Guides & comparisons

How to actually get the job done — plus honest comparisons with the tools you already know, including where they are the better choice.

Compare

• A free iLovePDF alternative that never uploads your files — Looking for an iLovePDF alternative? Don’t Hate PDF runs all 69 tools inside your browser — no upload, no watermark, no sign-up, no daily limits.
• A free Smallpdf alternative with no upload and no watermark — A Smallpdf alternative with no upload, no watermark and no sign-up. All 69 PDF tools run locally in your browser and work offline.
• A free Adobe Acrobat alternative for everyday PDF work — Need an Acrobat alternative for editing, merging, compressing and converting PDFs? 69 free tools that run locally — no upload, no subscription.

How-to guides

• How to merge PDFs (without uploading them) — A step-by-step guide to combining PDF files into one document, including how to reorder pages and keep quality — without uploading anything.
• How to compress a PDF without ruining the quality — Why most PDF compression tools blur your text, and how to choose a mode that keeps documents readable — with a safe mode that keeps text selectable.
• How to remove personal data from a PDF before sharing — A practical guide to stripping hidden metadata and redacting Aadhaar, PAN, card numbers and phone numbers from a PDF — and verifying it worked.
• How to split a PDF into separate files — Four ways to split a PDF: page ranges, single pages, fixed chunks or a size limit. Step by step, with no upload.
• How to sign a PDF (and when a visual signature is not enough) — Add a handwritten signature to a PDF in your browser: draw it, click where it goes, download. Plus when you legally need a certified e-signature.
• How to remove a password from a PDF — Remove a PDF password you already know, or lift printing/copying restrictions without one. What is possible, what is not, and why.
• How to edit text in a PDF (what actually works) — Change words inside a PDF without Acrobat: find the phrase, cover it, draw your replacement. What this can and cannot do.
• How to convert a PDF to Word (and what breaks) — Turn a PDF into an editable .docx in your browser. What comes across cleanly, what does not, and how to get the best result.
• How to make a scanned PDF searchable with OCR — Add a selectable text layer to a scanned PDF using OCR that runs in your browser. Free, private, works offline after first use.
• How to redact a PDF so the text is really gone — Black boxes are not redaction. Learn how to permanently remove text from a PDF, and how to verify nothing is recoverable.
• How to add page numbers to a PDF — Number PDF pages with a custom position, format and starting number — including continuing numbering across merged files.
• How to send large files without uploading them anywhere — Three ways to move a big file without a cloud account: peer-to-peer transfer, splitting for email, or shrinking it. All local.

India

• How to compress a PDF for an Indian government portal — A practical guide to the 100 KB / 200 KB / 500 KB / 2 MB upload limits on Indian government and university portals — and how to hit them.
• How to hide your Aadhaar and PAN before sharing a document — Sharing a bank statement, salary slip or KYC document? Here is how to mask Aadhaar, PAN, account numbers and phone numbers properly.
• How to create a GST invoice PDF for your shop — Build a GST-compliant tax invoice in your browser: HSN codes, CGST/SGST or IGST, totals in words. No subscription, no watermark.
• How to merge your CV, certificates and ID into one job-application PDF — Build a single clean application PDF: résumé first, then certificates, under the portal’s size limit. Free and private.

Specific jobs

• Compress a PDF to 100 KB — Reduce a PDF under 100 KB for upload forms and portals. Target-size compression that runs entirely in your browser — no upload, no watermark.
• Compress a PDF to 500 KB — Shrink a PDF under 500 KB for email attachments and upload portals. Local target-size compression — free, private, no watermark.
• Convert PDF to JPG at 300 DPI — Export PDF pages as 300 DPI JPG images — print quality, sharp text. Runs locally in your browser, free, no upload, no watermark.
• Convert PDF to JPG at 600 DPI — Export PDF pages at 600 DPI for large-format printing and archival copies. Runs in your browser — no upload, free.
• Merge PDF files online, free — Combine unlimited PDFs into one document, free and private. Drag to reorder, merge, download — nothing is uploaded to a server.
• Compress a PDF to 50 KB — Get a PDF under 50 KB for strict upload forms. Extreme target-size compression in your browser — free, no upload, no watermark.
• Compress a PDF to 200 KB — Reduce a PDF under 200 KB for online application forms. Local target-size compression with no upload and no watermark.
• Compress a PDF to 300 KB — Shrink a PDF under 300 KB — a comfortable balance of size and readability for application portals. Runs locally, free.
• Compress a PDF to 1 MB — Bring a PDF under 1 MB so it sends by email or uploads to most portals. Local compression, no upload, no watermark.
• Compress a PDF to 2 MB — Reduce a PDF under 2 MB — the usual ceiling on GST portal and tender uploads. Free, local, no watermark.
• Convert PDF to JPG at 150 DPI — Export PDF pages as 150 DPI JPGs — the sweet spot for screen reading, slides and email. Runs in your browser, free, no upload.
• Merge images into one PDF — Turn a folder of JPG, PNG or WebP images into a single ordered PDF. Reorder before converting. Free, local, no upload.

Explainers

• Why is my PDF so big? — Six reasons a PDF balloons in size, how to tell which one is yours, and what actually fixes each — without destroying quality.
• PDF page sizes: A4, Letter, Legal and when to use each — A4, US Letter, Legal and A5 in millimetres and points, why mixing them causes problems, and how to resize a PDF correctly.
• PDF vs DOCX: which one should you send? — PDF locks the layout, DOCX stays editable. When each is the right choice, and the conversion traps in both directions.

All 69 free local PDF tools