The 6 Best Free Ubuntu PDF Editors

An Ubuntu PDF editor is a software tool that lets you modify and manage PDF documents on Ubuntu, a popular Linux operating system. These editors offer diverse features like text editing, annotation, and file conversion, etc. Ubuntu PDF editors make it easier to customize, annotate, and share important documents.

In this post, we’ll explore the 7 best free PDF editors for Ubuntu in 2023, each offering unique features and capabilities to meet your editing needs. Let’s dive into them and enhance your documents with these feature-rich tools on Ubuntu!

Comparison Table of the Best Free Ubuntu PDF Editors

Ubuntu PDF Editor	Verdict	Pricing
Master PDF Editor	Editor with OCR support. Designed for Ubuntu with an intuitive interface and various editing modes.	Freemium (Paid features)
Okular	User-friendly PDF viewer with annotation tools. A seamless solution for basic PDF edits on Ubuntu.	Free
LibreOffice Draw	Comprehensive suite of tools for editing and more. Lacking online collaboration capabilities.	Free
Foxit Phantom PDF	Versatile PDF editor with advanced features like text manipulation and Foxit eSign integration.	Freemium (Paid features)
Inkscape	Graphics editor with PDF compatibility, offering a unique solution for Ubuntu users.	Free
Scribus	Open-source desktop publisher for creative tasks, enabling text highlighting and content addition on PDFs.	Free

Master PDF Editor

Master PDF Editor is a powerful PDF editing tool for Ubuntu users. It gives you a great amount of control over PDF documents – from adding or removing text and images to OCR feature for working with scanned documents.

It’s designed with Linux system features in mind and fully integrated with the system. The interface is user-friendly, and there are different document editing modes along with keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation.

Go to the Master PDF Editor Website

PROS

• Allows full editing of PDF documents including text, images, and objects
• Advanced features like digital signatures and OCR available
• User-friendly interface

CONS

• Free version has limited features

Okular

Okular, developed by the KDE community, is a universal document viewer, standing out as a free, user-friendly PDF editor for Ubuntu. Its cross-platform design supports diverse operating systems, providing a seamless solution for basic PDF edits.

Boasting of an array of annotation tools, straightforward interface, and versatile document format support, Okular offers unique features like text and image extraction, making it an excellent Adobe reader alternative.

Go to the Okular Website

PROS

• Robust and intuitive annotation features allow for extensive document markup.
• Enables basic text editing, perfect for simple document changes.
• The interface is straightforward, making it easy for users to navigate.
• As an open-source tool, it is absolutely free.

CONS

• While it covers basic edits with ease, Okular lacks capabilities for advanced editing tasks.

LibreOffice Draw

With LibreOffice, aside from the basic PDF editing, you are gifted with a diverse toolkit including Writer for word processing, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for presentations, Draw for vector graphics and flowcharts, Base for databases, and Math for formula editing.

This extensive suite doesn’t provide tools for email, contacts, or calendars management, but there are ample other modern solutions for those needs. But bear in mind that LibreOffice lacks mobile apps or online collaboration.

LibreOffice Download Page

PROS

• Provides a comprehensive set of tools, absolutely free

CONS

• Absence of online collaboration
• Lacks built-in translation and research features, dictation option, or a note-taking app

Foxit Phantom

Foxit Phantom PDF Editor is a versatile tool for Ubuntu, providing outstanding PDF editing and reading capabilities. It’s loaded with features for text manipulation, annotation, and document sharing.

Also notable is its integration with Foxit eSign and third-party systems, robust security features, and excellent support resources, making it a preferred choice for many projects.

Go to the Foxit Phantom PDF Editor Website

PROS

• Offers intuitive, extensive editing such as text manipulation.
• Provides various advanced customization features.
• Wide-ranging features and cost-value balance.

CONS

• high cost for advanced features
• Issues have been noted with image positioning disrupting document layout.

Inkscape

Inkscape is an Open-Source Graphics Editor with PDF Compatibility. It presents a unique solution for editing PDFs on Ubuntu, primarily utilized for image and graphics manipulation.

This versatile tool offers capabilities that go beyond its primary design purpose, extending to the manipulation of PDF files. PDFs are essentially text files displayed in a graphic format, a feature widely exploited to support an array of systems with differing text viewers or editors.

Go to the Inkscape Website

PROS

• Comprehensive graphics editing functionalities.
• Ability to edit PDF files.
• Open-source and free to use.

CONS

• Potential compromises in the integrity of files exported as PDFs.

Scribus

As an open-source desktop publishing tool, Scribus offers much more than simple PDF editing capabilities. It’s designed for various creative tasks including designing advertisement posters, writing books, and more.

Being a cross-platform tool, Scribus enables text highlighting, content addition, and PDF text manipulation.

Go to the Scribus Website

PROS

• The well-crafted interface promotes intuitive user interaction.
• Remains lightweight and entirely free.

CONS

• Any images incorporated into documents must remain in their original location or risk being lost.

How to Edit PDF on Ubuntu?

• Use PDF editors like PDFgear and Master PDF Editor for comprehensive editing.
• For basic editing, use LibreOffice Draw.
• Use Okular for viewing and annotating PDFs.
• For command-line editing, consider using tools like PDFtk.

FAQs

What are the best Ubuntu PDF editors?

• PDFgear online PDF editor
• Master PDF Editor
• Okular
• LibreOffice Draw
• Foxit Phantom PDF Editor
• Inkscape
• Scribus

Can you edit a PDF in Ubuntu?

Yes, you can edit PDFs in Ubuntu using free PDF editing software like PDFgear online PDF editor, Master PDF Editor (free version), Okular, LibreOffice Draw, Inkscape, and Scribus, offering various editing features on the platform.

How can I edit a PDF in Ubuntu for free?

You can edit PDFs for free on Ubuntu using various tools like PDFgear online PDF editor, Master PDF Editor (free version), Okular, LibreOffice Draw, Inkscape, and Scribus. These tools offer a range of editing capabilities without any cost.