Choosing a PDF tool based on the output you need
By PDFEditor.ae · Published
Start from the output
Decide what file you need at the end — one PDF, several PDFs, an editable document or images — then pick the tool that produces it. Each tool below lists its main limitation.
I need one PDF
- From several PDFs → Merge PDF (up to 20 files).
- From photos → JPG to PDF or PNG to PDF (images are not made searchable).
- From Word, Excel or PowerPoint → their own Save as PDF for exact layout; our converters are text-only.
I need a changed PDF
- Add text, images or a signature → Edit PDF or Sign PDF (visual signature, not a certificate).
- Fill a form → Fill PDF (does not detect form fields).
- Remove content → Redact in Edit PDF (the page is flattened to an image on download).
- Smaller file → Compress PDF (lossless; photos do not shrink).
- Pages changed → Delete, Extract, Reorder or Rotate.
I need something other than a PDF
- Editable text → PDF to Word (text only, no OCR).
- Spreadsheet rows → PDF to Excel (rows of text; tables need splitting).
- Images of pages → PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG.
I need it protected
Protect PDF adds an open password with AES-256 encryption.