PDFsam review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Split and merge PDFs offline, with paid Visual and Enhanced editions
Black Friday: is there a PDFsam sale?
PDFsam report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for splitting and merging PDFs offline
PDFsam Basic is a free, open source program that splits, merges, extracts, rotates and mixes PDFs offline. It does not edit text inside a PDF, and the visual and editor editions are paid.
Who PDFsam is for
- Fits if you mostly split, merge and reorder PDF pages
- Works for anyone who wants an offline, no-cost page tool
Who PDFsam is not for
- Not for you if you need to edit text inside a PDF, as Basic and Visual work on pages and files
- Skip it if you want the full editor on a Mac or Linux, since Enhanced is Windows only
- Pricey if you want Visual, at $34.90 a year or $59 once, once its 14-day trial ends
- Watch out: Visual's one-time license covers minor upgrades only
- Tight if you need OCR or forms, because those are in Enhanced at $69 to $129 a year
Why PDFsam gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyPDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits.
- AFree plan and trialBasic is free outright and has no cap a normal person reaches; paid Visual and Enhanced are separate.
- CFeaturesMerge, split, extract, rotate and mix, done fully, but that is a smaller job than editing: it does not change text inside a PDF.
- BEase of useNo rating on record; a program you install and use, with nothing to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWindows, Mac and Linux, which are computers only. No phone or web version.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Sober Lemur S.r.l.'s own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/pdfsam#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/pdfsam.svg" alt="PDFsam: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where PDFsam stands among PDF editors
PDFsam's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 23 of the 28 other PDF editors we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 25 of 28) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $2.91 a month when paid by the year for each person, against a middle price of $6.33 for the category: 1 of the 19 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 29 PDF editors we grade, cut by the letter each got. PDFsam’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 21 of 28, level with 7
- AFree plan and trialAbove 25 of 28, level with 3
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 28, level with 17
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 28, level with 21
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 28, level with 8
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 PDF editors. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep PDFsam, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing PDFsam does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 23 of the 28 other PDF editors we grade. It costs $34.90 a year. PDFsam is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Editing the text inside a PDF without breaking its layout.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
What this rests on. PDFsam’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is PDFsam?
PDFsam is a family of desktop PDF apps. PDFsam Basic is free and open source and splits, merges, extracts, rotates and mixes pages. PDFsam Visual adds more than 25 page tools for Windows, macOS and Linux, and PDFsam Enhanced is a separate Windows-only editor with OCR, forms and signing. All work offline.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- Merge and split
- Basic merges PDFs with bookmarks and forms, and splits by page numbers, bookmark level or file size.
- Extract, rotate and mix
- Keep only the pages you need, rotate all or some pages, and interleave pages from two files for single-sided scans.
- Visual page organizer
- Visual lets you drag and drop pages from several PDFs to rearrange, delete, crop, resize or compress them.
- Clean and protect
- Visual removes metadata and annotations, flattens forms and encrypts files with AES 256.
- Full editor on Windows
- Enhanced edits, annotates, fills forms, converts to Office formats, runs OCR and signs PDFs.
- Works offline
- Files stay on your computer: Basic and Visual need no internet connection and upload nothing.
PDFsam pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, PDFsam has a free plan, and paid plans start at $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free.
- Starts at
- $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free
- Free plan
- PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits, for splitting, merging, extracting, rotating and mixing PDFs.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of PDFsam Visual with all tools, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| PDFsam Basic | $0 | Free, open-source app to split, merge, extract, rotate and mix PDFs on Windows, macOS and Linux. |
| PDFsam Visual subscription | $34.90per user / year, recurring billing | 25+ page tools including compress, crop and metadata cleaning, with unlimited upgrades; 2 computers per user. |
| PDFsam Visual perpetual | $59.00one-time purchase per user | The same Visual tools without a subscription, with unlimited minor upgrades; 2 computers per user. |
| PDFsam Enhanced Standard | $69per user / year | Windows-only PDF editor, with free upgrades and support; 2 computers per user. |
| PDFsam Enhanced Pro | $89per user / year | A higher Windows edition of Enhanced; the page does not spell out how it differs from Standard. |
| Enhanced Pro + OCR Advanced | $129per user / year | Top Windows edition of Enhanced, with the advanced OCR option. |
Read from pdfsam.org on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with PDFsam before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Education40% off for students, nonprofits and teachers
Students, nonprofits and public school teachers can get PDFsam Visual's Education plan at 40% off; the page shows $20.94 against $34.90.
Stated on pdfsam.org - Other savingsVolume discounts on 5+ Enhanced licenses
PDFsam says it offers volume discounts on five or more PDFsam Enhanced licenses, through its sales team.
Stated on pdfsam.org
PDFsam alternatives
- PDFsam vs Sejda
Free plan · from $5 one-time
- PDFsam vs Stirling PDF
Free plan · from $99/mo
- PDFsam vs PDF-XChange Editor
Free plan · from $62 one-time
Common questions
Does PDFsam have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. PDFsam is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does PDFsam have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. PDFsam is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is PDFsam open source?
Yes. PDFsam is open source, according to its own site.
Does PDFsam work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.