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PDFsam

Split, merge, extract, rotate and mix PDF files with a free, open-source desktop app — offline, no watermarks, no limits, since 2006

Website:https://pdfsam.org/
Pricing:Free (PDFsam Basic); paid Visual/Enhanced editions with 14/30-day trials
License:AGPL-3.0
Platform:Windows, macOS, Linux
Hosting:Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) — fully offline
Account:Not required
Source:Repository ↗
Added:2026-10-14
Last verified:October 2026
Visit website ↗Source code
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Website: https://pdfsam.org/ · Source: GitHub · Type: Independent open-source project (Italy), free Basic edition + commercial Visual/Enhanced editions

Why it exists

Every online PDF tool has the same business model: free to upload, paywalled to download, watermark included, files processed on someone else's server. PDFsam Basic is the opposite: a free, open-source desktop app (Java/JavaFX) where your PDFs never leave your computer, and the core verbs — split, merge, extract pages, rotate, mix — cost nothing and always will. Twenty years of development show: it's the tool helpdesks quietly install on every machine in the office.

Main features

  • Merge — combine many PDFs into one with reorderable selection, outlines/bookmarks handling and table-of-contents generation.
  • Split — by bookmarks, size, every N pages, or alternating pages; "split by every blank page" for scanned batches.
  • Extract & rotate — pull selected page ranges; rotate pages in 90° steps (dual-facing scans, anyone?).
  • Mix — interleave two documents page-by-page (the underrated trick for assembling scanned duplex stacks).
  • Fully offline — zero uploads, no accounts, no watermarks; suited for confidential documents.
  • Cross-platform — Windows, macOS and Linux packages, including portable and CLI-friendly options.
  • Paid siblings — PDFsam Visual (25+ visual page tools, compression, crop, metadata cleaning) and PDFsam Enhanced (OCR, editing, forms) with one-time or subscription pricing.

Who it's for

  • Anyone who processes documents for a living and can't upload them to a web tool (legal, HR, finance, healthcare).
  • Students and volunteers assembling theses, zines and grant applications from many sources.
  • Scan-tamers: mix/rotate/split are the exact verbs that duplex-scanning workflows need.
  • Open-source shops standardizing one PDF tool across Windows/macOS/Linux fleets.

How it compares

  • Online tools (iLovePDF & friends) — frictionless until you read the privacy policy; PDFsam is the offline answer with no page limits.
  • PdfDing — self-hosted PDF management (reading, storing); PDFsam is the document surgery tool — pairs well.
  • PDF Shelter / PixlPDF — browser-based PDF utilities; PDFsam wins for heavy offline batch work.
  • Adobe Acrobat — the bloated incumbent; PDFsam Basic covers the 80% of Acrobat tasks people actually perform, at 0%.

Notes

  • AGPL-3.0 for Basic; the Visual/Enhanced editions are commercial — the free tier is not a demo, it's a complete tool.
  • Requires Java (bundled in installers); Linux users may prefer distro packages.
  • The GUI is modular: each tool is a separate workspace, so the app stays comprehensible.
  • Version 5.x line is current and maintained by a solo developer with a paid-product funding model — a fair deal that has kept the tool alive since 2006.