Comparison
Edit My PDF vs PDFescape
A long-running free online form filler and annotator, now owned by Avanquest, with a paid Windows desktop editor.
| At a glance |  PDFescape | Edit My PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | Uploaded to their serversThe online editor uploads the file; saving to PDFescape's servers is a feature. | In your browserEverything runs in your tab with pdf.js and pdf-lib. Nothing is uploaded. |
| File retention | Stored files expire after 7 days on Free and 30 days on Premium; no deletion window is stated for uploads themselves. | Nothing is sent, so nothing is retained. Documents stay in your browser's IndexedDB until you remove them. |
| Account | Not requiredThe online editor opens without a login. | Not required |
| Free tier | Online editing, annotation and forms with ads, for files under 10 MB and 100 pages. Editing existing text is a desktop feature on paid plans.File size cap: 10 MB and 100 pages. Limit: "Usage rates" enforced; numbers not published. Watermark: no. | Everything is free. No task counter, no watermark, no file size cap beyond browser memory. |
| Paid plans | $2.99/monthPremium: $2.99 a month billed yearly, or $5.99 monthlyAd-free, 40 MB files, the Windows desktop editor.Ultimate: $5.99 a month billed yearly, or $8.99 monthlyAdds encryption, advanced forms, signatures and redaction on desktop. | None. Everything is free. |
| Edits the text already on the page | PartlyOn the free tier: No | Yes |
| Keeps the page's original font | Not statedOnline: "You can only modify text added with PDFescape." Existing text is edited only in the paid Windows desktop app, which does not say how it handles fonts. | YesOpens the clicked text in the PDF's embedded font, at its size, colour, letter and word spacing; exports it as real text in a subset of that font. |
| Annotate and draw | Yes | Yes |
| Sign | Partly | Yes |
| Fill forms | Yes | No |
| OCR | No | No |
| Convert to and from other formats | Partly | No |
| Merge and split | Partly | No |
| Compress | Partly | No |
| Desktop apps | Yes | No |
| Mobile apps | No | No |
| API | No | No |
- Free form filling, basic form creation and form publishing online.
- Files kept on its servers so you can continue on another device.
- A cheap Windows desktop editor that edits existing text, merges and converts.
- No account and no watermark on the free tier.
Where PDFescape is better
- Edits existing text online, free, in the page's own font. PDFescape's online editor cannot touch existing text at all.
- No upload and no 10 MB or 100-page cap.
- No ads, and it works on macOS and Linux, where PDFescape has no desktop app.
Where Edit My PDF is better
Avanquest (Claranova) bought PDFescape in 2021; the site now carries Avanquest's group privacy policy, updated July 2026.
Read on 2 November 2026 from Avanquest Software's own pages, with independent reviews used only to fill gaps. Prices are as the vendor showed them, in the currency and region seen. Where a vendor publishes nothing, the page says "Not stated".
- PDFescape online editor (limits)
- PDFescape plans comparison
- PDFescape sign-up (prices)
- PDFescape help: adding or modifying text
- PDFescape privacy policy
PDFescape is a product of Avanquest Software, Montréal. The name is used only to identify the product being compared.
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