Best PDF Editors for Linux

Brief: It is not an easy task to find a good PDF editor for Linux. But we still tried to create a list of PDF editing tools in Linux for you.

Linux systems do not come with a default PDF editor. If you are in need of an application which can do some basic editing stuff, there are many options available. However, when it comes to a software which provides advanced facilities like Adobe Acrobat for your Linux system, the choices are limited. For basic stuff, LibreOffice Draw can help you. The other two options, PDF Studio and Master PDF are fully featured PDF editors available for Linux users.

1. LibreOffice Draw [FOSS]

LibreOffice draw provides a handy way of editing a PDF file. If your requirements are very limited and mostly text editing in a PDF document, Draw will serve your purpose. It is not a full-fledged PDF editor and comes with some limitations like you can’t edit a scanned PDF document.

We have a detailed article on how to edit PDF files using LibreOffice draw.

LibreOffice is free and comes bundled with most of the distributions.

2. PDF Studio [Not FOSS]

PDF Studio is a commercial PDF editor with all the necessary PDF editing features. You can create, review and edit a PDF file.

Features

Edit text contents and properties, shapes and path objects, move and resize images and optimize PDFs to reduce file size.
Add sticky notes, text boxes, freehand annotations, hyperlinks etc.
Attach a file to a PDF document
Features an interactive form designer, fill in and save interactive PDF forms and flatten any form fields.
Scan papers directly to PDF and extract, insert or delete pages.
Apply headers, footers, watermarks and custom actions.
Add password to a PDF document and digitally sign a PDF document.
Supports advanced features like text search, comparing 2 PDFs side by side, Rulers and grid views.
Supports a touch mode for touch screens laptops.

Installation

Get a .deb package from the official page. and install it using dpkg.

Or download the installer script from the official download page. Navigate to the download folder and type in the below command start the installation.

sh ./PDFStudio_v12_0_3_linux64

The content editing is available only in PDF Studio Pro Edition and costs a one-time $129. You can get a free trial before buying the full version.

3. Master PDF Editor [Not FOSS]

Master PDF Editor is another proprietary application for editing PDF files. With Master PDF Editor, you can do almost everything ranging from editing a PDF file to editing scanned documents and signature handling.

Features

Add or edit text in a PDF file, insert images, change the size of objects and copy objects from a PDF file to clipboard.
Provides powerful annotation tools like Sticky notes, measuring tools and shapes, enhancing capabilities like strikethrough, underline and highlights.
Support creation, editing and filling of PDF forms.
Edit scanned documents and documents containing images.
Merge or split a PDF file; create, edit or remove bookmarks.
Supports digital signature and much more.

Installation

Both commercial and free version of Master PDF editor is available for Linux. The free version comes with some limitation like digital signatures, encryption or watermarks are not available. If you just need to create or edit a PDF file, you can still opt for the free version and get your work done. Commercial version costs $50.

Both .deb and .rpm package are available to download and you can get them from here.

Final Words

There are many other PDF editors available for basic editing as well as for advanced users. People like me always get the work done from LibreOffice while some need tools like Master PDF editor and PDF studio. Which PDF editor do you use, let us know in the comments section?

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