The drive to get more quality work done in less time has spurred many inventions that have boosted workplace productivity.
An obvious example is how documentation has become more manageable with tools like the PDF editor. These tools created a secure way to manage bulk data and collaborate without losing important information.
Tools like Lumin PDF even made it possible to achieve PDF split and merge. But you could try tens of PDF tools without finding a suitable one for your work processes.
And that is why this article brings the best PDF tools of 2021 to the fore. By categorizing these editors by their best features, choosing one will be easy for you.
Tools to merge and split PDF documents
When working with multiple documents and combining different pages, you need specific tools to merge PDF files without losing valuable data. These tools also make it possible to split PDF if you separate a document and have individual pages. So the following sections will focus on editors that primarily merge PDF documents.
PDFElement
From one of the most trusted software companies, Wondershare comes with this high-quality tool that allows you to merge and split PDF file into multiple PDF files. PDFElement is one of the most well-built editing tools for all operating systems.
The software allows you to upload PDF files in bulk for editing. You can also use PDFElement to export PDF documents to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Finally, this feature-packed editor will excite people who want to customize the page range of each PDF file before combining them.
Icecream PDF Split & Merge
Icecream PDF Split & Merge will excite people who don’t want to merge PDF online. You can split PDF file into two parts with this tool by selecting any of the four options available on the software.
Icecream PDF allows you to split PDFs into single-page files, page ranges, or groups of pages.
The offline editor has a simple interface, which is excellent news for first-timers. It also works for files with passwords without compromising the data.
PDFSam
PDFSam is another reliable tool that allows you to merge and split signed PDF documents. The web app lets you add headers and bookmarks to the linked PDFs. Plus, you can also perform PDF multiple pages split with the features of this software.
PDFSam supports command line usage, lets you PDF split into pages online, and converts your document to any desired format.
Tools to combine multiple documents into one PDF
Sending out multiple documents at once can be a hassle as sometimes, the recipient doesn’t receive everything in time. So the ideal thing to do in such situations is to combine the PDFs.
And if you regularly combine PDF files, not many tools will satisfy your needs like the following:
Lumin PDF
Lumin PDF is one of the best PDF editing tools available online today. The tool allows you to split and combine PDF online without changing the document’s original format. Plus, you can make as many changes and edits as you want to your documents without losing their content.
It comes with several other features, like annotation and electronic signing. You can also convert documents to any format you require.
Soda PDF
Soda PDF is a reliable tool that you can use to merge PDF files. You can use this tool online or as an application on Windows and Mac computers. In both versions, you can connect Soda PDF to Dropbox and Google Drive, making your files in the cloud easy to access.
So if you have many documents stored in the cloud, you can combine them into one PDF and save space. This feature on Soda PDF makes it easy for remote workers to function adequately.
iLovePDF
iLovePDF is a PDF editing tool with various necessary features to work on a document. The ability to combine documents is one of the most well-designed features in its arsenal.
To use iLovePDF to merge PDF files online, you must upload the document to the platform. And the best part is that you can use this tool with your Google Drive and Dropbox accounts, supporting remote work.
Tools to convert PDF documents
If you have ever struggled to convert PDF to Word or any other file format, you can rest easy now. The best PDF editors make it possible for you to edit PDFs without going through the process of converting PDF to word online.
Nitro Pro
Nitro Pro is a professional PDF tool that allows you to edit, create, sign and combine PDF files. It takes just a click to convert documents to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. The converted documents are editable.
You can also use this tool to convert Word to PDF and other file formats. Nitro Pro is one of the best editors because it can convert emails and attachments into PDF files. The tool also maintains the original structure of the document after conversion.
SmallPDF
SmallPDF is a powerful PDF software that allows you to convert PDF files into various formats, including GIF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, PPT, etc. It is one of the best PDF to word converters, as it doesn’t produce documents with worse quality after conversion.
SmallPDF’s other features include compressing, splitting, and adjusting the PDF files to fit your preferences. You can also work on scanned and password-protected documents.
Tools to secure a PDF
Securing your documents is essential in ensuring that your data is safe from hackers. If you work in the medical, finance, or legal industry, you need a way to work with documents online without exposing their contents. So the following tools are for those looking for ways to secure PDF files online.
PDF2go
PDF2go is an ideal tool for securing PDF files. The tool allows you to add passwords to documents and prevent various functions like printing and modification.
After you upload your file to the platform and set a password, it will merge and hide the content in one non-searchable layer. The documents also work with any online PDF converter.
Tools to annotate PDF files
PDF editors also let you create documents and add notes or bookmarks to them. Most free editors have this feature, but if you are looking for the tool that handles it best, use GoVisually.
GoVisually
GoVisually lets users annotate PDF documents and works with different formats, including PNGs and JPEGs. If you are reading a novel in PDF format and need to mark your pages when pausing your reading to continue later, this tool’s bookmarking feature will do the trick.
The tool also has a mobile-friendly interface that enables you to work on the go. Plus, you can connect it to collaboration tools like Slack to help you work on documents with your colleagues.
Conclusion
PDF tools make working on documents easy, thanks to their many useful features. The best ones let you create, sign, annotate and collaborate on multiple PDF files.
And most of these tools have one or two defining features, which guided this article’s classification. So go through them and choose the ones that appeal to you.
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