PDF24 Tools vs Stirling PDF (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Stirling PDF: it is third in our ranking of PDF editors, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 3.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
PDF24 Tools grades higher on ease of use. Stirling PDF grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PDF24 Tools
Free online PDF tools paid for by ads, plus an offline Windows app
Stirling PDF
Open-source PDF editor you can run on your own machine or server
Which one is for you
Pick PDF24 Tools if
- Fits if you need PDFs merged, compressed or OCR'd for free
- Works for offices that want a free PDF printer on every Windows PC
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need to change the text already in a PDF, as PDF24 says to convert to Word for that
- Too light for Mac, Linux or phone users who want an offline app, as Creator is Windows only
- Not for you if ads on the page drive you mad, as that's how it's paid for
- Watch out: the online tools process files on PDF24's servers before removing them; only Creator keeps them local
- Tight if you want it linked to your cloud storage or other apps, as no integrations are on record
Pick Stirling PDF if
- Fits if you want PDF tools that keep files on your own machine
- Works for developers who want an API for PDF jobs
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you run a team, as SSO and the team workspace are not on the free plan
- Pricey if you need Team, at $99 a month for up to 100 users
- Watch out: air-gapped use, SCIM, data residency and audit logs need the sales-only Enterprise plan
- Watch out: automation credits cost 1 cent each after the first 1,000 a month
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAPDF24 ToolsVery good | 3.2GPAStirling PDFVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for home and business use, with no limits, and ads on the website pay for it. Creator is a program anyone can download. It costs nothing, but it can't rewrite existing text. | AFree for individuals, with 60+ tools on web, desktop or self-hosted and 1,000 automation credits a month. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free online and in Creator, with no artificial limits and no account. The only cost is the ads on its web pages. | AThe free plan has no cap on the PDF tools a normal person uses; automation credits are 1,000 a month, then 1 cent each. |
| Features | CMerges, splits, compresses, converts, OCRs, signs, redacts and compares, plus a virtual PDF printer. But the editor only adds text and shapes on top: changing existing text means converting to Word first, and that's the core job here. | B60+ tools, an API, an MCP server, pipelines and an in-editor assistant. Gaps named are in team features, not the core tools. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. Pick a tool in the browser and go, with no install or account. | CWeb and desktop apps exist, but the Linux desktop download is a .jar file run by hand, and self-hosting is a setup job. |
| Platforms and integrations | CThe web, plus Creator for Windows. Mac, Linux and phones get the browser only, and there are no integrations on record. | BWeb, Mac, Windows and Linux, plus an API and MCP. No phone apps. |
| Best for | free everyday PDF jobs with no account | free PDF tools you can run on your own machine |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: PDF24 Tools and Stirling PDF. How we grade
Price against what you get
PDF24 Tools has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stirling PDF starts at $99 a month and scores 2.7.
Stirling PDF scores higher, and starts $99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other PDF editors on the chart, none scores higher than PDF24 Tools for less, and 8 score higher than Stirling PDF for less.
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
Where they differ
- Stirling PDF is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Stirling PDF also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| PDF24 Tools | Stirling PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $99 per month for 100 users (Team) |
| Free plan | All tools are free without restrictions or artificial limits, online and in PDF24 Creator, for private and business use; the web pages carry ads. | Free for individuals: 60+ PDF tools on web, desktop or self-hosted, plus 1,000 monthly credits for automation. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Geek Software GmbH | Stirling PDF Inc. |
| Price read from | tools.pdf24.org | stirling.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PDF24 Tools
- The online editor adds text and shapes but cannot change existing text; PDF24 suggests converting to Word for that.
- The offline app, PDF24 Creator, is for Windows only; on Mac, Linux and phones PDF24 works in the browser.
- The free web tools show advertising, which is how PDF24 says it pays for them.
- Online files are processed on PDF24's servers and removed after a short time; Creator keeps them on the computer.
Stirling PDF
- The Team plan is $99 a month for 100 users; SSO and the team workspace are not on the free plan.
- Air-gapped deployment, SCIM, data residency and audit logs need the sales-only Enterprise plan.
- Automation through the PDF Processor uses credits: 1,000 free each month, then 1 cent per credit, prepaid or as used.
- The Linux desktop download is a .jar file that you run manually.
Key features
PDF24 Tools
- Merge, split and compress
- Combine, split, compress and web-optimize PDFs, and rotate, remove, extract or rearrange pages.
- Convert and OCR
- Converts files and images to and from PDF, saves web pages as PDFs and makes scanned PDFs searchable with OCR.
- Sign, protect and redact
- Sign PDFs, add or remove passwords, black out sensitive content, add watermarks and page numbers and compare two PDFs.
- Annotation-style editor
- Write on pages, insert images, shapes and arrows, draw freehand and add form fields; existing text is edited by converting to Word.
- PDF24 Creator offline
- A Windows app with all the tools working offline, so files stay on the computer, plus virtual PDF printers that turn any printable file into a PDF.
Stirling PDF
- 60+ PDF tools
- The editor offers 60+ tools, including redaction, OCR, compression and conversion, on the web, desktop or your own server.
- Private by design
- Stirling says the editor runs on your machine and the source is public, so files do not have to go to a third-party site.
- Self-hosting
- Run it with the official Docker image, on Kubernetes with Helm, or from a .jar file on a server.
- API and MCP
- Every PDF operation can be called from your own systems, with webhooks when a job finishes.
- Pipelines and policies
- The PDF Processor chains operations and applies rules to files as they arrive, with each action logged.
- In-editor assistant
- An assistant can redact, translate, summarize or convert the file you have open when you ask.
Plans
PDF24 Tools
PDF24 Tools$0
The online tools and the PDF24 Creator Windows app, free for private and business use, paid for by ads on the website.
Stirling PDF
Free$0
60+ PDF tools on web, desktop and self-hosted, open source, with 1,000 monthly credits; no card required.
Team$99
per month for up to 100 users
Adds single sign-on, a team workspace and invites, and central control of the tool catalog; more capacity in blocks of 100 users.
EnterpriseCustom
Sold through sales: air-gapped deployment, SCIM provisioning, data residency, audit logs, uptime SLAs and custom terms.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PDF24 Tools or Stirling PDF?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PDF24 Tools is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $99 a month for Stirling PDF. PDF24 Tools is free, and Stirling PDF starts at $99 per month for 100 users (Team).
Which has a free plan, PDF24 Tools or Stirling PDF?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both PDF24 Tools and Stirling PDF have a free plan.
Which platforms do PDF24 Tools and Stirling PDF run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Stirling PDF lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list a web app and a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.