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document-tools/readme

PDF editing tools, logged plainly

A plain-format log of how three PDF editing tools — PDF Gear, Sejda PDF, and PDF24 Tools — are generally built and used, kept consistent so entries can be diffed against each other.

cat background.txt

Why the format needs its own tools

A PDF holds its layout fixed no matter what device opens it, which is exactly why editing one calls for dedicated software rather than a standard word processor. Tools built for that job take different shapes — browser-only, installed locally, or a mix of both — which is the main variable separating the three entries logged below.

ls ./tools

Tool by tool

Each block covers what the tool is, what it includes, and what's worth noting before relying on it.

PDF Gear

desktop+browser

A PDF viewing, editing, and conversion tool available as both a downloadable desktop application and a browser-based interface, generally used for editing text and images directly, filling in forms, and converting files to formats such as Word or Excel.

includes

  • Text and page-level editing tools
  • Optical character recognition for scanned pages
  • Batch conversion across several files

notes

  • Desktop build requires installation first
  • Some functions require account creation
  • Supported file formats follow a fixed list

Sejda PDF

task-based

A PDF editing tool built around a task-first interface: a specific job — editing, merging, compressing, redacting — is picked first, then a file is uploaded to run it. Available online and as a desktop application for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with matching tools in both.

includes

  • Text and image editing, plus a whiteout tool
  • Merging, splitting, and compression tools
  • A redaction tool for removing details such as account numbers
  • Direct file import from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive

notes

  • Each task is limited to a set number of uses per day
  • File size and page count are capped per task
  • Tasks generally process one file at a time

PDF24 Tools

offline-capable

A collection of PDF utilities available online and as a downloadable Windows application, including a virtual printer driver that generates PDFs directly from other software.

includes

  • A virtual PDF printer driver
  • An offline desktop application for Windows
  • A broad set of individual conversion and editing utilities

notes

  • Desktop build is available for Windows only
  • The full tool list takes some time to navigate
  • Offline use depends on installing the software first
diff ./tools --shared

Shared functions

Most PDF tools cover a similar core set of tasks. The table below is a quick reference for which of the three entries address each one, based on their published feature lists. "Limited" means the function is addressed to some degree, with a narrower scope than a dedicated feature.

functionpdf-gearsejda-pdfpdf24-tools
view/readyesyesyes
edit text/imagesyesyesyes
merge/splityesyesyes
convert formatsyesyesyes
ocryeslimitedyes
redactionlimitedyeslimited
no installbrowser modeonline modeonline mode
works offlinedesktop onlydesktop onlydesktop only

based on each provider's published information at time of writing

ls ./notes

Further reading

Longer entries on document security, common editing mistakes, and how different workflows tend to favour different tool combinations.

open notes
cat readme.txt

How to read this log

This page reflects publicly available information about what each tool generally offers, kept in a consistent format so it can be checked against the task at hand. Features, platform support, and usage limits change over time — check each provider's own documentation for current specifics.