Adobe Acrobat Pro's subscription runs to roughly £19.99 a month for an individual plan, which is a lot to pay if all you really need is to read PDFs, sign the occasional form, or merge a few scanned pages into one file. The good news is that PDF handling is one of the best-served areas for free software — you rarely need to pay for anything beyond very specialised, high-volume business use.
Key takeaway: A combination of free tools — Microsoft's built-in "Print to PDF", a free reader like Foxit PDF Reader, and a free editor like PDF-XChange Editor — covers reading, creating, editing and signing PDFs for almost every home need without a subscription.
Creating PDFs: you may already have this built in
Windows has included a "Microsoft Print to PDF" virtual printer since Windows 10, at no extra cost. Open any document, photo or webpage, choose Print, and select "Microsoft Print to PDF" as the printer to save it as a PDF file instantly. This alone replaces one of the main reasons people buy Acrobat.
Reading PDFs
Windows' built-in PDF viewer is fine for quick glances, but a dedicated reader adds useful extras like annotation, form-filling and better performance on large files. Foxit PDF Reader is a long-standing, genuinely free option (note: separate paid "Foxit PDF Editor" products also exist — make sure you download the free Reader) with fast load times and solid annotation tools. Adobe's own Acrobat Reader remains free too, though it's noticeably heavier and more insistent about promoting paid upgrades.
Editing PDFs
This is where people usually assume they need Acrobat, but PDF-XChange Editor offers a free tier that covers the essentials — adding text, highlighting, inserting comments, filling in form fields, and basic page manipulation (rotating, deleting, reordering pages). The free version does add a small watermark to newly-created content in some export scenarios, which is worth checking against your specific need before relying on it for anything formal.
Tip: For simply filling in and signing a form (rather than deep editing), your web browser can often do the job for free — both Chrome and Firefox include a basic built-in PDF viewer with text and signature tools.
Merging, splitting and compressing
For combining multiple PDFs into one, splitting a large PDF into separate pages, or shrinking file size before emailing, PDF-XChange Editor and Foxit both include these tools in their free tiers. Free online services (like Smallpdf's limited free tier or iLovePDF) can also do one-off merges and compressions directly in a browser, though for anything containing sensitive personal information, a desktop tool that doesn't upload your file to a third-party server is the safer choice.
Before you start: only download PDF software from the vendor's official website (foxit.com, pdf-xchange.com). Free download aggregator sites frequently repackage PDF tools with bundled toolbars or adware — read every install screen and decline optional extras.
- For quick creation: use Windows' built-in "Print to PDF" — no download required.
- For everyday reading and annotation: install Foxit PDF Reader from foxit.com.
- For editing, form-filling and merging: install the free version of PDF-XChange Editor from pdf-xchange.com.
- During installation, uncheck any offers for browser extensions, toolbars, or trial upgrades you don't want.
- Set your new reader as the default PDF app in Windows Settings > Apps > Default apps, if you want it to open PDFs automatically.
| Tool | Best for | Notable limitation (free tier) |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Print to PDF | Creating simple PDFs from any app | Can't edit existing PDFs |
| Foxit PDF Reader | Fast, lightweight reading and annotation | Editing needs the separate paid Editor |
| PDF-XChange Editor (free) | Editing, forms, merging, splitting | Watermark on some new content |
Frequently asked questions
- Can I sign a PDF for free without Acrobat?
- Yes. Foxit PDF Reader, PDF-XChange Editor and even your web browser's built-in viewer can add a typed, drawn, or image-based signature to a PDF at no cost.
- Is Adobe Acrobat Reader (the free one) still worth installing?
- It's a capable, free reader and remains the most widely compatible for advanced form types, but it's larger and slower to launch than Foxit, and prompts you to upgrade to paid Acrobat more often.
- Can I convert a PDF back into an editable Word document for free?
- LibreOffice Writer and OnlyOffice can both open a PDF and attempt to convert it into an editable document, with reasonable results for text-heavy files; heavily formatted or scanned PDFs convert less reliably.