Annotate PDF
Add comments, highlights or markup to a PDF. 53 products support this exact task: 22 absolutely free, 19 free with limits, 6 paid or trial, and 6 offline or self-hosted. The inventory records unresolved; data -> PDF; PDF -> annotated PDF.
53 products recorded · 41 free choices · 15 offline or self-hosted choices. Inventory checked 2026-10-23.
What the inventory records
- Exact direction
- unresolved; data -> PDF; PDF -> annotated PDF; PDF -> highlighted PDF; PDF -> commented PDF
- Named as
- Annotate PDF; PDF Annotator; Remove annotations; Add Text; Add image; Add Text to PDF
- Evidence
- 119 matching inventory rows · 31 confirmed · 22 partly confirmed
- Last checked
- 2026-10-23
This page is about this exact operation only, not a general PDF converter. Rows with unresolved confidence are not counted as support.
Absolutely free
22 products
No payment is needed to use the tool as recorded.
- Product record
fpdf2
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Google Chrome built-in PDF viewer
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · Android · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
GROBID
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Linux · Windows · macOS · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
ICEpdf
ICEsoft Technologies Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
jsPDF
yWorks
- Platform and processing
- Web · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
LibreOffice Draw
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Microsoft Edge PDF reader
Microsoft
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Microsoft OneDrive document scanning
Microsoft Corporation
- Platform and processing
- iOS · Android · Vendor cloud
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- Free
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
mPDF
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
MuPDF.js
Artifex Software, Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Web · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Okular
KDE
- Platform and processing
- Linux · Windows · macOS · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
PDF.js
Mozilla PDF.js project
- Platform and processing
- Web · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDF24
geek Software GmbH
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
pdfcpu
Horst Rutter
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDFgear
PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD.
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · Web · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDFium
The PDFium Authors
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Android · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDFsharp
empira Software GmbH, Troisdorf (Cologne Area), Germany
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PyMuPDF
Artifex Software, Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
ReportLab
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
SumatraPDF
Krzysztof Kowalczyk
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
tc-lib-pdf
Tecnick.com
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Xournal++
Xournal++ contributors
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Open source
- Evidence
- Confirmed
Free with limits
19 products
There is an indefinite free way to use it, usually with limits.
- Product record
Adobe Acrobat
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £14.99 a month
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
AvePDF
Orpalis Imaging SAS
- Platform and processing
- Web · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £51.00 a year
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
DocHub
Vendor not listed
- Platform and processing
- Web · iOS · Android · Vendor cloud
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £5.93 a month
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Goodnotes
Goodnotes Limited
- Platform and processing
- iOS · Android · Windows · macOS · Web · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £11.99 a year
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
iText
Apryse
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free tier
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
PDF Architect
Avanquest pdfforge GmbH
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Runs locally
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £94.00 a year
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDF Candy
Icecream Apps Limited
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £4.00 a month
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDF Expert
Readdle Limited
- Platform and processing
- macOS · iOS · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £72.99 a year
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDF-XChange Editor
PDF-XChange Co Ltd
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £48.00
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDFescape
7270356 Canada Inc. (Avanquest Software)
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £4.44 a month
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Qoppa Java PDF SDK
Apryse
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Scanner Pro
Readdle Limited
- Platform and processing
- iOS · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free tier
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Sejda
Sejda BV
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £5.00
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Smallpdf
Smallpdf AG
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · iOS · Android · Vendor cloud
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £6.75 a month
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Stirling PDF
Stirling PDF, Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · API · Self-hosted · Varies by edition
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £73.43 a month
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
SwiftScan
Maple Media LLC
- Platform and processing
- iOS · Android · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £5.99 a month
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Syncfusion PDF
Syncfusion, Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted · Web · Runs locally
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- From £889.30 a year
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Wondershare PDFelement
Wondershare Technology Group Co., Limited
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · Varies by edition
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £59.33 a year
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Xodo
Apryse
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android · Varies by edition
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Free · paid from £6.05 a month
- Evidence
- Confirmed
Paid or trial
6 products
The record shows a paid product, with or without a trial.
- Product record
Master PDF Editor
Code Industry Ltd
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- From £59.30
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Nutrient
Nutrient
- Platform and processing
- Web · macOS · iOS · Android · API · Self-hosted · Windows · Linux · Varies by edition
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
PDF Studio
Apryse Software Corp.
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
Power PDF
Tungsten Automation Corporation
- Platform and processing
- Web · Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- From £95.00
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
SetaPDF-Core
Setasign GmbH & Co. KG
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Telerik Document Processing Libraries
Progress Software Corporation
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Confirmed
Offline or self-hosted
6 products
Paid products that run locally or can be self-hosted. Free and free-tier local products stay in their price tier above.
- Product record
Adobe PDF Library
Datalogics
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Linux · macOS · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- From £4,489.17 a year
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Foxit PDF SDK
Foxit Software Incorporated
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android · Web · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
JPedal
IDRsolutions
- Platform and processing
- Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- From £710.90
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
LEADTOOLS PDF SDK
Apryse
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Linux · macOS · Android · iOS · Web · Self-hosted · Runs locally
- Account
- No account needed
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Confirmed
- Product record
Nitro PDF Pro
Nitro Software, Inc.
- Platform and processing
- Windows · macOS · iOS · Runs locally
- Account
- Account required
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
- Product record
PDF-XChange Core API SDK
PDF-XChange Co Ltd
- Platform and processing
- Windows · Runs locally
- Account
- Account requirement not verified
- Price signal
- Paid
- Evidence
- Partly confirmed
What this page counts
The inventory has 119 matching rows for this operation. 31 products have confirmed evidence and 22 have partly confirmed evidence; unresolved rows are excluded. A product appears only when the inventory names this exact operation. A vendor that bundles several conversions into one unspecified tool is not counted here.
The tiers describe commercial access at the record level. A free choice may still have usage limits, and an offline choice may require a paid licence. Check the linked product record before relying on a feature. The inventory was last checked 2026-10-23; the source and date for each product are on its record.
Related exact tasks
These are adjacent operations that readers often compare with annotate pdf. They remain separate tasks.