The Best Free Nitro PDF AlternativesTop PDF Editors & PDF Readers like Nitro PDF

The best free alternative to Nitro PDF is DottedSign. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Nitro PDF and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Nitro PDF are PDF-XChange Editor, PDF24 Creator, PDFsam and Master PDF Editor.

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Nitro PDF alternatives are mainly PDF Editors but may also be PDF Readers or E-signature Tools.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Nitro PDF .
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Edit, create, convert PDFs with OCR, e-signature, annotation, on Mac, Windows, iOS. Offers industry-standard security and intuitive interface.

More about Nitro PDF
Nitro PDF alternatives page was last updated Feb 3, 2025
  1. DottedSign icon
     167 likes

    DottedSign is the most comprehensive and easy-to-adopt e-signature solution, offering businesses enterprise-level security standards, equipping them for mobile-first hybrid work environment.

    95 DottedSign alternatives
    Future-proof Your Business with E-Signature.

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    DottedSign Features

    1.  Fill PDF Forms
    2.  Email automation
    3.  Signing PDF Documents
    4.  Sign PDF files
    5.  Reminders
    6.  PDF OCR
    7.  Custom data fields
    8.  Periodic Reminders
    9.  Mobile friendly
    DottedSign iconNitro PDF  Icon

    DottedSign VS Nitro PDF

    Is DottedSign a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
    • Almost everyone thinks DottedSign is a great Nitro PDF alternative.

    • DottedSign is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone & iPad alternative to Nitro PDF .

    • DottedSign is the most popular free alternative to Nitro PDF .

    • DottedSign is Freemium and ProprietaryNitro PDF is Paid and Proprietary
  2. PDF-XChange Editor icon
     159 likes

    Feature-rich PDF editor offering direct content editing, ABBYY OCR, viewing, annotation, form filling, PDF merging, compression, and encryption. Operates efficiently offline, requiring no registration and no ads, while providing privacy-focused features and convenient portability.

    144 PDF-XChange Editor alternatives
    Version 10 (2024)

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  PDF OCR
    3.  Add/remove pages
    4.  Edit PDF
    5.  Portable
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  Stamps
    8.  OCR
    9.  Split and merge PDF files
    10.  Create PDF files
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Dark Mode
    PDF-XChange Editor iconNitro PDF  Icon

    PDF-XChange Editor VS Nitro PDF

    Is PDF-XChange Editor a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
    • Some users think PDF-XChange Editor is a great Nitro PDF alternative, some don't.

    • PDF-XChange Editor is the most popular Windows alternative to Nitro PDF .

    • PDF-XChange Editor is Freemium and ProprietaryNitro PDF is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF-XChange Editor is Customizable and LightweightNitro PDF is not according to our users
  3. PDF24 Creator icon
     134 likes

    PDF24 Creator is free and feature-filled PDF creation, merging and conversion tool for Windows. Its unique feature among the free PDF printer tools is an editor, which allows to easily assemble, create and modify PDF files with Drag & Drop.

    145 PDF24 Creator alternatives
    Main window

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Combine PDF
    2.  Convert PDF to image
    3.  PDF OCR
    4.  Print to PDF
    5.  Split and merge PDF files
    6.  Create PDF files
    7.  Add/remove pages
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  PDF compression
    10.  PDF annotation
    11.  Convert images to PDF
    12.  Split PDF files
    PDF24 Creator iconNitro PDF  Icon

    PDF24 Creator VS Nitro PDF

    Is PDF24 Creator a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  4. PDFsam icon
     214 likes

    Free and open source desktop application to split, merge, extract pages, rotate and mix PDF files.

    136 PDFsam alternatives
    PDFsam screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Combine PDF
    2.  Split and merge PDF files
    3.  Edit PDF
    4.  Split PDF files
    5.  Merge Files
    6.  Extract files
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Sign PDF files
    10.  Portable
    11.  PDF annotation
    12.  Fill PDF Forms
    PDFsam iconNitro PDF  Icon

    PDFsam VS Nitro PDF

    Is PDFsam a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
    Comments about PDFsam as an Alternative to Nitro PDF
     
    Cristiano Canguçu

    Not a complete PDF editing suite like Nitro PDF

    Positive commentJun 25, 2023
    0
    Guest

    It lacks a lot of functionalities and is definitely not as user friendly.

    Negative commentFeb 8, 2024
    0
    Guest

    it doesn't work at all, seems useless app.

    Negative commentJan 24, 2019
    -3
    Nitro PDF  Icon
    PDFsam icon
    • Some users think PDFsam is a great Nitro PDF alternative, some don't.

    • PDFsam is the most popular Mac & Linux alternative to Nitro PDF .

    • PDFsam is the most popular Open Source alternative to Nitro PDF .

    • PDFsam is Freemium and Open SourceNitro PDF is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDFsam is LightweightNitro PDF is not according to our users
  5. Master PDF Editor icon
     69 likes

    Master PDF Editor is complete solution for editing PDF and XPS files. You can insert, edit, remove, copy, add images or graphics. Export, import, remove and change page layouts. Also Master PDF Editor provides full functionality for changing PDF information, including author...

    135 Master PDF Editor alternatives
    Master PDF Editor screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub

    Top Master PDF Editor Features

    1.  Multiple languages
    2.  PDF annotation
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Sign PDF files
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  Combine PDF
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No registration required
    10.  PDF compression
    11.  Fill PDF Forms
    12.  PDF encryption
    Master PDF Editor iconNitro PDF  Icon

    Master PDF Editor VS Nitro PDF

    Is Master PDF Editor a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  6. Sejda icon
     30 likes

    Sejda helps with your PDF tasks: edit existing text, split, merge, extract, compress, export to other formats and more.

    91 Sejda alternatives
    Sejda screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    Top Sejda Features

    1.  Edit PDF
    2.  Combine PDF
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Crop PDF
    5.  Sign PDF files
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  PDF compression
    8.  PDF annotation
    9.  Convert PDF to image
    10.  Create PDF files
    11.  PDF OCR
    12.  Convert images to PDF
    Sejda iconNitro PDF  Icon

    Sejda VS Nitro PDF

    Is Sejda a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  7. KDAN PDF Reader icon
     183 likes

    KDAN PDF Reader is tailored for a hybrid workplace, providing AI-driven PDF document services to enhance efficiency in cross-device document management and enable seamless workflows across mobile and desktop platforms.

    249 KDAN PDF Reader alternatives
    KDAN AI - Chat with PDF, Enhance Document Security, Elevate Productivity
Take control, review, and fortify document security effortlessly with our advanced AI chatbot and other AI features.

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Scan documents
    2.  Freehand Writing
    3.  Sign PDF files
    4.  Multiple languages
    5.  Tabbed interface
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Text to Speech
    9.  OCR
    10.  Combine PDF
    11.  PDF annotation
    12.  Fill PDF Forms
    KDAN PDF Reader iconNitro PDF  Icon

    KDAN PDF Reader VS Nitro PDF

    Is KDAN PDF Reader a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  8. PDF24 Tools icon
     13 likes

    The Swiss Army Knife for PDFs.

    132 PDF24 Tools alternatives
    Overview of all tools (July 2019)

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online

    PDF24 Tools Features

    1.  Combine PDF
    2.  Export to PDF
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Create PDF files
    5.  No registration required
    6.  OCR
    7.  Progressive Web App
    PDF24 Tools iconNitro PDF  Icon

    PDF24 Tools VS Nitro PDF

    Is PDF24 Tools a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  9. Skim icon
     91 likes

    Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. It is designed to help you read and annotate scientific papers in PDF, but is also great for viewing any PDF file.

    84 Skim alternatives
    The PDF Window

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Note extraction
    4.  Export annotations
    Skim iconNitro PDF  Icon

    Skim VS Nitro PDF

    Is Skim a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
  10. PDFedit icon
     23 likes

    Free (and open source) editor for manipulating PDF documents. GUI version + commandline interface. Scripting is used to a great extent in editor and almost anything can be scripted, it is possible to create own scripts or plugins.

    87 PDFedit alternatives
    PDFedit screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Discontinued

    The project is no longer updated. Last version, released in May 2014, can be still downloaded from Sourceforge

    PDFedit iconNitro PDF  Icon

    PDFedit VS Nitro PDF

    Is PDFedit a good alternative to Nitro PDF ?
     
10 of 104 Nitro PDF alternatives