PDF24
An enormous free toolbox for merging, converting, compressing, OCR, editing, signing, redacting, and more; the offline desktop app is Windows-only.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- License
- proprietary, free
- Hosting Model
- Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud)
- Platforms
- desktopwebone-click install
- Installation
- Use the hosted tools in a browser, or install PDF24 Creator for offline use on Windows
- Operational Setup
- The private offline desktop suite is Windows-only; other operating systems must use the upload-based web tools
- Where Your Data Lives
- PDF24 Creator processes documents locally on Windows; web-tool uploads are encrypted in transit, processed on PDF24's servers in Germany, and automatically deleted after about one hour
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It covers common jobs, but direct text and object editing, complex form authoring, accessibility remediation, prepress, and enterprise signing are materially weaker than Acrobat Pro.
Replaces 5 paid apps
up to $72.32/mo ($868/yr) in subscriptions
PDF24 FAQ
Common questions
Is PDF24 free and open source?+
PDF24 is a free tool that runs on local or hosted. An enormous free toolbox for merging, converting, compressing, OCR, editing, signing, redacting, and more; the offline desktop app is Windows-only.
What paid software does PDF24 replace?+
PDF24 serves as a free replacement for 5 paid SaaS applications: Adobe Acrobat Pro, Foxit PDF Editor, iLovePDF Premium, Nitro PDF Pro, Sejda Web, saving up to $72.32/month ($868/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up PDF24?+
Installation: Use the hosted tools in a browser, or install PDF24 Creator for offline use on Windows. Setup notes: The private offline desktop suite is Windows-only; other operating systems must use the upload-based web tools
What is the catch or trade-off with PDF24?+
It covers common jobs, but direct text and object editing, complex form authoring, accessibility remediation, prepress, and enterprise signing are materially weaker than Acrobat Pro.