Downloading any PDF editor is free. It's not like a gallery where you have to pay before seeing the pictures.

In fact, downloading a PDF editor is not what you should worry about.

You should be asking if using a PDF editor is free. Can you use a PDF editor for free? Is there a free PDF editor?

Before using any PDF editor, you might need to subscribe - in some cases, even before you can enjoy the free trial bonus.

Furthermore, there are no 100% free PDF editors. Nonetheless, I've compiled some of the most affordable ones in this article.

Check them out below!

Affordable Tools For Editing PDFs

Microsoft Word

By design, Word is not a PDF editor like Acrobat or PhantomPDF. Regardless, it can edit PDFs - however, there are a few (but critical) limitations.

For starters, Word can only edit "text-converted" PDFs (i.e., PDFs created using Word). And even for those, the chances are the formatting will be off.

Furthermore, Word can't edit PDFs created from scanned documents.

Here is a quick test to check if your PDF can be edited with Word:

• Open your PDF with a reader

• Hover around the text

• If the text can be highlighted and copied, Word will edit that PDF. Otherwise, Word won't work.

Despite the limitations, Word PDF editing is FREE. And it could be instrumental for simple fixes.

Since Word is not a conventional PDF editor, we'll show you how to use it for PDF editing. Check out this guide:

• Locate the PDF you'd like to edit in your local directory

• Right-click on the PDF and select open with Word

• Start editing

• Save the edited work as a PDF instead of docx or doc.

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Unlike Word, Acrobat is primarily designed to edit PDFs. What's more, this tool is an industry pioneer.

And mind you, Acrobat is not only an industry-leading tool. It is backed by a company with over 26M following online (Adobe) - a company that recently acquired Figma.

And so?

With such a reputation, Acrobat has enough funding to have the best features for editing PDFs. And in practice, it does.

Unfortunately, Adobe doesn't come cheap. Nevertheless, the subscription remains a bargain for the value you'll get.

Pro tip: you can enjoy Acrobat for up to 2 weeks before committing to any payment. That's enough time to find out if the subscription will be worthwhile.

Foxit PDF Editor

Like Acrobat, Foxit PDF Editor is a robust productivity tool. In short, it can do everything Acrobat does.

And here is the best part: Foxit PDF Editor is at least twice cheaper than Acrobat. It is not as beautiful as the Acrobat, but it has something else: simplicity.

The interface of the Foxit PDF editor is similar to Word. It is super-easy to use - even for a 5th grader.

Hope your question has been answered now!