10 Best Free PDF Editor Apps for iPhone
Updated September 28, 2026 · written by AppHunt
Almost every PDF app is free to download, and almost every one stops you the moment you try to change a word: editing existing text is the feature most of them sell by subscription. So for each app below we note what you can actually do without paying — read, mark up, sign, fill in forms or edit the text itself.
Folbrio
Made by AppHunt · free, no code neededFolbrio edits the PDF itself, not a layer on top: select a paragraph and retype it, add a photo or a logo, sign with your finger, and reorder or delete pages. Scanned pages go through on-device OCR so their words become editable. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and every feature is free.
Good for: Fixing the text in a PDF without paying or uploading it
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe invented the PDF, and its free reader handles the everyday jobs: highlight passages, add sticky notes and comments, fill in a form and sign it with Fill & Sign, then send it on. Liquid Mode reflows dense pages so they read comfortably on a phone.
Good for: Filling in and signing forms for free
Keep in mind: Editing text and images, OCR, merging and converting need a subscription, per the developer.
View in the App Store
PDF Expert
Readdle's app is made for long reading sessions, offering day, night and sepia themes plus text-to-speech. Markup goes well past highlighting, with shapes, stamps, comments and recorded voice notes. It fills regular and XFA forms, and a saved signature makes signing quick. Premium adds true text editing.
Good for: Reading and annotating PDFs every day
Keep in mind: Editing text, converting, merging and compressing are Premium features, per the developer.
View in the App Store
iLovePDF
The phone app from the makers of the ilovepdf.com web tools brings much of that toolbox along: merge, split, compress, rotate, number pages, watermark, and lock or unlock files. It also highlights and comments, fills and signs forms, scans paper with OCR and converts to and from Office formats.
Good for: Merging, splitting and compressing on the go
View in the App Store
PDF Editor
A no-frills all-rounder: open a PDF, search and zoom, highlight, draw or add sticky notes, type into form fields and sign with a fingertip. Its camera scanner corrects perspective and crops pages, and the developer says your documents stay on the device, out of its reach.
Good for: Basic markup and signing with files kept local
View in the App Store
Forma
Built by the iScanner team for changing what a PDF says. Tap a line to retype it in a matching font, or describe the change in a typed or spoken prompt and let Vibe Edit apply it. Forms with autofill, a saved signature, OCR scanning and Office conversion round it out.
Good for: Changing the wording of a PDF on your phone
View in the App Store
PDF Editor, PDF Book Reader
Half book reader, half editor. Long documents are comfortable with night mode, a two-page spread when you turn the phone sideways and read-aloud that highlights each word. For work, you can mark up pages, add text boxes, fill in forms, sign, reorder pages and lock a file with a password.
Good for: Reading long PDFs, with editing tools at hand
View in the App Store
PDF Hero
One of the few apps that lets you correct the words of a PDF without paying: fix a typo or rewrite a paragraph, then write on the page with your finger, fill in a form, highlight passages and drop in a picture. Signing, OCR, merging and reordering pages sit in the Premium plan.
Good for: Fixing typos in a PDF
Keep in mind: Signing, OCR, merging and page reordering are Premium, per the developer. The last update was in 2025.
View in the App Store
PDF Viewer
Made by Nutrient, formerly PSPDFKit, whose PDF technology powers many other apps. Mark up pages with a finger or Apple Pencil, add notes, pictures or audio, fill in forms, then sign and flatten the file so nothing moves. You can also rearrange, rotate or delete pages.
Good for: Annotating and signing with Apple Pencil
Keep in mind: Merging documents and replying to notes are Pro features, per the developer.
View in the App Store
PDF Gear
The rare PDF app with nothing to buy: the developer says every tool is free, with no watermark and no page limit. Highlight and draw, type onto forms, stamp checkmarks, sign with a drawn, typed or photographed signature, and add, rotate, delete or extract pages. Changing the original text is not on its list.
Good for: Everyday PDF jobs with no subscription at all
View in the App Store
Questions and answers
Can I edit the text of a PDF on iPhone for free?
Yes, with Folbrio: select a paragraph and retype it, at no cost. PDF Hero also lists text editing among its free features. Adobe Acrobat Reader and PDF Expert keep text editing for paying subscribers.
How do I sign a PDF on iPhone for free?
The built-in Files app can do it: open the PDF, tap Markup and add a signature. Folbrio, Adobe Acrobat Reader (Fill & Sign), PDF Expert, PDF Viewer and PDF Gear also let you sign without paying. A drawn signature is a picture on the page, not a certificate-based digital signature.
Is Folbrio really free?
Yes. Folbrio has no subscriptions, in-app purchases or paid features, so there is no promo code to get — just download it. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. More about Folbrio
Do these apps upload my PDFs?
Folbrio edits documents and runs OCR on the device and has no upload service. Other apps differ — conversion tools in particular often process files on their servers — so check the privacy details on each app's App Store page.
How is the list ordered?
First place is Folbrio, made by the AppHunt team and free with no paid features. Places 2–10 are free-to-download PDF editors ordered by the number of ratings in the US App Store. E-signature services such as Docusign are left out: signing is only one part of editing.