eGigFree alternatives to Adobe Acrobat
PDFsam Basic merges and splits PDFs on your own computer, LibreOffice Draw can edit simple PDFs, and Stirling-PDF handles many tasks if you can run a server. Licences and dates read from each project’s public code page on 31 Oct 2026.
Choose by the task
| Software | Good for | Licence | Last code change |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFsam Basic | Merge, split and rotate, on your computer | AGPL-3.0 | 30 Oct 2026 |
| LibreOffice | Open a PDF in Draw to change text and images on simple files, and export any document to PDF | GPL-3.0 | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Stirling-PDF | Many tasks in one place, on a server you control | Mixed: MIT, some parts proprietary | 31 Oct 2026 |
Before you switch
- Editing the text of a complex PDF is the hard part. If you have the original Word file, edit that and export again.
- Avoid uploading ID proofs, contracts and bank papers to unknown online PDF sites. Use a tool on your own computer where you can.
- For a legal digital signature, check what your bank or government portal accepts, because a typed or drawn signature may not count.
Free on eGig
Need to turn photos into a PDF, or shrink a photo for a form? Image to PDF and the photo resizer work in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Questions people ask
What is the best free PDF editor?
It depends on the edit. For merging and splitting, PDFsam Basic. For small changes to a simple PDF, LibreOffice Draw. No free tool edits every complex PDF cleanly, so keep the original file if you can.
How do I reduce a PDF to 200 KB?
Lower the image quality when you create it. If you build a PDF from photos, the eGig image to PDF tool can aim at a size limit. For an existing PDF, try “reduced size” export in LibreOffice, and check that the text stays readable.
How we check this page
eGig has no paid placements here and does not make these products. A licence shown as “mixed” means the project’s licence file puts parts of it under different terms, so read that file before you rely on it, especially for business use. Check each project’s own site before you install anything, and download only from there. How we check facts.