The PDFsam Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about PDFsam in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
PDFsam
The Insider’s Guide
Split and merge PDFs offline, with paid Visual and Enhanced editions
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among PDF editors, read from PDFsam’s own pages.
Made by Sober Lemur S.r.l. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from PDFsam’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on PDFsam’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.0
GPA, above 23 of the 28 other PDF editors we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about PDFsam, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It does not edit text inside a PDF, and the visual and editor editions are paid.
- 1
Best for splitting and merging PDFs offline
PDFsam Basic is a free, open source program that splits, merges, extracts, rotates and mixes PDFs offline.
- 2
Paid plans start at $2.91 a month when paid by the year for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free.
- 3
There is a free plan
PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits, for splitting, merging, extracting, rotating and mixing PDFs.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Windows, macOS and Linux.
- 5
Merge and split
Basic merges PDFs with bookmarks and forms, and splits by page numbers, bookmark level or file size.
- 6
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.
- 7
Visual page organizer
Visual lets you drag and drop pages from several PDFs to rearrange, delete, crop, resize or compress them.
- 8
A 3.0 GPA, above 23 of 28
That is against the other PDF editors we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing PDFsam does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
PDFsam at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of PDFsam Visual with all tools, no credit card required
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- Sober Lemur S.r.l., since 2006
- Category
- PDF Editors
- Our grade
- 3.0 GPA, very good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Basic is free outright and has no cap a normal person reaches; paid Visual and Enhanced are separate. |
| Features | C | Merge, split, extract, rotate and mix, done fully, but that is a smaller job than editing: it does not change text inside a PDF. |
| Ease of use | B | No rating on record; a program you install and use, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Windows, Mac and Linux, which are computers only. No phone or web version. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- People who only need to split or merge PDFs and want it free
- Mac and Linux users who want page tools without a subscription
- Buyers who want a one-time license instead of a yearly fee
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$2.91
A month to start, paid by the year, for each person. There is a free plan too
PDFsam has a free plan. Paid plans start at $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free.
PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits.
PDFsam Basic
$0
Free, open-source app to split, merge, extract, rotate and mix PDFs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
PDFsam Visual subscription
$34.90
per user / year, recurring billing
25+ page tools including compress, crop and metadata cleaning, with unlimited upgrades; 2 computers per user.
PDFsam Visual perpetual
$59.00
one-time purchase per user
The same Visual tools without a subscription, with unlimited minor upgrades; 2 computers per user.
PDFsam Enhanced Standard
$69
per user / year
Windows-only PDF editor, with free upgrades and support; 2 computers per user.
PDFsam Enhanced Pro
$89
per user / year
A higher Windows edition of Enhanced; the page does not spell out how it differs from Standard.
Enhanced Pro + OCR Advanced
$129
per user / year
Top Windows edition of Enhanced, with the advanced OCR option.
The free plan
PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits, for splitting, merging, extracting, rotating and mixing PDFs.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of PDFsam Visual with all tools, no credit card required
Read from pdfsam.org on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Education
40% 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.orgOther savings
Volume 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
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: macOS, Windows and Linux
Split and merge PDFs offline, with paid Visual and Enhanced editions. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, works offline, one-time purchase, pDF editing.
Merge, split, extract, rotate and mix, done fully, but that is a smaller job than editing: it does not change text inside a PDF.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
PDFsam is made by Sober Lemur S.r.l., and has been around since 2006.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
23/28
Other PDF editors it is graded above
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
- AFree plan and trialAbove 25 of 28
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 28
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 28
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 28
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 PDF editors. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. PDFsam is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
PDF24 Tools, Sejda, PDFgear, Stirling PDF and PDF-XChange Editor
The 5 tools PDFsam is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
PDF24 Tools
Free
Free online PDF tools paid for by ads, plus an offline Windows app.
- Only PDFsam lists macOS and Linux apps.
- Only PDF24 Tools lists a web app.
- PDFsam is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.2GPA
Sejda
Free plan · from $5 one-time
Web and desktop PDF tools, free within daily limits or by the week.
- Only Sejda lists a web app.
- PDFsam is open source, according to its own site.
- PDFsam can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 3.4GPA
PDFgear
Free
Free PDF editor for desktop, mobile and web with an AI copilot.
- Only PDFsam lists a Linux app.
- Only PDFgear lists a web app.
- Only PDFgear lists iOS and Android apps.
- 3.2GPA
Stirling PDF
Free plan · from $99/mo
Open-source PDF editor you can run on your own machine or server.
- Only Stirling PDF lists a web app.
- PDFsam can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Stirling PDF is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
PDF-XChange Editor
Free plan · from $62 one-time
Windows PDF editor with a free edition and perpetual licenses.
- Only PDFsam lists macOS and Linux apps.
- PDFsam is open source, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is PDFsam free?
PDFsam has a free plan. PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or limits, for splitting, merging, extracting, rotating and mixing PDFs.
How much does PDFsam cost?
PDFsam lists 6 plans. PDFsam Basic: $0.
What platforms does PDFsam work on?
PDFsam is available on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does PDFsam offer any discounts?
PDFsam publicly lists the following: 40% off for students, nonprofits and teachers; Volume discounts on 5+ Enhanced licenses.
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.
Does PDFsam have a student discount?
40% 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.
Does PDFsam have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of PDFsam Visual with all tools, no credit card required.
Who makes PDFsam?
PDFsam is made by Sober Lemur S.r.l. It dates from 2006.
What are the alternatives to PDFsam?
The closest alternatives to PDFsam in our directory are PDF24 Tools, Sejda, PDFgear, Stirling PDF and PDF-XChange Editor.
How does PDFsam compare with other PDF editors?
PDFsam's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 23 of the 28 other PDF editors we grade, and level with 3.
Is PDFsam good value for money?
ToolGPA grades PDFsam A for value for money. 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.
Could I make my own version of PDFsam?
Nothing PDFsam does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from PDFsam’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Sober Lemur S.r.l. Prices change, so check pdfsam.org before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- PDFsam, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pdfsam
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "PDFsam: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pdfsam
Know someone choosing between PDF editors?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pdfsam/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded PDF editors after PDFsam, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- PDF Editors Insider's GuideEvery one of the 29 PDF editors we grade, compared
- PDFgear Insider's GuideFree PDF editor for desktop, mobile and web with an AI copilot3.4 GPA
- Stirling PDF Insider's GuideOpen-source PDF editor you can run on your own machine or server3.2 GPA
- PDF Reader Pro Insider's GuidePDF viewer and editor for Mac, Windows, mobile and web3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what PDFsam’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. PDFsam is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Sober Lemur S.r.l. Prices and plans change: check pdfsam.org before you buy.