The PDF format is a great way to read, especially eBooks. When they were first conceptualized, it was intended to be a document that users couldn’t edit. This is one reason why you see so many open source PDF editor projects being abandoned (like PDFEdit which was updated last in 2012). After all, if you wanted an editable document, there is always Microsoft Word or Google Docs, right?

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The fact that Adobe has little documentation available on the topic doesn’t help either. A lot of people are under the impression that PDF is a proprietary format by Adobe, which is not true. It was until 2008 when it was released as open-standard.

When it comes to editing PDF files, Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC is the industry standard, but it’s quite expensive as well ($15 per month). But fret now, there are still free and open source PDF Editors available for Windows and Mac. Let’s see what they are.

Open Source PDF Editors for Windows

1. Using Word to Convert and Edit

While MS Word is not open source, it’s still is a worthy option, if it’s already installed on your Windows computer. We tend to give far less credit to Microsoft Word then it deserves. You can use Word to convert PDF to Word, edit it and convert it back to PDF on the fly.

Here is how it works, launch Word on your PC. Click the File button and click Open.

Locate the PDF file on your system that you want to edit and open. If you can only see Word files and not PDF files, click on All Files from the drop-down menu on the lower left. By default, Word is set to look for its own kind.

Word will work its magic and open the file in .docx format. If you don’t know what that is, you don’t need to. Just edit the document and when you are done, click the file button again.

This time, you will click Save As as and choose file type as PDF.

The process is fairly simple and doable. You may see a popup during the process asking you to confirm your choice. Click OK in that case. If you don’t have MS Word installed, you can also use Google Docs online, the process is pretty much same.

The problem with Word is that it is inconsistent when it comes to converting from PDF to Word. This is why I went looking for other options.

Also Read:5 Best PDF Editor Apps For Android

2. Inkscape

Inkscape is another open source PDF editors but it picks up things where LibreOffice lefts. Inkscape primarily uses vector graphics to open and edit PDF files. This means better performance, more features, and more options to edit images embedded within the files.

Inkscape is available in portable version. Portable versions are directly executable files that you can use to open and use the software without having to install them on your PC.

How to use Inkscape to Edit PDF?

To get started, import your PDF with Inkscape, making sure the “Import text as text” option is selected. After you import it, double-click on the text line, and you can start editing it. Once you have made desired changes simply save the file as pdf. And that’s it.

The UI is more user-friendly compared to LibreOffice, more control over images and graphics, and completely free and light-weight. Where it falls short is speed. The tool is slow which can irk some people.

Download Inkscape (Free)

3. Apache OpenOffice Draw

Apache OpenOffice Draw is similar to Inkscape in that it is a drawing tool that you can use to edit PDF files. It is a graphics editor so you can easily edit images and vector in your PDF.

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OpenOffice made the list because it is more stable and comes with additional features. The UI is a lot better. It has a built-in spell checker and offers more editing options.

How to use Apache OpenOffice Draw

After you have installed using the link below, you will have to install the import extension. Now, launch the software, click on Tools-Extension Manager-Add. This should open a popup. Find the extension file on your Windows and double-click to install it.

From here, the steps are same. Click on File and find the PDF file you want to edit to open it.

Download OpenOffice Draw (Free)

Open Source PDF Editors for Mac

1. Formulate Pro

Formulate Pro will allow you to view, edit, and redact PDF files. It comes with cloud support so that you can store your documents online and access them anywhere, anytime.

You can add text (there is an option to change the font as well to match the original copy) sign PDF files, and protect it with passwords as well as permissions. This is a good feature if the file contains sensitive information. It comes with a converter so you can convert files back and forth.

You can add or edit images as well, and there is support for OCR technology. Although the software hasn’t been updated since 2009, it worked fine in our testing.

Download Formulate Pro (Free)

2. LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice has long been the favorite open source office suite. It is robust, free, and the community is awesome. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux platform.People who are used to Microsoft suite of apps may not appreciate the UI which is less than stellar, but you don’t get everything in life.

LibreOffice Draw will allow you to edit PDF files easily. You can import, export, add or remove pages, text, and images, and even digitally sign your PDF file. The process remains the same. Click Open and choose the PDF file. I am using it on my Linux powered laptop, but you can also use it on Windows.

What you don’t get is cloud option. Once again, though LibreOffice was working fine for me, some of our users came back frustrated by file types. You see, I mentioned that Adobe has some proprietary add-ons which make it difficult to edit all PDF files.

Download LibreOffice Draw (Free)

3. Scribus

Scribus is an open source page layout and PDF editor that is available for not only Mac, but also Windows and Linux platform. You can use it to create and design interactive PDF files. There is a lot of choice when it comes to color management.

Think of it as Adobe InDesign. A really handy tool for desktop publishing. This is what sets it apart from other document management tools available on the Internet. U,nlike some other PDF editors, Scribus developer team remains active.

The UI is fairly easy to understand and mimics that of Adobe. There is support for colors, font types, and images. There is a drag and drop functionality that you can use to move things around and resize them once they are placed inside the page.

Download Scribus (Free)

Best PDF Editor – Web

1. PDFescape

While PDFescape is not an open source PDF Editor, it’s still a worthy option, as it’s free and can be open from your favorite web browser. There is no messy installation process involved. There is also desktop version, which lets you edit PDF documents without internet connections.

Once you go to the website, you can either create a new PDF document from scratch or edit an existing one by uploading it from the hard drive. Next, to edit a PDF document, you can quickly add text, white out previous content, add images, and digitally sign documents.

The web app is free to use, if the PDF files is less than 10 MB and 100 pages, which is more than sufficient for most users. However, if you decide to remove these restrictions, you can upgrade to pro plan for $2.99 per month.

Try PDFescape

Wrapping Up: Open Source PDF Editors

MS Word is a good PDF editor for Windows if it is working for you. Otherwise, you can either go for Apache OpenOffice Draw to edit your PDF files. It is a little slow but still better than the ones I reviewed.

For Mac users, Formulate Pro is free and works nicely but if you are looking for more features and functionalities.

GoodNotes is a premium handwritten notes app that can come surprisingly close to the old pen-and-pencil experience. You get the added goodness of cloud saving and multimedia support. Gui scp for mac. GoodNotes is a no-brainer if you’re a frequent Apple Pencil user with money to spare. However, as a premium app ($7.99 for GoodNotes 5), it’s quite expensive. And as an iOS-exclusive, you’re out of luck as a Windows or Android user. Have a look at these GoodNotes alternatives: From open source desktop note-takers to freemium Android solutions to a genuine GoodNotes competitor on iOS, we’ve covered the whole spectrum of alternatives here.

Read: Take a Picture of Handwriting And Convert to Text – Android Apps

Goodnotes Alternatives

1. Notability

Who it’s for: iOS users looking for a premium paid alternative to Goodnotes

A premium iOS app that makes full use of Apple Pencil, iCloud, and iOS multitasking. Sounds like GoodNotes? Well, that’s because Notability is a genuine, premium iOS alternative to GoodNotes. While the free and freemium note-taking apps on iPad are great for jotting down notes in a pinch, they lack the close platform integration that Notability and GoodsNotes have. Like Goodnotes, notability offers handwriting recognition combined with Apple Pencil support, but it also offers some unique features like – voice-over recording for lectures, split-screen view, etc.

iCloud supports means that you don’t have to subscribe to a third-party cloud service, as you do with Metamoji or Noteledge (coming up next). Multitasking support shines on the iPad: you can use up to two separate note spaces at a time. While this might all sound great, the $12 price tags (in-app purchases extra for themes) make this a hard sell unless you’re an iPad user who takes notes frequently (for college or work, for instance). If you just dabble with note-taking from time to time, you’d be much better served by one of the free options here.

Platform:iOS, iPadOS

Pros:

  • Tight iOS integration with Apple Pencil and iCloud support
  • Handwriting recognition

Cons:

  • Very expensive for a note-taking app

2. Xournal

Who it’s for: Desktop users who want a basic, local note-taking app

Windows don’t seem like an ideal platform for hosting a handwritten notes app at first blush. Who’d connect a drawing tablet to their PC just to take notes? But Xournal proves that there’s always a solution if you look hard enough. Xournal is an open-source project that works on Windows, Linux, and OSX. Xournal has a very simple interface that’s designed to look like a ruled notebook.

Instead of a blank canvas, you get notebook-like lines to write between. You can use the interface to change the color and thickness of the written notes. A caveat is that Xournal doesn’t support handwriting recognition, so your written notes stay as they are. However, you can add in text fields to type in. Another drawback is that Xournal doesn’t have cloud support. The notes you take are saved locally. You can prints notes out and export them to PDF, though.

Platform:Windows, Linux, and Mac

Pros:

  • Free and open source
  • Works on desktop OSes

Cons:

  • No handwriting to text support
  • No cloud-based remote access

3. Metamoji Note

Who it’s for: Power users who want a cross-platform app that’ll work on desktop and mobile

Metamoji Note’s key highlight is just how interoperable it is. This app works on Windows, Android, and iOS. This means that no matter what device you’re using, you’ll be able to view and edit your handwritten notes on the fly. Like Xournal, it doesn’t support handwriting recognition. However, you’re able to add text notes through a separate text field. You’re free to adjust the color, thickness, and other aspects of your handwriting presentation.

One area in which Metamoji Note has a leg up is in terms of cloud sharing. Enabling cloud sync will let you sync your Metamoji notes to the Metamoji server. You can then pick up and play on any of your devices. Metamoji Note Lite is free and there is an optional in-app purchase if you want what they describe as “advanced cloud features.” But We found the Lite version to be more than adequate.

Platform:Windows, Android, and iOS

Pros:

  • Free to download
  • Available on multiple platforms
  • Cloud note sharing

Cons:

  • Slightly dodgy sign-up process

4. Fiinote

Who it’s for: Android and Windows users want an alternative to iOS-exclusive note-taking apps

Fiinote is a great solution if you’re not an iOS user. Cross-plat support between Windows and Android mean that you can have a pickup and play experience like Metamoji, sans Apple devices. Fiinote is technically a freemium app, but the only limitations in the free version are a lack of encryption, in-app ads, and limited attachment space. These ads aren’t present in the Windows version at all.

Fiinote’s Android app is very accomplished: You get a notebook-like interface with handwriting and text support. You can write with your finger anywhere on the screen and the app scales this down and intelligently aligns the text with the notebook lines. You even get handwriting recognition: Long-press a handwritten item and select handwriting recognition and the app will convert it into text. The Windows app isn’t as robust, lacking handwriting recognition and generally harder to use. Nevertheless, it’s a great package overall.

Platform:Windows and iOS

Pros:

  • Cross-platform between Android and Windows
  • Handwriting recognition
  • Intelligent formatting and alignment

Cons:

  • Windows app not as robust

5. Noteledge

Who it’s for: Users who want the most versatile note-taking app possible

Noteledge adopts a “throw everything and the kitchen sink” approach to note-taking. Whereas apps like Xournal are content with just giving you handwriting and text input, Noteledge bills itself as a “multimedia” note-taking solution. What this means is that, in addition to handwritten notes, you’ll be able to add in sound recordings, typed text, videos, images, and other media. While this sounds great in theory, I found the app to be difficult to use in practice, at least on Android.

The app defaults to the handwriting/drawing mode. There’s no writing recognition here and your handwriting isn’t scaled down, so you can very easily fill up entire pages. If you want to add in other content, you’ll need to go to the attachment tab and add in a box for text, video, or something else. In my experience, Noteledge worked better as a general jotting pad–you can throw doodles, sound recordings, or whatever else at it and save them thanks to the cloud sync features.

Platform:Windows,iOS, Mac, and Android

Pros:

  • You can add all kinds of media to notes, in addition to handwriting
  • Cloud sync

Cons:

  • The interface is clunky, especially on Android phones

6. Squid

Who it’s for: Android users who want a robust note-taking solution

The last item on our list is something of a rarity: An Android-exclusive productivity app. That right: iOS users will have to miss out on Squid (though of course, they get GoodNotes and Notability, among others). Squid keeps things simple. You get a selection of page ruling options, from a blank canvas to college ruling and wide ruling among others. You then get to scribble between or on top of the lines. You can adjust brush color, width, and pressure sensitivity, too. Squid doesn’t have handwriting recognition, so your scribbles are just that–scribbles.

Squid also has a handy PDF notation feature that lets you import PDFs and write on them. While the interface is nice and its easy to start taking notes down, Squid comes with a major caveat: Many important features, like cloud saving and even adding text boxes, are locked behind a paywall. Squid premium costs a dollar a month. This isn’t much but it’s really only giving you what Fiinote offers for free. The app also gives you the option of unlocking the “Tool pack” for $3. This lets you add text boxes and gives you a smart eraser tool. To be honest, this felt a little cheap.

Platform: Android

Pros:

  • Neatly designed interface
  • Easy to just start taking notes

Cons:

  • Important functions are locked behind a paywall

Closing Words: Goodnotes Alternatives

Each of these apps has its own advantages and drawbacks. If you want a full-fledged iOS to GoodNotes, Notability is the default port of call. It’s very expensive for what it offers, though. Xournal offers Windows users a no-frills note-taking experience but the lack of cloud saving adds to the inconvenience. Squid would be great for Android users except that it locks so many features behind a paywall. Fiinotes gives you almost everything Squid offers for free, with a Windows app to boot. The Windows app isn’t as robust as the Android version, though. And lastly, Noteledge is what you want to check out if you want a note-taking app that does everything, though its clunky interface makes it hard to use in practice.