What's the Best App for Creating PDFs in 2026: 7 Apps Compared

Adobe Acrobat is the essential PDF toolkit, enhanced by AI, where users create, edit, sign and manage PDFs. Its homepage highlights quickly creating and converting PDFs from Microsoft files, images and more into high-fidelity PDFs, turning scanned paper into fully searchable and editable PDFs, and protecting sensitive information with passwords, permissions and redaction. Plans include Acrobat Standard, Pro and Studio, with Studio adding PDF Spaces, AI Assistant and Adobe Express Premium, while a subscription includes desktop software, online tools, the Reader mobile app and the Scan app.

Adobe Acrobat suits users who create PDFs daily and need reliable conversion, editing, signing and protection in one place. Its high-fidelity conversion preserves layout from Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and its Scan app turns paper into searchable PDFs. For a cheaper alternative with similar tools, Foxit fits, but for the fullest PDF toolkit Acrobat remains the standard pick.

Smallpdf offers a free solution to PDF problems, with 30 tools to convert, compress and edit PDFs, including merge, JPG to PDF, sign, edit and compress as its most popular tools. Its homepage highlights working directly on files with text, images, shapes and freehand annotations, digital signatures for forms and contracts, and document management across devices from its web platform. Security features include 256-bit TLS encryption and ISO/IEC 27001 certification with GDPR, CCPA and nFADP compliance.

Smallpdf suits users who create PDFs occasionally in a browser, such as turning images into a PDF or merging documents for a submission. Its tools are simple and fast, and its mobile app adds scanning. For heavy daily PDF work, Acrobat or Foxit offer deeper editing, but for quick browser creation Smallpdf is convenient.

iLovePDF is an online PDF toolset where every tool needed to use PDFs sits at your fingertips, all 100% free and easy to use. Its homepage lists merge, split, compress, convert, rotate, password-removal and watermark tools, plus Word to PDF, PowerPoint to PDF, Excel to PDF, JPG to PDF and HTML to PDF for creation, and Edit PDF for adding text, images, shapes or freehand annotations. Premium adds full access, offline desktop work, advanced OCR and secure e-signature requests, while a desktop app lets users work offline.

iLovePDF suits users who want free PDF creation without installing software, especially converting Office files and images to PDF. Its breadth of free tools covers most everyday creation needs. For offline privacy, Sejda Desktop keeps files local, but for free browser creation iLovePDF is hard to beat.

Foxit PDF Editor is an AI-powered solution for creating, editing, signing and managing documents, available on desktop, cloud and mobile, and described as the number one alternative to Adobe Acrobat. Its homepage notes a familiar ribbon interface, centralized management through an Admin Console, and Foxit DMS included free with every PDF Editor subscription for shared workspaces, version controls and check-in and check-out locking. Every Foxit account includes AI capabilities with 300 credits per month, and PDF Editor+ adds mobile apps, AI Smart Redact and Foxit eSign with 150 envelopes per year.

Foxit suits teams and individuals who want Acrobat-level PDF creation at lower cost, with the option of a perpetual license instead of a subscription. Its DMS and integrations suit office workflows, while its AI tools help with summaries and redaction. For Apple-only users, PDF Expert may feel more native, but for Windows and cross-platform PDF creation Foxit is a strong alternative.

PDF Expert makes it easy to edit, annotate, sign and organize PDFs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its homepage highlights advanced PDF editing on Apple devices, signing contracts in a few taps, fast conversion to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and JPG, form filling with formulas and calculations, and page management for rearranging, extracting, deleting, rotating and merging. OCR recognizes text in scanned documents, while AI-powered Enhance fixes distortions, removes shadows and improves contrast.

PDF Expert suits Apple users who create PDFs from scans, forms and existing documents on Mac, iPad or iPhone. Its speed and native feel stand out on Apple devices, and its one-account model covers all three. Windows users should choose Foxit or Acrobat, but for Apple PDF creation PDF Expert leads.

Sejda helps with PDF tasks through a browser editor and a desktop app, offering the same features online or offline. Its homepage lists a free PDF editor for filling, signing, adding text, links, images and shapes, and editing existing PDF text, plus merge, split, compress, crop, protect, remove restrictions from, watermark, OCR and HTML to PDF. Sejda Web works in the browser with files deleted after processing, while Sejda Desktop works offline with files never leaving your computer, on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Sejda suits privacy-conscious users who want free PDF creation without a subscription, especially with its offline desktop app. Its tool breadth covers creation, editing and conversion in one place. For designed PDFs, Canva adds templates, but for free, functional PDF creation Sejda is a reliable pick.

Canva is a design platform where users create documents, resumes, reports and presentations and export them as PDF. Its free plan includes templates and a drag-and-drop editor that suits beginners, while paid plans add brand kits and premium templates. For creating a PDF from scratch with a designed look, Canva is faster than a traditional editor, since templates handle layout, fonts and images.

Canva suits users who need a good-looking PDF for a resume, portfolio, report or presentation, rather than editing an existing PDF. Its templates save design time, and PDF export keeps the layout intact. For editing or converting existing PDFs, use Acrobat, Foxit or Sejda alongside Canva, but for designed PDF creation Canva's free plan is an easy start.