Top 10 PDF Makers Free & Paid to Recommend [5 Online & 5 Offline]

PDF is widely used by people for work and study. It is an important and advantageous file format because of the excellent compatibility and fixed layout. To help you make PDF easily, we have provided 10 PDF makers, both free and paid. You can select a PDF maker after learning about their features, pricing, pros and cons.

Part 1. Top 5 PDF Creators Offline

Offline PDF creation tools allows you to download and install an app on a device and then make PDF without a network. These tools offers multiple features to you to edit your PDF, but they takes up some storage space on your device.

#1 Coolmuster PDF Creator Pro

Pricing Plans:

• 1 Month License: $19.95/month
• 1 Year License: $29.95/month
• Business License: $39.95/month (For 5 PCs)

Coolmuster PDF Creator Pro allows you to create PDF from other files like Word, Text, Image, Mobi, etc. After the conversion is over, your PDF files will be ready. The content on the original document will be retained on the new PDF file. If needed, you can merge multiple files to one PDF, or split one to more.

Key Features:

• Batch convert various file formats to PDF.
• Merge PDF files.
• Preserve the original format and quality of files.
• Supports multiple languages.

Free Download for PC

 

Free Download for Mac

Pros:

• Three free trial opportunities.
• User-friendly interface, compatible with Windows and MacOS.
• Fast conversion speed and high efficiency.

Cons:

• Does not support PDF editing, annotation, encryption, or signatures.
• Lacks OCR technology, unable to recognize text in scans or images.

#2 Wondershare PDFelement

Pricing Plans:

• Perpetual Plan: $116.99
• Yearly Plan: $71.99/year
• 2-Year Plan: $98.99/2 years

Wondershare PDFelement is not only a practical PDF maker but also a versatile PDF editor. You can create a new PDF, then edit the content, and save the PDF file on your computer. Aside from that, it can convert documents to PDF effortlessly.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive PDF editing capabilities.
• Easy creation, filling, and editing of interactive PDF forms.
• Security features like encryption, password protection, and digital signatures.
• Annotation tools for marking and sharing documents.
• PDF conversion to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more, with reverse conversion.
• Batch processing of multiple PDF files.

Free Download for PC

 

Free Download for Mac

Pros:

• Powerful features with a clean and user-friendly design.
• High-quality PDF conversion.
• OCR functionality for scanned PDF documents.
• More reasonable and affordable pricing compared to Adobe Acrobat.

Cons:

• Automatic updates may impact system resources, causing slowdowns.
• Functionality differences reported between Windows and MacOS versions.
• Customer support may be slow or less responsive.

Also read:

How to Make a Picture a PDF on iPhone in 5 Quick Methods

[PDF Tips] How to Make PDF on iPhone Notes with 3 Quick Solutions

#3 Adobe Acrobat DC

Pricing Plans:

• Monthly: $29.99/month
• Annual, paid monthly: $19.99/month
• Annual, prepaid: $239.88/year

Adobe Acrobat DC, a globally leading PDF maker and editor, helps you create and manage PDF with multiple languages. With it, you can manipulate your PDF without hassle, such as creating, printing, editing, encrypting, etc.

Key Features:

• Create, edit, and manage PDF documents.
• Convert PDF to other formats and support reverse conversion.
• Convert scanned documents into editable and searchable text.
• Create interactive PDF forms for easy data collection.
• Provides security features like encryption, password protection, and digital signatures.
• Annotation tools such as highlighting, underlining, etc.
• Complies with industry standards, supporting PDF/A standard.

Pros:

• Easily create, edit, convert, and sign PDF files.
• Integration with other Adobe software and cloud services.
• Cross-device and cross-platform usability.
• Enhances document accessibility and compliance.
• Facilitates collaboration with teams and clients.

Cons:

• High pricing; additional fees for subscription cancellation.
• Customer support may be inadequate with slow or ineffective responses.
• Software performance may be unstable, leading to crashes, lag, errors, or compatibility issues.
• Some features are less user-friendly, requiring time to learn and master.
• Rapid PDF editing may not be possible without fonts.

#4 PDFescape Desktop

Pricing Plans:

• Premium: $2.99/month (billed yearly)
• Ultimate: $5.99/month (billed yearly)

PDFescape Desktop, a free PDF maker, supports creating and editing PDF files on a Windows PC without the Internet. But if you want to use advanced features, you need to purchase the paid version, but it is affordable.

Key Features:

• Edit text and images in PDF files.
• Annotate and mark PDF files, including adding free text, drawings, shapes, and notes.
• Merge multiple PDF files into one document.
• Convert PDF files to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, images, etc.
• Add watermarks and page numbers; compress PDF files to reduce size.

Pros:

• Create PDFs from hundreds of file types.
• Supports advanced business features at a more affordable price.
• Intuitive interface with timely and effective customer support.

Cons:

• User feedback suggests reduced usability after updates.
• Unable to edit text in existing PDF files.
• Reported issues with hyperlink functionality.

#5 Image to PDF - PDF Maker

Pricing Plans:

• $1.99 per item

Image to PDF - PDF Maker is not only a powerful PDF maker but also a reliable PDF scanner that can convert images (jpg, jpeg, png, etc.) into PDF files. You can use its features for free!

Key Features:

• Convert various images to PDF and adjust image size, crop, annotate, and rotate as needed.
• Automatically sort images and PDF files by name, size, creation date, modification date, etc.
• Reduce PDF size through compression.
• Set passwords to protect your PDF files.
• Quick search feature for easy file location.

Pros:

• Intuitive interface.
• Comprehensive features with fast and high-quality processing.
• Supports Google Drive sharing.

Cons:

• Excessive advertisements.
• Not entirely as claimed to be 100% free.
• Some users report easy crashes on their mobile devices.

Part 2. Top 5 PDF Creators Online

Online PDF creation tools are those which are available on webpages so that you can make PDF online. You needn't download or install an app on your device, but they may have some limitations on file size, quantity, ads, etc.

#1 tools.pdf24.org

Pricing: Free

Ads: Yes, but does not impact usage

File upload sources: Local, Google Drive, Dropbox

Simultaneous task limit: Unlimited

Maximum number of uploaded files: 10

Maximum file size for upload: 50MB

Key features: Completely free.

#2 www.freepdfconvert.com

Pricing:

• $6/month
• $48/year
• $99/lifetime

Ads: None

File upload sources: Local, URL, Google Drive, Dropbox

Simultaneous task limit: 1

Maximum number of uploaded files: 2/hour

Maximum file size for upload: 1GB

Key features: Easily convert to and from PDF in seconds, along with other PDF file operations.

You may also need:

Comprehensive Guide | How to Make PDF Searchable via OCR/Conversion

How to Make PDFs Non-Editable/Read-Only Without/with Passwords

#3 smallpdf.com

Pricing:

• Pro: $9/month
• Team: $7/month

Ads: None

File upload sources: Local, Google Drive, Dropbox, Smallpdf account

Simultaneous task limit: 2

Maximum number of uploaded files: 2

Maximum file size for upload: 15MB

Key features: Easily convert to and from PDF in seconds, along with other PDF file operations.

#4 www.ilovepdf.com

Pricing: $4/month

Ads: None

File upload sources: Local, Google Drive, Dropbox

Simultaneous task limit: 3

Maximum number of uploaded files: 3

Maximum file size for upload: 15MB

Key features: Easily convert to and from PDF in seconds, along with other PDF file operations.

#5 www.zamzar.com

Pricing:

• BASIC: $18/month
• PRO: $30/month
• BUSINESS: $49/month

Ads: None

File upload sources: Local, URL, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive

Simultaneous task limit: 5

Maximum number of uploaded files: Unlimited

Maximum file size for upload: 50MB

Key features: Besides supporting PDF file conversion, it also supports conversion of other file formats, including video and audio.

Conclusion

Whether a PDF maker is nice or not depends on the user's requirements. Thus, please select a PDF creation tool based on your demands. Then you can breezily create and edit your PDF files. If you plan to make PDFs by conversion, Coolmuster PDF Creator Pro will be a outstanding helper. But if you want more editing features, Wondershare PDFelement and Adobe Acrobat will be better. Also, those online makers are worth a try.

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