No subscription · No upload · Completely free

Free Adobe Acrobat Alternative — Fill, Sign, Edit PDF Without Subscription

PDFree is a free browser-based alternative for the most common Acrobat tasks. Fill forms, sign documents, compress, merge, split, and convert PDFs — no subscription, no account, no file uploads.

Fill & Sign PDF — Free See comparison ↓
✓ No subscription ✓ Files never uploaded ✓ No account needed ✓ Works offline ✓ No watermarks on output

Why People Look for a Free Acrobat Alternative

Adobe Acrobat is the standard for PDF editing, but its pricing model means most users pay for features they rarely need:

  • Subscription required for most features — Acrobat Pro starts at around $19.99/month; basic editing, form filling, and compression require the Pro tier
  • Adobe Reader is view-only — the free version only lets you view and add basic annotations; you cannot compress, merge, or fully edit PDFs
  • Cloud integration uploads files — Acrobat's online tools and Document Cloud sync feature sends files to Adobe's servers
  • Heavy desktop software — the full Acrobat app is large, slow to start, and requires installation with admin rights
  • Overkill for common tasks — most users just need to fill a form, compress a PDF for email, or merge two documents

For the vast majority of everyday PDF tasks, PDFree offers a free, browser-based alternative that requires no subscription, no account, and no installation.

PDFree vs Adobe Acrobat — Feature Comparison

Feature PDFree Adobe Acrobat Pro
Price Free forever ~$19.99/month
Subscription required No Yes (for Pro features)
File upload required Never Online tools: Yes
Account required Never Yes (Adobe ID)
Fill PDF forms ✓ Free ✓ Pro required
Add signature ✓ Free ✓ Limited free / Pro
Compress PDF ✓ Free ✓ Pro required
Merge PDFs ✓ Free ✓ Pro required
Works offline ✓ Yes (PWA) ✓ Desktop app only
Open source ✓ GNU AGPLv3 ✗ Proprietary

What You Can Do for Free — No Acrobat Subscription Needed

✏️Fill PDF Forms 🗜️Compress PDF 🔗Merge PDFs ✂️Split PDF 🔐Password Protect 🔄Rotate PDF 💧Watermark PDF ⬛Redact PDF 📸PDF to JPG 📝PDF to Word 📑Extract Pages 🔢Page Numbers

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free Adobe Acrobat alternative?

Yes — PDFree is a free browser-based alternative that covers the most common Acrobat tasks without any subscription. You can fill forms, add signatures, compress, merge, split, rotate, watermark, and protect PDFs — all for free, with no account required and no file uploads.

Can I fill and sign PDF forms without an Acrobat subscription?

Yes. PDFree's Fill & Sign tool lets you type into form fields, check boxes, and add a handwritten or typed signature. All processing happens in your browser — the filled PDF downloads directly to your device without being uploaded anywhere.

Does Adobe Acrobat upload files to a server?

Adobe's online PDF tools and Acrobat Document Cloud integration send files to Adobe's servers. PDFree is completely independent of Adobe — your files are processed entirely in your browser and never reach any server, including ours. Nothing is stored or transmitted.

Does PDFree require an Adobe account?

No. PDFree requires no account of any kind — no Adobe ID, no email address, no password. Open the tool, drop your PDF, and use it. There is nothing to log into.

What can't PDFree do that Acrobat can?

Acrobat Pro offers deep PDF editing (changing text and images inside a PDF), advanced form creation with scripting, certified digital signatures with legal certificates, and deep accessibility features. PDFree focuses on the most common everyday tasks. If you need to rewrite paragraphs inside a PDF or create complex interactive forms from scratch, Acrobat's editing capabilities go further.

Try the free Acrobat alternative

Fill forms, sign, compress, merge — all free, no subscription, no account.

Fill & Sign PDF All PDF Tools

Fill PDF Form

Type in form fields, add signature — runs in your browser, no upload.

Drop your PDF here
No upload — processed entirely in your browser