes, and e-signatures
  • AI-powered features: summarize, translate, and chat with PDFs

Pros:

  • Rich and complete PDF editing tools
  • Reasonably priced for the features it offers
  • Easy to create hyperlinks in PDFs

Cons:

  • Editing performance can feel slow at times
  • OCR accuracy is not very strong
  • Interface can be hard to navigate for new users
  • Watermarks are large and cannot be removed
  • Limited support for small languages
  • Pricing gap between regular and academic users is too small

9. PDF-XChange

Best Feature‑Rich Free PDF Editor for Windows

PDF-XChange Editor is developed by Tracker Software, a UK-based company known for creating fast and feature-rich PDF tools since the early 2000s. It evolved from the popular freeware PDF-XChange Viewer, which offered advanced annotation and OCR features.

pdf xchange pdf editor for windows 11 10
  • System compatibility: Windows, macOS
  • Pricing Plan: PDF-XChange Editor: Starting at $62.00. PDF-XChange Editor Plus: Starting at $79.00.
  • Memory Size Taken: 300 MB
Enter PDF-XChange

Key Features:

  • Edit text and images
  • Annotate with comments, highlights, stamps
  • Built-in OCR for scanned documents
  • Create and fill PDF forms
  • Digital signatures and PDF security
  • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, images

Pros:

  • Rich PDF features
  • Compatible with cloud services like OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive
  • Most common features free to use; only advanced exports add watermark

Cons:

  • OCR accuracy lower than Adobe or ABBYY
  • Outdated interface with many buttons; steep learning curve for beginners
  • Only available on Windows
  • Print quality can be blurry using built-in PDF printer
  • Cannot download older versions after subscription ends

3: FAQs of PDF Editor for Windows 11/10

Does Windows 11 have a PDF editor?

Windows 11 lacks a dedicated PDF editor but lets you view and annotate PDFs in Microsoft Edge. You can add text, highlight, draw, and fill forms, but advanced editing like changing text or images requires third-party software.

What is the best PDF reader editor for Windows 11?

For professional use, Adobe Acrobat is the best choice, though it can be heavy and hard to use. If you want a lighter, more affordable PDF reader and editor, PDNob PDF Editor is a great alternative for Windows 11.

Is there a better PDF editor than Adobe?

Yes, several PDF editors can be better than Adobe Acrobat depending on your needs. Adobe is powerful but costly and complex. PDNob PDF Editor is a lightweight, affordable option that’s easy to download and use.

Is there a 100% free PDF editor?

Yes, there are several 100% free PDF editors available. Some popular options include PDFgear, PDF24 Creator, and PDF Candy.

Conclusion

After carefully testing over 40 free and paid PDF editors, we’ve narrowed down the top 9 options for Windows 11 and 10 users in 2025. This list is designed to help you find the right balance of features, ease of use, and affordability based on real-world performance. Whether you need a powerful professional tool or a lightweight editor, these choices cover a wide range of needs and budgets.

We are committed to keeping this guide up to date as new software and updates emerge. Our goal is to provide honest, hands-on reviews so you can make informed decisions without wasting time or money. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out — your input helps us improve and serve you better.

The END

About PDNob

I am PDNob.
Swift editing, efficiency first.
Make every second yours: Tackle any PDF task with ease.
As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." That's why we built PDNob.

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