Which tool for which PDF job
| Job | Where to do it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Highlight, add notes, draw | Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) | Per Adobe’s Reader page: sticky notes, highlights, strikethroughs and freehand drawing |
| Fill forms and sign | Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), or PDFDistrict for a visible signature and typed text | Reader’s signatures can be typed, drawn or uploaded as an image; PDFDistrict’s Sign PDF and Add Text place a drawn or typed signature and text on any page, but not a certificate-based signature |
| Edit existing text or images | Paid Acrobat Pro, or the original Word/Docs file | Free tools generally cannot rewrite text inside a finished PDF |
| Merge, split, delete, extract, reorder, organize, rotate or crop pages | PDFDistrict | Page-level changes; processed in your browser |
| Add text, an image or a signature on top of a page | PDFDistrict | Add Text, Add Image and Sign PDF add to the page; they do not change existing content |
| Watermark text or page numbers | PDFDistrict | Text watermark and page numbers in six positions |
| A full open-source suite you run yourself | Stirling-PDF | Desktop app, browser UI or self-hosted server; its README lists editing, signing, redacting, converting and OCR |
| Online tools plus a free Windows desktop app | PDF24 | Offers online PDF tools and a free desktop app, PDF24 Creator |
Sources: Adobe, Stirling-PDF on GitHub and PDF24. Third-party details on this page were checked on the services’ own pages on October 3, 2026 and may change; check the current terms before relying on them.
What PDFDistrict does and doesn’t do
PDFDistrict is a free, browser-based PDF toolkit that processes files locally — files are never uploaded. It works on pages and adds new content on top of them; it does not rewrite the text inside them.
- Does: merge, split, delete, extract, reorder, rotate and crop pages; add a text watermark; add page numbers; compress; convert images to PDF and PDF to JPG.
- Also does: add text, add an image or a visible signature on a page; organize pages in one view; convert to PNG or text; remove metadata.
- Doesn’t: edit the text already in a PDF, highlight or comment, fill interactive form fields, convert to Word, or run OCR.
If you need to change wording, edit the source document and export a new PDF; see how to edit a PDF resume or CV for a practical example.
Frequently asked questions
What are the top free tools for editing and annotating PDFs?
For annotation, filling and signing, free Adobe Acrobat Reader. For page-level changes in your browser, PDFDistrict. For a full open-source suite you run yourself, Stirling-PDF. For changing the text of a finished PDF, a paid editor or the original document.
Can PDFDistrict edit the text in a PDF?
It cannot change the text already in a PDF. It can add new text, an image or a visible signature on top of a page, and it works on whole pages: merge, split, delete, extract, reorder, rotate, crop, watermark and page numbers.
Can I annotate or highlight a PDF for free?
Yes, with a reader that supports it. Adobe’s Reader page lists highlights, sticky notes, strikethroughs and freehand drawing as free features.
Is it safe to edit a confidential PDF online?
It depends on the tool. Tools that process files in your browser, such as PDFDistrict, do not send the file to a server; upload-based services do, so check their retention terms first.
Do the page-level jobs in your browser
Merge, split, rotate, crop and more. Free, no account, no upload.
All PDF tools →