An XDA piece this month put two Docker-based PDF editors against Adobe Acrobat and found the winner was the one that got out of the way. Reading it made obvious that the “self-hosted PDF editor” category is a lot bigger than a couple of Docker containers, and that most people who need to edit a PDF do not need a subscription to do it. This is our short list of the best self-hosted PDF editor apps for desktop we would install today.
Every pick below runs entirely on your own machine (or your own home server), stores nothing in a vendor cloud, and covers at least one of the core operations Acrobat sells: edit text, sign, redact, OCR, merge, split.
What to look for in a self-hosted PDF editor
- Whether it edits the actual text in a PDF, or only annotates on top of it
- Whether it does OCR locally, since a scanned document is otherwise not editable
- Whether it merges, splits, rotates, and rearranges pages without re-rendering
- Whether it runs headless (Docker, home server) for team use, or only as a desktop GUI
- Whether it opens signed PDFs cleanly and preserves signatures on save
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Edits text | OCR | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling-PDF | All-round Acrobat replacement | Yes | Yes | Docker or local |
| PDFsam Basic | Merge, split, rotate, reorder | No | No | Desktop |
| Xournal++ | Annotating, signing, handwriting | Overlays only | No | Desktop |
| ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors | Editing text in real PDFs | Yes | No | Desktop |
| LibreOffice Draw | Editing a PDF like a document | Yes | No | Desktop |
| Master PDF Editor | Free-tier basic edits, paid pro | Yes | Yes (paid) | Desktop |
| MuPDF | Command-line power for scripts | Via mutool |
No | Desktop / server |
The apps
1. Stirling-PDF — best all-round Acrobat replacement
Stirling-PDF is the tool the XDA piece landed on, and for good reason. It is a single Docker container that runs on a home server, a NAS, or a desktop, and it exposes a web UI covering fifty-plus PDF operations: edit text, merge, split, rotate, redact, OCR (via Tesseract), compress, add or remove signatures, and convert to and from Office formats. Nothing leaves your machine.
Where it falls short: The web UI is the interface, so there is no native drag-and-drop from Finder or File Explorer. Requires Docker or Java to run.
Pricing:
- Free, open source under MIT.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux via Docker; also a bare JAR.
Download: stirlingpdf.io · GitHub · Docker: docker run -p 8080:8080 stirlingtools/stirling-pdf
Bottom line: Install this first. Most people never open Acrobat again once Stirling is on the network.
2. PDFsam Basic — best merge, split, rotate, reorder
PDFsam Basic does not try to edit text. It does the four things people actually reach for Acrobat to do: merge multiple PDFs into one, split one into many, rotate pages, and extract or reorder specific pages. The desktop app is fast, drag-and-drop friendly, and produces byte-perfect output every time.
Where it falls short: No text editing, no OCR, no annotation. Paid PDFsam Enhanced adds those, but the Basic tier is the pick here.
Pricing:
- Free Basic tier, open source.
- Paid PDFsam Enhanced adds text editing and OCR.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: pdfsam.org
Bottom line: The right pair with Stirling-PDF for anyone who wants a proper desktop UI for the boring page operations.
3. Xournal++ — best for annotating, signing, and handwriting
Xournal++ treats a PDF as a background layer and lets you write, draw, highlight, and stamp signatures on top with a stylus or a mouse. Text stays live in the underlying PDF; your annotations sit on their own layer and export back to PDF cleanly. On a Wacom, an iPad-plus-Sidecar, or a Surface, this is the fastest way to sign and return a form without printing.
Where it falls short: Not for editing the source text of a document. Best paired with a page-operations tool like PDFsam.
Pricing:
- Free, open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: xournalpp.github.io · Flathub: flatpak install flathub com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp
Bottom line: The right pick for signing forms, marking up drafts, and taking handwritten notes on top of any PDF.
4. ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors — best for editing text in real PDFs
ONLYOFFICE added a proper PDF editor to its desktop suite in 2024 and it now handles editing the actual text of a PDF, adding new fields, and re-flowing paragraphs. The rest of the suite (document, spreadsheet, presentation) sits alongside it, so switching from PDF to a Word-compatible edit and back is one click.
Where it falls short: No local OCR. The engine is heavier than Stirling-PDF for one-off page operations.
Pricing:
- Free desktop client under AGPLv3.
- Paid Enterprise tier adds team hosting and support.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: onlyoffice.com/download-desktop
Bottom line: The right pick when you routinely need to edit text inside a PDF and also work in Word or Excel files.
5. LibreOffice Draw — best for editing a PDF like a document
LibreOffice Draw opens a PDF as a normal document, keeps every element as a separately editable object, and lets you replace text, move images, and re-export back to PDF. It is the free option most people already have installed, and it handles simple form edits without a separate tool.
Where it falls short: Layout of complex PDFs can shift on re-export. No OCR built in (use Tesseract separately).
Pricing:
- Free, open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: libreoffice.org
Bottom line: The right first stop when you need to change a couple of lines in a PDF and you already have LibreOffice.
6. Master PDF Editor — best free-tier basic edits with a paid pro
Master PDF Editor is not open source, but the free tier covers viewing, page reorder, annotation, and basic text edits without a watermark. The paid tier adds full editing, form design, digital signatures, and OCR. Installers are one-file for every desktop OS, which makes it easier to hand a colleague than a Docker container.
Where it falls short: Free tier splashes an “unregistered” banner on save for professional-use features. Closed source.
Pricing:
- Free tier for personal use.
- Paid Master PDF Editor Pro from around $79.95 one-time per platform.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: code-industry.net
Bottom line: The right pick when you need OCR and full text editing but you do not want to run a Docker container.
7. MuPDF — best command-line power for scripts
MuPDF is the C library behind SumatraPDF and half the mobile PDF readers on the market. Its companion tool mutool extracts pages, converts formats, redacts, and rewrites bookmarks from a shell script, which makes it the right choice for anything that needs to happen at scale (invoicing, report pipelines, static-site build steps).
Where it falls short: Command-line first. The GUI viewer is deliberately minimal.
Pricing:
- Free, open source under AGPL.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: mupdf.com · Package: apt install mupdf-tools / brew install mupdf-tools
Bottom line: The right pick when the PDF work is repetitive enough to script and you want it to run in a cron job.
How to pick the right one
If you want one tool that replaces Acrobat and lives on your network: Stirling-PDF.
If you only need to shuffle pages around: PDFsam Basic.
If you sign forms often or draw on drafts: Xournal++.
If you also open Word and Excel files daily: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors.
If you already have LibreOffice and the edit is a one-off: LibreOffice Draw.
If you need OCR without a home server: Master PDF Editor (paid tier).
If the PDF work is scriptable: MuPDF and mutool.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Adobe Acrobat on desktop?
Stirling-PDF for anyone comfortable with a Docker container, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors for a proper GUI, and PDFsam Basic for the page operations Acrobat charges for.
Does Stirling-PDF really run everything locally?
Yes. The default Docker image keeps every operation on the local machine, and even the optional OCR step downloads Tesseract language packs once and runs offline afterwards. Nothing routes through a vendor cloud unless you turn on a specific integration yourself.
Can I edit the text inside a PDF for free?
Yes. LibreOffice Draw and ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors both edit PDF text directly, and Stirling-PDF has an edit mode too. Complex layouts may shift on re-export, so keep an unedited copy of anything important.
What is the best self-hosted PDF editor for a home server?
Stirling-PDF, hosted in Docker or Podman. It exposes a web UI you can pin to a subdomain, and every device on the LAN gets the same tools without installing a desktop app.
Do any of these do OCR without sending my document to the cloud?
Stirling-PDF and Master PDF Editor Pro both do local OCR. MuPDF plus Tesseract does the same in a shell script if you prefer the command line.
