Introduction:
Over the course of 30 years, PDF documents have taken our life and work to a new level with its portability and interoperability. We read PDF books such as novels and game guides, and make PDF business documents such as contracts and invoices. PDF is noticeably an indispensable part of the real world. However, it is still a major pain point to alter a PDF. This is why you need a robust PDF writer which will change that.
A PDF writer is a PDF annotator, creator, printer driver, or editor, letting users easily create, write on PDF files, or perform more sophisticated tasks. Using such a tool will help you gain big efficiencies in your busy work.
This post will walk you through 7 free PDF writers for Windows and Mac.
- SwifDoo PDF (Windows)
- CutePDF Writer (Windows)
- Okular (Windows and Mac)
- Adobe Acrobat ReaderDC (Windows and Mac)
- Preview (Mac)
- PDFescape (Onlinefor Windows, Mac, and all major OS)
- iLovePDF (Onlinefor Windows, Mac, and all major OS)
SwifDoo PDF
If you are looking for a small, quick and rich-featured PDF writer for Windows devices, SwifDoo PDF is at your service. As an all-in-one tool, it comes with 50+ basic and advanced features that enable you to edit, create, convert, write on a PDF, etc. You can add highlights, images, draw lines and shapes in a PDF file, and create a PDF from your Word, Excel, CAD document, and images. It also allows you to make a PDF from your scanner.
When you add a piece of text on a PDF, the PDF document writer provides you with the options for changing the font style, size, and color. You can apply superscripts and subscripts to the text when needed. In addition, SwifDoo PDF lets you directly change the content, add and remove watermarks and passwords, and more. You can free download the reliable PDF writer from Microsoft AppSource or its official website.
Pros:
- Free edit and type text on PDFs
- Support 15+ file formats
- Intuitive and clean UI
- Small memory footprint: 11MB in size
Cons:
CutePDF Writer
CutePDF Writer is a PDF reader, converter, and creator. It installs itself as a printer driver that seamlessly integrates with your applications to make PDF documents. The PDF writer is free to download and use for Microsoft Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11. You can print a Word, Excel, or any other type of document as a high-quality PDF by selecting the printer as this software.
If you need to merge, rotate, resize PDFs, add headers and footers to them, make sure you check the “Edit with Free CutePDF Editor” box before printing. Or you can directly go to the free could-based CutePDF Editor via a browser to upload your PDF.
Pros:
- Enableyou to change document properties, and add passwords to a PDF
- Allow password protection of PDFs with 256-bit AES encryption
- The free PDF writer is tiny with a size of 3MB
Cons:
Okular
Okular is an open-source PDF writer that can be used on Windows, Mac, Linux, and many other operating systems. This is a free software application developed by the KDE community. It lets you open, view, edit a PDF with ease. Specifically, you are able to directly write on PDFs with the typewriter, add notes, underlines, highlights, and copy the selected text and table to clipboard.
The free PDF writer allows users to read comics, EPub books, browse images, and a lot other types of files. You can use its Print feature to create a PDF from an image, Epub or some other supported file.
Pros:
- Completely free
- Easy-to-navigate interface and cross-platform compatibility
- Support PDF, PS, Tiff, CHM, DjVu, Images, DVI, and XPS formats and multiple languages
Cons:
Adobe is a name that may already be familiar to you as a creative software developer and provider. Its famous product, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, is included in the list of the best PDF writers with the ease of use and wide range of features. The software lets you view, print, annotate, sign and share PDFs for free. Its PDF annotating features allow users to add sticky notes, highlight text, and type on PDF files.
The free Adobe PDF writer cannot edit, convert PDF from/to another format, or deal with more complex tasks, so consider purchasing or subscribing to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC if you have the need. What makes Adobe Reader outstanding is that it can interact with all types of content in a PDF, such as forms and multimedia.
Pros:
- Available on both Windows and Mac
- Fast open and write on PDFs
- The range of features cover most common needs
- Multilingual interface for users to adjust language settings, including English, Spanish, French, and Italian
Cons:
- Many features are inaccessible without upgrading to the expensive Adobe Acrobat Pro DC that costs $14.99/month for a year plan
- Big in size and take up a lot of memory, thus may slow down the computer
Preview
Preview is a free pre-installed PDF writer for Mac. It lets you open, view, convert, merge, split, and protect PDF documents and images. You can create or convert PDFs from/to BMP, JPEG 2000, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc. The free software makes it easy as pie to highlight, type text, draw lines, shapes in PDF, and add signatures with TrackPad. This image and PDF file viewer and writer developed by Apple Inc. not only allows you to write on PDF but to edit images your stored and copied to clipboard.
Pros:
- Preloaded freeware to perform common PDF tasks
- Allow you to fill PDF forms
- Have the ability to rearrange PDF pages and remove unnecessary pages
- Neat and clear Aqua graphical user interface
Cons:
PDFescape
PDFescape is a free online PDF writer, reader, editor, and form filler for all major operating systems, including Windows and Mac. It is available in most browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera. You can utilize the web-based application to edit, annotate PDFs and organize pages.
The editing feature lets you insert text, images, links, and whiteout content you don’t need in a PDF document. You can add comments, shapes, and carets to your file. It is easier than ever to crop, rotate, delete PDF pages using this free PDF writer.
Pros:
- Allow users to merge, and edit PDFs for free
- Create and edit form fields
- Come with PDF deskew feature
Cons:
iLovePDF
Another online and free PDF writer worth mentioning is iLovePDF. It integrates a collection tools that enable you to convert, secure, edit, optimize PDF documents, and re-arrange the pages. Like the majority of online software, it can be used for Windows, Mac, and many other OS. The handy web tool has the ability to produce or convert PDF files from /to image, and Office documents.
Pros:
- Let users edit and save PDFs for free without a watermark, such as add text and images
- Compress and repair PDFs
- Accessible via a browser on your mobile phone
- Offer the PDF writer app on iOS and Android
Cons:
Summary
A PDF software application is an essential productivity tool for individuals and businesses today. The 7 best PDF writers in this post enable you to work with PDF files on all operating systems. Among a lot of Windows-based software, SwifDoo PDF may outperform many others with an affordable cost but a diverse spectrum of features.
If you want more options, please refer to the following post.
5 Alternatives to Editing a PDF without Adobe Acrobat
As to high-quality PDF editor, many people would think of Adobe. Are there any other professional PDF editors without Adobe? Keep reading for more PDF editors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some people may like to use a PDF tool on their phone. Xodo PDF Editor stands out among a great many PDF writers for iPhone with a set of practical features. It allows users to comment, convert, create PDF files, and fill forms in them. You can download and run the app on both your iOS and Android devices.
Originally published at https://www.swifdoo.com.
