Alternatives · PDF Editors
PDFsam alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best PDFsam alternative for most people is PDFgear (3.4 GPA), first in our ranking of PDF editors. It's also the best free one.
PDFsam compared with 5 alternatives: PDF24 Tools, Sejda, PDFgear, Stirling PDF and PDF-XChange Editor.
PDFsam has a free plan. Paid plans start at $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free. All 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan.
Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a PDFsam sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFsamThis tool | Free plan · from $34.90/yr | Yes | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| PDF24 Tools | Free | Free | Web, Windows |
| Sejda | Free plan · from $5 one-time | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| PDFgear | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Stirling PDF | Free plan · from $99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| PDF-XChange Editor | Free plan · from $62 one-time | Yes | Windows |
Price against what you get
PDFsam starts at $2.91 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 1 of the 3 alternatives on this chart scores higher and starts lower: PDFgear.
Stirling PDF scores higher without starting lower. PDF24 Tools starts lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from PDFsam
PDF24 Tools
Free online PDF tools paid for by ads, plus an offline Windows app
- PDF24 Tools is free.
- PDF24 Tools also lists a web app.
- PDF24 Tools lists no macOS and Linux apps, which PDFsam has.
Suits: Anyone who needs common PDF jobs done for free with no account
Sejda
Web and desktop PDF tools, free within daily limits or by the week
- Sejda starts at $5 per user for 7 days, paid once, with no renewal.
- Sejda also lists a web app.
- Sejda also covers forms.
Suits: One-off jobs: a week pass covers a short burst of PDF work
PDFgear
Free PDF editor for desktop, mobile and web with an AI copilot
- PDFgear is free.
- PDFgear also lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension.
- PDFgear lists no Linux app, which PDFsam has.
- PDFgear also covers forms.
Suits: Anyone who wants a full PDF editor without paying or signing up
Stirling PDF
Open-source PDF editor you can run on your own machine or server
- Stirling PDF starts at $99 per month for 100 users (Team).
- Stirling PDF also lists a web app.
- Stirling PDF is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Stirling PDF also covers workflow automation.
Suits: People who want a free, open-source editor with no account limits
PDF-XChange Editor
Windows PDF editor with a free edition and perpetual licenses
- PDF-XChange Editor starts at $62 per user, one-time purchase.
- PDF-XChange Editor lists no macOS and Linux apps, which PDFsam has.
Suits: Windows users who want to pay once rather than subscribe
Limits worth knowing in PDFsam
- Only Basic is free; Visual's trial ends after 14 days, though merge, mix and two split tools stay free.
- PDFsam Enhanced, the full editor with OCR and forms, is for Windows only; Mac and Linux users get Visual.
- Basic and Visual work on pages and files; they do not edit text inside a PDF.
- Visual's perpetual license includes minor upgrades only; free upgrades are tied to the subscription.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to PDFsam?
The alternatives to PDFsam in this directory are PDF24 Tools, Sejda, PDFgear, Stirling PDF and PDF-XChange Editor. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with PDFsam.
Is there a free alternative to PDFsam?
Yes. PDF24 Tools and PDFgear are free to use. Sejda, Stirling PDF and PDF-XChange Editor have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which PDFsam alternatives work on Android?
The PDFsam listing does not include an Android app. PDFgear lists one.
Which PDFsam alternatives work on iOS?
The PDFsam listing does not include an iOS app. PDFgear lists one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.