Top 5 Best Linux PDF Editor You Should Try

PDFs are widely used in documents, guides, reports, and forms because they are portable and read the same everywhere on any device. PDFs are not easily editable, especially for Linux users since they don’t have regular proprietary software like Adobe Acrobat. All is not doom, though, as there are many effective Linux PDF editors to which one can resize text, insert annotations, merge or split files, and even PDF to other file types.

In this article, we will discuss the top Linux PDF editors, their features, pros and cons, installation, and comparison of ease of use. If you are looking for a simple program to highlight PDFs or a professional software to edit content, you have an option for your needs.

Why Use a Linux PDF Editor?

Linux users typically struggle with PDFs since most commercial PDF editors are either Windows or macOS software. A good PDF editor is, however, required to:

• Alter text and images in a PDF file.
• Highlight key sections with highlight and annotate.
• Digitally sign documents and fill out forms.
• Merge, split, or compress PDF files.
• Export PDFs into other formats such as Word, Excel, or images.

Now, let’s proceed to the top PDF editors for Linux and their comparison.

Best Linux PDF Editors

Below are the top 5 best Linux PDF Editors.

1. LibreOffice Draw

Best for: Text editing, adding annotations, PDF editing.

LibreOffice Draw is pre-installed in the LibreOffice software package and is one of the top free PDF editors for Linux. Although not a dedicated PDF editor, the software can be easily utilized to open and edit PDFs.

Features

• Direct editing of PDF text
• Image, shape, and comment insertion
• PDF export to other files
• Support for PDFs with numerous pages

Pros

• Completely free and open-source
• High-quality integration with PDFs containing lots of text
• Support for layers and vector graphics

Cons

• Sensitive formatting for intricate PDFs
• Less capable than commercial software

Installation

sh
sudo apt install libreoffice

2. Okular

Best for: PDF reading and annotation.

Okular is a light-weight, full-featured document viewer developed by KDE. As much as impossible it is to provide complete edit text features, excellent annotation features are available.

Features

• Text highlighting with mark for, underline, and strike-through
• Commenting with sticky notes and comments
• Electronic signatures and form filling

Pros

• Fast and efficient
• Suitable for reading PDFs with commenting
• Support for multi-document files

Cons

• Not good in re-arranging the layout of the documents
• Limited feature set in text editing

Installation

sh
sudo apt install okular

3. Master PDF Editor

Best for: Simple-to-use interface with high-end PDF editing.

Master PDF Editor is a feature-rich proprietary PDF editor for Linux. While the majority of freeware lacks high-end editing features, this one has them, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Features

• PDF text and image editing
• Insertion of watermarks, signatures, and comments
• Merging, splitting, and rearranging pages
• PDF scan OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Pros

• High-end-level editing features
• PDF encryption support
• Easy-to-use interface

Cons

• Not a free version (restricted)
• Non-free software (non-open-source)

Installation

sh

wget https://code-industry.net/public/master-pdf-editor-5.8.70-qt5.x86_64.deb
sudo dpkg -i master-pdf-editor-5.8.70-qt5.x86_64.deb

4. PDF Arranger

Best for: Merging, splitting, and rearranging PDF pages

Most effective in concatenation, separation, and reshuffling PDF pages. PDF Arranger is easy to use and practical PDF editing utility. There’s no text editing function but very good in rearranging files and page arrangement.

Features

• Merge numerous PDFs to a single document
• Break up PDFs to individual sheets
• Rotate and order pages

Pros

• Light and straightforward
• Perfect for handling massive PDFs
• Free and open-source

Cons

• No edit text
• No mark-up

Installation

sh

sudo apt install pdfarranger

5. Scribus

Best for: Making and editing complex PDF layouts.

Scribus is an advanced desktop publishing solution which can also be employed to edit PDFs. It’s finest for individuals who want complete control over the layout.

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Features

• Make and edit PDFs from the ground up
• Alter layout, text, and images
• High-quality PDF export support

Pros

• Excellent for pro-level PDF design
• Open-source and feature-rich
• Interactive form support

Cons

• Gently steeper learning curve
• Not ideal for simple PDF text editing

Installation

sh

sudo apt install scribus

How to Select the Best PDF Editor for Linux

The best PDF editor to use depends on your requirements. Here is a quick rundown:

• For simple text editing → LibreOffice Draw
• For reading & annotation → Okular
• For heavy editing → Master PDF Editor
• For page structuring → PDF Arranger
• For layout designing → Scribus

Other Worth Referencing

Though the above ones are among the best, below are some which may also be included:

• qpdf – Excellent for command-line PDF editing
• Xournal++ – Excellent for handwritten note taking and annotating
• PDFsam – Nice but efficient utility for splitting and merging PDFs

Conclusion

Linux users are spoiled for choice if they have to make changes to PDFs. If one wants a lightweight annotating tool or a heavy-duty editor for content alteration, there is a Linux PDF editor that meets any need. If you are looking for a free and open-source solution, then Okular and LibreOffice Draw are great ones. If you require advanced editing, then Master PDF Editor would be a great option. Or, software like PDF Arranger and Scribus are great at page structuring and layout design. With these tools in your arsenal, you can easily carry out any PDF editing task on Linux.

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