When you need a document to look the same no matter what application you open it in, you need a PDF. This format is the closest to a kind of digital paper. you are using or the size of the window.

They are also easy to use. Today, on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, you can view PDFs with the built-in tools. You can also most of the time, highlight text, fill in fields on a form, or even add some simple annotations – but you want to edit the text or change an image in your PDF document? This is where things get complicated.

We tested fifteen PDF editors to find the best apps, both for viewing and editing PDFs. Here are the apps to use the next time you need to edit a PDF document – plus some tips for turning any document into PDF.

What are the qualities of a good PDF editor?

Not all PDF editors are created equal. The PDF applications that you probably use the most — Adobe Reader, Apple iBooks, Windows Reader — are PDF reader applications. They are designed to allow you to view your PDF documents as you would a book and allow you to reach the page that interests you, do research, highlight passages and even fill in the fields of a form or sign. the PDF electronically.

Then there are the apps that let you annotate PDFs like, macOS Preview, Xodo, and most mobile PDF apps. They allow you to add comments to PDFs, change the layout of pages, add shapes or arrows to highlight certain passages, and insert new blocks of text or images into the document. You cannot change the original text of the PDF – but you can add annotations to it, just like you would with a printed document.

The most professional PDF software are PDF editors. These programs – Adobe Acrobat, Foxit and many others – mostly look like applications like Office with toolbars and menus and can cost several hundred dollars. They allow you to edit absolutely everything in a PDF. Whether you need to replace an image, edit text, add fields to a form, or edit any other part, these apps are here to do it. They also allow you to create PDF documents or forms from scratch.

Here, we tested both annotation apps and PDF editors and compared how they displayed documents, whether they worked well, and if they could edit PDFs without distorting the original document. We’ve also tried to find the best value for money software – and we looked at four great apps to help you edit, collaborate on a single document, and convert docx to PDF files.

The best PDF editor

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC:

Adobe created the PDF format twenty years ago and its publisher remains the king of the category, despite the fact that many users find its price exorbitant. But a few years ago, Acrobat adopted a new cloud-based subscription format that makes its service affordable for those not on a budget worthy of a business.

The very comprehensive features of Acrobat Pro DC explain why it is still the benchmark PDF editor against which others measure themselves.

Advantages:

• Tabbed interface for easy navigation
• Comprehensive PDF editing features
• Acrobat remains the industry standard for PDFs

Disadvantages:

The richness of features can easily overwhelm the new use

Nitro Pro 12: Better document flow

As an alternative to Adobe Acrobat, Nitro Pro ranks among the best. It is used by more than 10 million users worldwide and more than 650,000 companies – including more than half of the Fortune 500 companies – according to Jeff Kreutz, chief product officer of the company. With version 12, Nitro is working hard to provide businesses and individuals with the means to improve their digital workflow.

The features that make Nitro Pro a popular product for individuals and businesses are still there. You have a full set of content editing tools, editing and markup functions for efficient collaboration between different authors, form filling and signing capability, and multiple security options for them. sensitive documents, including permissions, password protection and deletion of sensitive data. All these essential functions are intuitively organized in a Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface which groups them together in tabs organized by type of task.

Creating and converting documents to PDF is by far the main use of a PDF editor and Nitro Pro has long demonstrated its skills in the field: it can create PDFs from over 300 different file formats, as well as export as Word, Excel or PowerPoint files.

Advantages:

• Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface
• Fully integrated Nitro Cloud to facilitate collaborative work
• Improved document conversion

Disadvantages:

• No dedicated mobile application

Foxit Phantom PDF Business 9

Foxit’s Phantom PDF Business 8 software took third place in our 2017 ranking of the best PDF editors, behind Adobe Acrobat DC and Nitro Pro. Version 9, which is more of an update than a complete overhaul, does not change its place in our ranking, but confirms Phantom PDF’s place as a reliable alternative to Acrobat.

Like Adobe Acrobat DC and Nitro Pro, the two PDF editors it most closely resembles, Phantom PDF also uses an Office-style ribbon interface to organize its various tools. A dozen thematic tabs facilitate navigation in the rich functions of the editor while a sidebar in the document pane allows you to rearrange pages and view comments with a click of the mouse.

Advantages:

Very good features for collaborative work

Reliable conversion for popular formats

Dedicated mobile application

Disadvantages:

Does not work on Mac