PDF tools / Sign PDF13 tools
Best tools to sign a PDF
Draw, type or upload a signature and place it on a page. Facts come from each tool's own pages, and every score says where it comes from. How we rank
- Tools
- 13
- Researched
- 13
- Free option
- 9
- Only listed
- 0
Made by agathox · free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
Need Sign PDF right now? Try ours.
We build this tool, so it is labelled. It is scored with the same tests as the rest, and this box never changes the ranking below.
Ranked by signals we can measure or quote: website health, the facts each tool's own pages state, and community discussion. Nothing here has been hands-on tested yet, so this is not a quality test. How the signals rank works
Quick answer
- No signup needed: agathox PDF tools, PDF24 Tools, Sejda PDF, PDFgear
- Files stay on your device: agathox PDF tools
Based on what each tool's own pages say. A tool is left out when its pages say it varies or do not say. Details are listed under each tool.
Want two of these head to head? Compare tools side by side.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Free to use. No paid plan and no limits on how many files you process.
- Paid plan
- There is no paid plan.
- Signup
- No account or sign-up is needed.
- Watermark
- Nothing is added to your files.
- Where files go
- Runs in your browser, so files are not uploaded. HTML to PDF asks our server only to fetch the web page you enter.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-10. Sources: Privacy page. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- No free plan for the editor is described. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and every subscription includes 300 free AI credits per month. Foxit PDF Reader is listed as free but not described.
- Paid plan
- PDF Editor $129.99/user/year; PDF Editor+ $159.99/user/year; perpetual Foxit PDF Editor 14 $209.99 one-time per user; AI Assistant add-on $49.99/year for 2,000 credits per month; volume licensing is custom. Billing can be annual, annual billed monthly, or monthly (from $10.99). Prices are subject to local taxes.
- Signup
- Not stated clearly. The trial needs no credit card. A Foxit account is needed for the education discount.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Per the privacy policy, files uploaded to Foxit cloud services are deleted after processing unless you choose to store them, and output files are typically deleted within one day. Azure OCR data is deleted within 24 hours. Servers are in the US, Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan. Processing by the desktop editor is not described.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Limited access to basic features of 21 tools, with up to 2 conversions a day. The same limit applies with or without a free account. File-size and page limits are not stated.
- Paid plan
- Pro adds unlimited use of all tools, OCR, batch conversion, no ads and the desktop and mobile apps. The price is not shown on the official pages we could read.
- Signup
- Not required for most tools. Sign needs a free account.
- Watermark
- Says it adds no watermark, even on the free plan.
- Where files go
- Cloud-based: files are uploaded and deleted automatically after one hour for most tools. Its servers are in Ireland.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Support, Pricing, Merge PDF. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Says all tools are free without restrictions and that there are no artificial limits. File-size limits are not stated.
- Paid plan
- No paid plan found. It says the service is funded by advertising.
- Signup
- No registration required.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Files are uploaded to PDF24's servers in EU data centres and usually deleted within one hour. The free PDF24 Creator desktop app works offline.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Home, FAQ, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated.
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Not stated.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Users upload their PDF files online to use the PDFescape Online editor. The page says: “Go to PDFescape Online PDF Editor. . Upload your PDF files online. . Now you can add text, shapes or photos, your signature, or even edit and download PDFs to your needs with the tools.”
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-04. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
- 63.9Free optionSignup unclearFiles uploadedHealth 3.7
Details and sources
Fill & Sign is free and needs sign-in. Requesting signatures from others may need a paid plan.
- Free tier
- Free tools with limits per tool, for example merge up to 100 files and 1,500 pages, split up to 1 GB and 1,500 pages, Word to PDF up to 100 MB, compress up to 2 GB with limited use. PDF to Word has a daily limit whose number is not stated.
- Paid plan
- Acrobat Standard from US$14.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, US$179.88 a year prepaid, or US$24.99 month to month.
- Signup
- Depends on the tool. Merge and compress say no signup; split, OCR and edit ask you to sign in to download; Fill & Sign requires it.
- Watermark
- Merge and PDF to JPG say no watermark. Not stated for the other tools.
- Where files go
- Files are uploaded to Adobe's cloud servers and deleted unless you sign in and save them. No retention time is stated.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Online tools, Merge PDF, Pricing, PDF to Word. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Free plan at $0: basic PDF editing, basic eSignatures, annotation of up to 3 docs, plus mobile and desktop apps. The limit is 3 docs per month; a doc counts once you share, download, print or sync it.
- Paid plan
- In USD: Starter from $9/month (10 docs per month); Pro $19/month per team (200 docs per month team-wide); Business $99/month per team; Enterprise is custom. All plans have a 7-day free trial. The page does not explain annual versus monthly billing and does not mention country-based pricing.
- Signup
- Not stated directly. The Free plan and trials link to a sign-up page.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Per the privacy policy, all Lumin servers are in the United States. Files are processed for tasks like OCR and compression, including with OpenAI and Google Gemini integrations. File copies are kept only if you upload, convert or share them. Account deletion removes files within 30 days of request, though another section says immediately.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated. The pricing page links to a free download but describes no free features or limits. The terms say that on installation you get a free license with limits on some features.
- Paid plan
- Yearly plan 7,200 rupees billed annually (iPhone, iPad, Mac). Lifetime plan 14,900 rupees one-time, Mac only. 30-day money-back guarantee. Prices are in Indian rupees; the page does not name a country. The education discount is shown as 30% off in the form and 50% off in the confirmation message.
- Signup
- Partly. The terms say you may need to register a personal cross-platform account, by email or Google or Apple sign-in. Not stated for the listed tasks.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Not stated. The terms say user content is processed securely and give no location or retention period. Users are told to keep their own backups.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Terms. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Free for documents up to 50 pages or 50 MB, and 3 tasks an hour. Some tools are tighter: one file per task, 20 pages per conversion, 10 pages per OCR task.
- Paid plan
- A 7-day pass for $5 (one-time) and a yearly plan for $63 that includes Sejda Desktop. Paid removes the page and hourly limits and allows files up to 500 MB. We could not verify the monthly price.
- Signup
- No signup required.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Web tools upload files to Sejda's servers and delete them automatically after 2 hours, with encryption in transit and at rest. Sejda Desktop processes files on your computer.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Merge PDF, Pricing, Privacy, Security. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- A free plan with limited document processing. The exact free limits are not stated on the pricing page; the terms say it may apply reasonable technical limits on file size and processing.
- Paid plan
- Premium: unlimited document processing, no ads, priority support. Prices vary by country; the page we read showed 242 INR a month billed yearly or 500 INR billed monthly. Check the current price where you live.
- Signup
- Not stated.
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Files are uploaded to iLovePDF's servers and deleted automatically within 2 hours of processing.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Pricing, FAQ, Terms. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Says it is free to use. The online editor is limited to 50 MB; the desktop app has no file-size limit. No daily caps are stated.
- Paid plan
- No paid plan is listed. It says some advanced features may become paid in future, with no date set.
- Signup
- Not required.
- Watermark
- Says it adds no watermark to merged PDFs or exported files.
- Where files go
- Merge runs on your device in the browser. Some advanced conversions may be processed on Amazon cloud servers and deleted immediately afterwards. AI features send content to Microsoft Azure OpenAI only after you consent. The desktop app works offline.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Online tools, Merge PDF, Is PDFgear free?, Privacy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- pdfFiller offers a free 30-day trial. The page says: “Free 30-day trial.”
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Users must register an account to work on PDFs. The page says: “Register your account and start working on PDFs in minutes on any device.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Not stated.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-04. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
Details and sources
- Free tier
- DocHub offers free access to premium tools without any time limits or hidden costs. The page says: “DocHub offers free access to premium tools without any time limits or hidden costs.”
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Users must sign up to use DocHub. The page says: “BE READY TO GET MORE DocHub makes it easy to edit, sign, and share documents. Try, it`s free Sign up.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- DocHub ensures the security of your data with 256-bit SSL encryption, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and encrypted storage. The page says: “DocHub ensures the security of your data with 256-bit SSL encryption, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and encrypted storage.”
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
| Tool | Free option | Signup | Your files | Scores | Compare, open or show details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | Not needed | On your device | Health 4.6Signals 4.3 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-10. Sources: Privacy page. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 2 | No | Unclear | Unclear | Health 5Signals 4.2 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 3 | Yes | Unclear | Uploaded | Health 4.4Signals 4.2 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Support, Pricing, Merge PDF. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 4 | Yes | Not needed | Uploaded | Health 4.4Signals 4.0 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Home, FAQ, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 5 | Unclear | Unclear | Uploaded | Health 4.6Signals 4.0 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-04. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.” | |||||
| 6 | Yes | Unclear | Uploaded | Health 3.7Signals 3.9 | Open |
Fill & Sign is free and needs sign-in. Requesting signatures from others may need a paid plan.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Online tools, Merge PDF, Pricing, PDF to Word. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 7 | Yes | Unclear | Unclear | Health 4Signals 3.8 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Privacy policy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 8 | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Health 4.1Signals 3.8 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Pricing, Terms. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 9 | Yes | Not needed | Uploaded | Health 4.1Signals 3.8 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Merge PDF, Pricing, Privacy, Security. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 10 | Yes | Unclear | Uploaded | Health 4.2Signals 3.7 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Pricing, FAQ, Terms. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 11PPDFgear | Yes | Not needed | Unclear | Health 3.2Signals 3.6 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31. Sources: Online tools, Merge PDF, Is PDFgear free?, Privacy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. | |||||
| 12 | No | Unclear | Unclear | Health 3.9Signals 3.6 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-04. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.” | |||||
| 13 | Yes | Unclear | Uploaded | Health 3.7Signals 3.4 | Open |
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.” | |||||
Free option, signup and file handling come from each tool's own pages (“Unclear” means they do not say). Hover a score for what it means. Tick “Compare” on two to four tools to read them side by side.
Answers come from each tool's own pages (“Unclear” means they do not say). Tick “Compare” on two to four tools to read them side by side.
Other PDF tools rankings
Know a tool that should be here? Submit it.
Something wrong or out of date on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.