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The Problem with PDF Tools in 2026

You need to merge two PDFs. You visit the first Google result — "free PDF merger." You get: a cookie banner, mandatory registration, a 2-file daily limit, and the news that your document just landed on a server in Ireland.

Next day you need to compress a PDF. Different site, another registration, another "your file is being processed on our server." Then an electronic signature — a third tool.

Each operation requires a separate service. Each one has access to your documents.

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What Can PDF Tools Do?

One tool, seven tabs. Every operation runs in the browser — the file never leaves your device.

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1. Merge PDF — Combine Documents into One File

Two modes: file mode (drag whole PDFs, set order) and page mode (select individual pages from each document and arrange them in any order).

Page mode is especially useful when you need to combine, say, the first page of a contract with three pages of an appendix from another document — without including unnecessary pages.

When useful: Combining scanned documents, creating complete proposals, assembling contracts with attachments.

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2. Split PDF — Extract the Pages You Need

After loading a file, you see page thumbnails. Click to select the ones you want to keep. The tool creates a new PDF with only your chosen pages.

The ZIP option saves each selected page as a separate PDF file — handy when you need to send individual pages to different people.

When useful: Extracting pages from long reports for email, removing unnecessary pages, splitting into chapters.

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3. Compress PDF — Shrink Files for Sending

Three presets: Light (minimal compression, maximum quality), Balanced (optimal ratio), Maximum (smallest file size). The quality slider lets you fine-tune the result. Metadata stripping removes author information, creation dates and edit history.

Email attachment limits

Service	Attachment Limit
Gmail	25 MB
Outlook / Microsoft 365	20 MB
Yahoo Mail	25 MB
iCloud Mail	20 MB
Zoho Mail	20 MB

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4. Images → PDF — Create Documents from Photos

Drag JPG, PNG, WebP or AVIF files — each image becomes a page. You can reorder pages by drag & drop before generating the final PDF.

When useful: Creating PDFs from document photos, photography portfolios, scanned receipts.

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5. Crop Pages — Remove Margins and Extract Sections

Select a crop area on the page preview. You can apply the crop to a single page or all pages at once — useful for documents with consistent margins.

When useful: Removing wide margins from legal documents, extracting specific sections, preparing for different print formats.

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6. PDF Forms — Fill Without Printing

The tool auto-detects form fields in the PDF. You fill them in the browser and download the completed document. The flatten option locks all fields after saving — the recipient sees a regular PDF, not an editable form.

When useful: Filling official PDF forms, surveys, tax forms and contracts.

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7. Annotations and Electronic Signature

A full editor built into the browser: text annotations, freehand drawing, shapes (rectangles, circles, arrows), stamps (DRAFT, APPROVED, CONFIDENTIAL), handwritten signature drawn with your mouse or touchscreen, and image insertion.

When useful: Signing contracts, marking corrections, stamping documents with status.

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Why In the Browser, Not on a Server?

When you upload a PDF to a "merge PDF free" service, your file physically travels to someone else's server. Even if the service promises to "delete files after an hour" — you have no control. Client contracts, CVs, financial data — it all passes through infrastructure you don't know.

PDF Tools works differently. All logic — PDF parsing, image compression, page merging — runs in your browser via JavaScript and the pdf-lib library. The file never leaves your computer.

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Limitations

Transparency matters more than marketing. Here's what the tool can't do:

• OCR — won't convert scans to selectable text
• Encryption/password — can't open password-protected PDFs
• Text editing — can't modify existing PDF content. The tool adds layers (annotations), not editing originals
• Size limit — 100 MB per file by default (can be unlocked, but large files may slow down the browser)
• File limit — 20 files per operation by default

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Comparison with Popular Alternatives

Feature	PDF Tools	Smallpdf	iLovePDF	Adobe Online
Price	Free	Freemium	Freemium	Subscription
Merge	✓	✓	✓	✓
Split	✓	✓	✓	✓
Compress	✓	✓	✓	✓
IMG → PDF	✓	✓	✓	✓
Crop	✓	✗	✗	✓
Forms	✓	✗	✗	✓
Annotations + Signature	✓	✓ (limited)	✗	✓
Account Required	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Files on Server	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Daily Limit	None	2 operations	Limited	None (paid)

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Summary

Seven tabs cover operations that most people reach for separate services or paid Acrobat. One tool, zero accounts, zero uploads, zero daily limits.

Fastest way to start? Open PDF Tools and test all 7 features.