PDF Arranger
Focus: pdf editor and github. Shares merge pdf and split pdf with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Same 4.5 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.5Visit
Desktop App
PDFsam
A free, open-source desktop app to merge, split, rotate and extract PDF pages.
Rating
4.5 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is PDFsam?
PDFsam Basic is a free, open-source desktop app for working with PDF files. It can merge PDFs while keeping bookmarks and forms, split a file at chosen pages or bookmarks or into files of a set size, rotate pages, extract pages into a new file and mix pages from two files. It works entirely on your computer, with no internet connection needed, no sign-up, no watermarks and no file size limits. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and is licensed under the AGPL.
Pros: what PDFsam does well
- Free and open source with no watermarks
- Works offline, so files stay on your computer
- Merge, split, rotate, extract and mix pages
Cons: where it falls short
- Focused on page-level tasks, not full PDF editing
- You need to install it on your computer
Who PDFsam is for
Anyone who regularly combines or splits PDF files and wants it done locally.
Who can skip it
People who need to edit the text inside a PDF.
PDFsam alternatives
Not sold on PDFsam? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
calibre
Focus: ebooks, ebook converter and library. Shares open source with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
fd
Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
restic
Focus: backup, encryption and snapshots. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.7 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
Yazi
Focus: file manager, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
BorgBackup
Focus: backup, encryption and deduplication. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Free alternatives to PDFsam
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Czkawka
Focus: duplicate finder, disk cleanup and similar images. Shares open source with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
dua-cli
Focus: disk usage, storage cleanup and terminal. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Etcher
Focus: usb, sd card and disk image. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
eza
Focus: file listing, terminal and command line. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
FreeFileSync
Focus: file sync, backup and folders. Shares open source with PDFsam. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
nnn
Focus: file manager, terminal and batch rename. Shares open source with PDFsam. Rated 4.6 (PDFsam: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
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