Short answer: PDF24 is the best free PDF converter for Windows users who want a program that can run offline, and its homepage calls its tools 100% free. iLovePDF Premium is the lowest yearly price printed on this page, at $60 a year for one user, but its free plan caps PDF to Word files at 15 MB. Adobe Acrobat is worth paying for only if you already work inside it, since Acrobat Reader is free. The rest trade a free plan for a daily, page, or file-size cap, so the table below puts each cap next to its first paid price.
Eight converters compared on what their free plans cap, whether files leave your computer, and the first price that buys more, as of October 2026.
Most people who search for a free PDF converter want one thing: a PDF turned into Word, Excel, or JPG in a minute, without a bill. The catch is that every vendor defines free differently. One caps the size of each file, another caps pages and hourly tasks, and a third gives you a desktop program that works without an account. Each pick below is described in its own unit, because a single price column hides the difference.
PDF24 comes first because its homepage calls its tools 100% free and offers a full Windows program for download, and a Hacker News user says the program has supported offline use for years. iLovePDF is the first paid step most people will reach for, with an annual option. Sejda suits occasional jobs, though its free tier is capped by page count and hourly tasks. Adobe Acrobat is the expensive option, and its Standard plan is the cheapest paid Adobe tier. PDFgear and TinyWow cover the free side, and Smallpdf and Nitro PDF round out the list.
Toolradar data: of the 129 file management tools we track, 65% offer a free, freemium or open-source plan, and 45 (35%) are paid only. Being in the free group does not tell you where the cap sits, so the tables below show each cap and its unit.
Methodology: this guide compares eight tools from the 129 in that category, ranked for a small team or a single buyer. Prices and limits are as of October 2026, and annual prices are labelled as annual. Adobe's Standard and Pro prices were $12.99 and $14.99 a month on an annual commitment in July 2021, from its archived pricing page. The wider shelf is file management, and the editing side of the market has its own guide, best free PDF editors.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
A free Windows program and free online tools, with offline use that one Hacker News user says has worked for years.
Starting price
Free
Best for
Windows users who convert sensitive files and want the program on their own machine.
The lowest yearly price printed on this list, with a per-file free ceiling on PDF to Word.
Starting price
From $5 /mo
4.7 (13,659 reviews)
Best for
Individuals who convert files now and then, and want the processing limits gone.
A browser converter with a capped free tier, and paid plans that lift the limits and add OCR.
Starting price
From $5.92 /mo
Best for
Occasional users who need OCR on scanned files of up to 100 pages.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF24 | Free | n/a | Windows users who convert sensitive files and want the program on their own machine. |
| iLovePDF | From $5/mo | 4.7 13,659 reviews | Individuals who convert files now and then, and want the processing limits gone. |
| Sejda | From $5.92/mo | n/a | Occasional users who need OCR on scanned files of up to 100 pages. |
| Adobe Acrobat | From $19.99/mo | 4.6 8,054 reviews | Teams that already sign and edit in Acrobat and want conversion inside the same app. |
| PDFgear | Free | 4.8 164 reviews | Individuals who want a free desktop program and accept that a paid tier may come later. |
| TinyWow | From $4.17/mo | 2.8 19 reviews | Quick one-off conversions of files that are not confidential. |
| Smallpdf | Check the current price on smallpdf.com | 4.3 6,324 reviews | Users who want many tools in one place and will pay for Pro once the daily caps bite. |
| Nitro PDF | Check the current price on gonitro.com | 4.5 969 reviews | Small teams that want a desktop editor and signing, once the trial shows it fits. |
PDF24
A free Windows program and free online tools, with offline use that one Hacker News user says has worked for years.
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to use
Best for: Windows users who convert sensitive files and want the program on their own machine.
- Pro: Its homepage describes its tools as 100% free and offers a full-featured Windows program as a free download.
- Pro: A Hacker News comment says the offline usage has worked for years, which is the strongest case for a desktop converter here.
- Pro: A desktop program can avoid an upload, which matters for contracts and payroll files.
- Con: The full-featured program is for Windows, so Mac and Linux users get the browser tools.
- Con: Its homepage does not state a size limit, so test one large file before a big batch.
PDF24 Tools is entirely free with no usage caps, making it one of the most generous PDF utilities available.
iLovePDF
The lowest yearly price printed on this list, with a per-file free ceiling on PDF to Word.
- 4.9 on Trustpilot (11,280 reviews)
- 4.7 on Capterra (1,794 reviews)
- 4.6 on G2 (583 reviews)
- Starting price
- From $5/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.7 (13,659 reviews)
Best for: Individuals who convert files now and then, and want the processing limits gone.
- Pro: Premium lists unlimited document processing and 4 GB per file for PDF to Word at $5 a month per user billed annually ($60 a year for one user).
- Pro: The free plan covers the core tools, so small jobs cost nothing.
- Pro: Premium works across web, mobile and desktop, according to its pricing page.
- Con: PDF to Word on the free plan is capped at 15 MB per file in its pricing table.
- Con: Online conversion means the file leaves your computer, so check the privacy terms before you send a contract.
iLovePDF's pricing is very generous, especially with its robust free tier.
- Starting price
- From $5.92/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
Best for: Occasional users who need OCR on scanned files of up to 100 pages.
- Pro: Paid plans include OCR for documents up to 100 pages and uploads up to 500MB per file.
- Pro: The web plan is $7.50 per user per month, or $63 per user per year with the desktop app included.
- Pro: A 7-day web pass is a one-time charge and does not renew.
- Con: The free plan names page and hourly limits on its pricing page without printing the numbers.
- Con: A Hacker News comment from May 4, 2025 calls the free version 'severely crippled', which is one user's view but a fair warning.
Sejda's pricing is fair and competitive, especially with a generous free tier (no signup, but page/hour limits) and a low-cost week pass at EUR 5.50.
- Starting price
- From $19.99/mo
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.6 (8,054 reviews)
Best for: Teams that already sign and edit in Acrobat and want conversion inside the same app.
- Pro: Acrobat Reader is free, and Adobe's pricing page says so with the word 'Always'.
- Pro: Standard and Pro both list create, edit, convert, export and organize PDFs.
- Pro: Conversion sits in the same app as e-signatures, forms and password protection.
- Con: Standard rose from $12.99 to $14.99 a month on an annual commitment, and Pro rose from $14.99 to $19.99, between a July 29, 2021 capture of Adobe's pricing page and the current page.
- Con: A few conversions a month rarely justify Adobe's price, and among the prices shown here it is the highest.
The annual commitment at $19.99/month offers better value, but still represents a significant investment for PDF software.
PDFgear
A free desktop and mobile converter with no sign-up, though its FAQ says some conversion features may be charged later.
- 4.8 on G2 (163 reviews)
- 5.0 on SourceForge (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.8 (164 reviews)
Best for: Individuals who want a free desktop program and accept that a paid tier may come later.
- Pro: Its homepage says the tools let you read, edit, convert, merge and sign PDFs for completely free and without signing up.
- Pro: Its homepage lists apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, and Android.
- Pro: Its published article says it deletes files right after processing when you use the advanced conversion feature.
- Con: Its article, published March 19, 2024 and updated April 2, 2024, says some advanced options, including special PDF conversion features, may carry a fee, with no timeline set.
- Con: Advanced conversion sends files to PDFgear's servers, so the desktop program alone does not cover every task.
This pricing is exceptionally generous, offering a comprehensive suite of PDF tools completely free of charge.
TinyWow
A free online toolbox with 45 or more PDF tools, and a homepage promise of no limits.
- 2.3 on Trustpilot (18 reviews)
- 5.0 on Capterra (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- From $4.17/mo
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 2.8 (19 reviews)
Best for: Quick one-off conversions of files that are not confidential.
- Pro: Its homepage says 'All free, no catch' and 'No Limits, No Sign-Up'.
- Pro: PDF to Word sits near the top of the homepage, so the most common conversion is easy to reach.
- Pro: The homepage lists 45+ PDF tools, as of October 2026.
- Con: 'No limits' is the vendor's own claim, so test a large file before relying on it.
- Con: The homepage prints no price, so check tinywow.com before depending on the free tier.
Given the breadth of tools (AI, PDF, image, video, file management), this is a very competitive price point for individual users or small businesses needing an all-in-one solution.
Smallpdf
A large free toolset with daily download caps per tool, and a Pro plan that removes them.
- 3.8 on Trustpilot (5,014 reviews)
- 4.7 on Capterra (1,005 reviews)
- 4.5 on G2 (305 reviews)
- Starting price
- Check the current price on smallpdf.com
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.3 (6,324 reviews)
Best for: Users who want many tools in one place and will pay for Pro once the daily caps bite.
- Pro: The free plan covers 30+ document tools, so the range is wide before any payment.
- Pro: Pro, according to its pricing page, adds unlimited document downloads, Edit Text and OCR.
- Pro: Team plans add centralized billing and member access management.
- Con: Free downloads are capped per day for each tool, so heavy users reach the cap quickly.
- Con: Pro costs more than the free plan, so check the current price on smallpdf.com before budgeting.
Smallpdf's pricing is fair, offering a generous free tier for basic needs.
- Starting price
- Check the current price on gonitro.com
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 (969 reviews)
Best for: Small teams that want a desktop editor and signing, once the trial shows it fits.
- Pro: The trial gives full access to conversion, editing, OCR and security, with no credit card needed, according to Nitro's FAQ.
- Pro: Nitro's FAQ says the trial has no watermarks or limitations on documents.
- Pro: Its free online tools include PDF to Word, Word to PDF, PDF to Excel and PDF to PowerPoint.
- Con: Nitro's FAQ answers the free-version question with a trial, not a permanent free plan.
- Con: Subscriptions are priced per user per month and billed annually, and a one-time three-year Classic license is also sold, so check the current price on gonitro.com.
The 'Classic' tier offers a one-time payment for three years, which could be cost-effective for basic users, but its specific price is missing.
What a free PDF converter covers
A PDF converter changes a document into another format, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint or JPG, or builds a PDF from Word files and images. Free plans often allow the conversion itself and then cap the work around it: how big a file can be, how many files a day, how many pages a task can hold, and whether scanned pages get text recognition (OCR). Those caps decide whether a free plan does your job.
This guide is about conversion. If you need to change the words already inside a PDF, the free PDF editors guide covers that job, and a few tools appear in both lists for different reasons.
File size and upload location matter more than the sticker price
The first limit most people hit is file size. iLovePDF's pricing table lists PDF to Word at 15 MB per file on its free plan and 4 GB on Premium. That ceiling sounds generous until a scanned contract arrives at 40 MB, and then the paid step becomes the simplest fix.
The second issue is where the file goes. A browser converter uploads the document, and that matters for contracts. A Hacker News comment from June 28, 2026 describes a friend who pasted a confidential contract into iLovePDF to compress it, which is the habit to avoid. Offline programs skip the upload. PDF24 is the Windows option here, and a Hacker News comment says "Pdf24 has been supporting offline usage since forever and works like a charm."
Sejda's free tier draws similar complaints. A May 4, 2025 comment says "Sejda.com does it. Though its free one is severely crippled." That is one user's view, but it matches the vague free-tier wording on Sejda's own pricing page, which names page and hourly limits without printing the numbers.
Key Features to Look For
Upload or offline (Essential)
Browser tools send your file to a server. Desktop programs keep it on your machine, which is why PDF24's Windows program matters for sensitive work. PDFgear's 'Is PDFgear free?' article says it deletes files right after processing when you use its advanced conversion feature, which means that feature does send files out.
Account requirement (Important)
Several free tools here work without a sign-up. PDFgear's homepage says its tools work without signing up, and Sejda's free tier is marked no signup required. Check the first screen before you start a long job.
OCR for scanned pages (Important)
A scanned PDF needs text recognition before a Word or Excel conversion gives usable text. Sejda's paid plans include OCR for documents up to 100 pages, and Nitro's trial includes OCR.
What a paid step changes (Essential)
A paid step can change the cap or the feature list. iLovePDF's table lifts the PDF to Word cap to 4 GB per file, and Sejda's paid plans raise uploads to 500MB per file. Both are cap changes, not new features.
Future pricing (Nice to have)
Some free tools may add fees later. PDFgear's article 'Is PDFgear free?' (published March 19, 2024, updated April 2, 2024) says most features will stay free while some advanced options, including special PDF conversion features, may carry a fee. It sets no timeline.
Vendor claims (Important)
TinyWow's homepage says 'No Limits, No Sign-Up', which is the vendor's own claim. Treat it as a promise to test on a large file, not as a cap figure you can plan around.
Before you pick a free converter
-
Start with your largest file. If your scans are large, the iLovePDF free plan's PDF to Word cap applies to you from the first job.
-
Decide whether the file may leave your computer. Contracts, payroll files and client data should go to a browser converter only after you have read the privacy terms.
-
Count your real volume against the cap. Smallpdf's free plan limits downloads per tool each day, and Sejda's free tier limits pages and hourly tasks.
-
Price seats, not tools. Sejda's web plan is $7.50 per user per month, so five users come to $37.50 a month before any volume discount (our arithmetic on the printed price).
-
Try the desktop option for sensitive files. A desktop program adds an install step, but it avoids the upload.
Evaluation Checklist
Does the free plan convert the format you need, such as PDF to Word or PDF to Excel?
Is the free limit per file, per task, or per day?
Does the tool upload the file, and does the vendor say when it deletes it?
Does the first conversion require an account?
Does the first paid price change the cap, or only the feature list?
Pricing Overview
Free, no sign-up
$0
Free, capped
$0 with limits
Paid step, individual
iLovePDF Premium with unlimited processing, and Sejda's web plan, which is billed per user.
$5 a month per user billed yearly, to $7.50 a month billed monthly (Sejda)
Desktop suite
Adobe Acrobat Standard and Pro billed monthly on an annual commitment, with Acrobat Reader free for viewing.
$14.99 to $19.99 a month
Trial only
Nitro PDF, whose FAQ names a 14-day trial as its free option, with free online conversion tools on a separate page.
14-day trial
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Free plan covers | First paid price |
|---|---|---|
Free online tools and a free full-featured Windows program | None advertised on its homepage | |
Limited document processing, PDF to Word capped at 15 MB per file | $5 a month per user when billed yearly ($60 a year for one user); monthly billing costs more | |
Sejda | Page and hourly limits, limited file uploads, no signup | $7.50 a month per user, or $63 a year per user for desktop and web |
Acrobat Reader, free for viewing | $14.99 a month Standard, $19.99 Pro, billed monthly on an annual commitment | |
Desktop and mobile apps, no sign-up | None advertised, but conversion features may be charged later | |
Free online tools, 'No Limits, No Sign-Up' per its homepage | None printed on its homepage | |
Smallpdf | 30+ document tools with daily download caps | Check the current price on smallpdf.com |
14-day trial, plus free online conversion tools on a separate page | Check the current price on gonitro.com |
Prices and limits as of October 2026, from iLovePDF pricing, PDFgear: Is PDFgear free?, Sejda pricing, Adobe Acrobat pricing, Nitro pricing, Smallpdf pricing, PDF24, PDFgear and TinyWow. Adobe's historical prices come from its pricing page archived on July 29, 2021.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Comparing free tiers by name. Free means a file-size cap at one vendor, a daily cap at another, and a trial at a third.
- ×
Converting a scan before checking OCR. Scanned contracts often need text recognition first, and Sejda's OCR on paid plans covers documents up to 100 pages.
- ×
Uploading a confidential file to a browser tool without reading the privacy terms.
- ×
Buying the first paid plan for one conversion. A few conversions a month rarely justify a desktop suite.
Expert Tips
- →
Test one real file at the size you use most. Each free cap is per file or per task, so a 20 MB contract tells you more than a one-page sample.
- →
Price a team as seats. Sejda's web plan is billed per user, so five users cost five times the single-user rate (our arithmetic on the printed price) before any volume discount.
- →
Ask whether a paid tier changes the cap or the feature list. iLovePDF's table lifts the PDF to Word cap to 4 GB, which is a cap change.
- →
Red Flags to Watch For
-
A free plan that names a limit type but not the number, such as Sejda's page and hourly limits.
-
A trial standing in for a free plan. Nitro's FAQ answers the free-version question with a 14-day trial.
-
A promise with no number behind it, such as 'No Limits, No Sign-Up' on TinyWow's homepage.
-
A fee that may arrive later, such as PDFgear's FAQ warning that some conversion features may carry one.
The Bottom Line
Pick PDF24 if you use Windows and want conversions without an upload. Pick iLovePDF Premium if you convert large PDFs now and need the free file-size cap gone. Pay for Adobe Acrobat only if you already work inside Acrobat, and skip Nitro unless you want a 14-day trial before buying. Skip TinyWow for anything confidential until you have read its privacy terms, because its 'no limits' claim is the vendor's own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which PDF converter is truly free?
What does the iLovePDF free plan cap?
The free plan gives limited document processing, and its pricing table lists PDF to Word at 15 MB per file. Premium costs $60 billed annually and lists 4 GB per file for the same conversion.
How much does Sejda cost?
The web plan is billed per user per month, and the desktop and web annual plan is $63 per user per year, which Sejda says saves 30% over monthly. A one-time 7-day web pass is also available.
Will PDFgear stay free?
PDFgear's article, published March 19, 2024 and updated April 2, 2024, says most features will stay free. It also says some advanced options, including special PDF conversion features, may carry a fee, and it sets no timeline for that.
Is Adobe Acrobat worth it for conversions?
Acrobat Reader is free for viewing. Standard and Pro, billed monthly on an annual commitment, both include conversion, and Pro is $19.99 a month. Pay for it only if conversion sits inside a wider Acrobat workflow, such as signing and forms.
Are online converters safe for contracts?
A converter that uploads your file sends it to a server, so read the privacy terms first. A Hacker News comment from June 28, 2026 describes a friend who pasted a confidential contract into iLovePDF to compress it, which is the habit to avoid.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free PDF Converters in 2026", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-pdf-converters
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