pdfFiller review: A versatile PDF editor for individuals and businesses

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Intuitive web-based interface
• Robust security options
• Lots of business-ready capabilities

Cons

• Business features won’t be needed by some users
• Requires annual commitment to get best value

Our Verdict

pdfFiller is an impressive PDF editor and document management solution with plenty to offer individuals and businesses.

pdfFiller is a browser-based document management tool aimed at both individual and enterprise users. The end-to-end PDF solution allows you to do everything from editing to securing to sharing and storing your PDF files from its simple web interface.

The app is designed like a desktop editor with a toolbar above the document pane and thumbnails down the left side that makes it easy to manage multipage documents. Working with PDFs is impressively straightforward. Adding elements like text boxes, shapes, sticky notes, and even the date is as simple as clicking the appropriate icon and dragging that item to the page. Other tasks such as adding images and signatures require a few more steps, but typically employ a wizard to streamline the execution.

This review is part of our best PDF editors roundup. Go there to learn about our testing and how all the competitors performed.

Editing and annotation

To open a PDF, you can drag and drop the file directly onto pdfFiller’s home page. Alternately, you can upload files from your hard drive or from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, a URL, or pdfFiller’s own online document library. You can also import a PDF from email by sending the file yourself or requesting it from a third party.

Michael Ansaldo/IDG

The editor enables you to work with PDFs much as you would with a Word document, allowing you to add, delete, and copy/paste text, change font style, size, and color; and so on. It also offers a standard set of markup tools. You can highlight, erase, or redact text; add sticky notes and comments; and scribble marginalia.

Form hosting

PDFs are often used to distribute contracts, questionnaires, and other types of forms. pdfFiller allows you to create, host, and edit these as easily as Word-style documents. You can also collect payments through PDF forms by linking a payment gateway.

Document library

One of pdfFiller’s most impressive features is its document library. If you can’t create the document you need from scratch, you can likely find it in this trove of government, legal, and business forms, any of which can be downloaded and customized to your needs. You can also save any document you create as a template for reuse.

Michael Ansaldo/IDG

Sharing

Once your PDF is edited, you can securely share it with teammates through a link. You can also send it via email, text, fax, or USPS, or have it notarized directly from your pdfFiller account.

Encryption and security

pdfFiller offers robust encryption & security features for users that frequently handle sensitive data. Documents can be locked in an encrypted folder and require two-factor authentication for access. The editor offers dedicated HIPAA compliance settings to ensure patient healthcare information is protected according to standards outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It also helps keep track of your account activity with an Audit Trail feature that shows which forms you’ve opened and shared, what time you logged into and out of your pdfFiller account, and other user activity.

Verdict

pdfFiller is an incredibly versatile PDF editor with an uncommonly deep set of features. Not all of them will suit everyone, but fortunately, pdfFiller offers three subscription tiers that logically tailor features to different users.

The Basic plan is best suited to individuals. It provides standard PDF editing and annotation features, cloud storage for PDF files, and customer support within a day for $20 month-to-month or $8 a month with an annual commitment. The Plus plan adds the ability to create reusable templates; merge, rearrange, or add pages; and add basic fillable fields, plus support within an hour for $30 month-to-month or $12 a month with an annual commitment. The Premium plan includes all the features of the Basic and Plus plans and adds e-signature workflows, access to the U.S. Legal Forms Library, and other business-ready features, plus instant chat support. There’s a 30-day free trial period, which should plenty of time to determine which plan is right for you.