Top 6 Free PDF Writers for 2025

Today’s best free PDF writers are not just simple converters; they are powerful tools that rival their paid counterparts in core functionality. This article explores the top six free PDF writers available in 2025, helping you choose the perfect tool for your needs.

What to Look for in a Free PDF Writer

Before diving into the list, it’s essential to understand the key criteria for a quality free PDF writer:

• Core Functionality: At a minimum, it must reliably create PDFs from other files (like Word documents, images, or web pages) and offer basic editing tools, such as merging or splitting pages.

• Ease of Use: The interface should be intuitive, allowing you to create PDFs with minimal steps.

• Privacy and Security: The software should respect your data. Be wary of tools that upload your documents to external servers without transparent policies.

• Freedom from Limitations: Many “free” tools are either trials with time limits or feature-crippled versions. The best ones are genuinely free for personal or light commercial use without watermarks on your output.

The Top 6 Free PDF Writers for 2025

1. LibreOffice: The Powerhouse for Offline Creation

Best For: Users who need a robust, completely offline, and open-source office suite that includes PDF export.

LibreOffice is a full-featured, open-source office suite that is a formidable competitor to Microsoft Office. Its built-in PDF export feature is one of its strongest assets. From any application within the suite—Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), or Impress (presentations)—you can simply go to File > Export As > Export as PDF.

Key Features:

• High-Quality Export: Produces clean, professional-looking PDFs that faithfully replicate your original document’s layout.

• Advanced PDF Options: Offers surprisingly detailed control over the export process, including setting compression levels, embedding fonts, and configuring security settings (passwords) for the PDF.

• 100% Free and Open-Source: No ads, no nags to upgrade, and no hidden costs. It’s a community-driven project.

• Completely Offline: Your data never leaves your computer, ensuring maximum privacy.

Considerations: LibreOffice is primarily an office suite, not a dedicated PDF editor. While it creates PDFs excellently, it lacks tools for editing existing PDF text directly.

2. Microsoft Print to PDF: The Built-In Windows Solution

Best For: Windows users who need a quick, no-fuss way to create a PDF from any printable document.

If you’re using a modern version of Windows 10 or 11, you already have a capable PDF writer installed. The “Microsoft Print to PDF” virtual printer is a system-level feature that allows you to “print” any file to a PDF.

Key Features:

• Ultimate Simplicity: It works exactly like printing. In any application, select Print, choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” as your printer, and click “Print.” You’ll then be prompted to save the new PDF file.

• Universal Compatibility: Because it works with the print function, it can create PDFs from virtually any program, including web browsers, graphic design software, and even older programs that don’t have a “Save as PDF” option.

• Zero Installation Required: It’s built directly into the operating system.

Considerations: This method offers no customization or editing features. The output quality depends entirely on the source application’s print settings.

3. PDF24: The All-in-One Online and Offline Toolkit

Best For: Users who need a wide range of PDF tools beyond just writing, and prefer the flexibility of both online and offline use.

PDF24 is a Swiss Army knife for PDF tasks. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools through its user-friendly website and a free, fully-featured desktop application.

Key Features:

• Versatile PDF Creation: Create PDFs from various sources, including merging multiple files (images, documents) into a single PDF.

• Online and Offline Modes: Use the web tools for quick, one-off tasks without installation, or download the PDF24 Creator desktop software for offline work and batch processing.

• Extensive Toolset: Beyond creation, it allows you to edit, compress, sign, annotate, and protect PDFs—all for free.

• Privacy-Focused (Desktop Version): The desktop application processes all files locally on your machine.

Considerations: The online version requires uploading your files to PDF24’s servers, which might be a concern for highly sensitive documents.

4. Canva: The Visual Designer’s Dream

Best For: Marketers, social media managers, and anyone creating visually appealing PDFs like flyers, reports, and presentations.

Canva has revolutionized graphic design for non-designers. While known for its drag-and-drop interface and vast template library, its PDF export capabilities are top-notch for creating stunning visual documents.

Key Features:

• Design-First Approach: Start from a blank page or thousands of professional templates to design your PDF from the ground up.

• High-Resolution Export: Export your designs as high-quality, print-ready PDFs, with options for standard or compressed file sizes.

• Collaboration: Easily share your design with teammates for real-time editing and comments before exporting to PDF.

• Freemium Model: The free version is incredibly powerful for most personal and professional use cases.

Considerations: Canva is less suited for converting long, text-heavy documents from Word. It excels as a creation tool for original, visually-oriented content.

5. Google Docs: The Champion of Collaboration and Simplicity

Best For: Teams and individuals who live in the Google ecosystem and prioritize real-time collaboration.

For those who use Google Workspace, the path to a PDF is seamless. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides have a built-in “Download as PDF” option that is both reliable and efficient.

Key Features:

• Seamless Workflow: After collaborating with others in real-time on a document, simply go to File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).

• Cloud-Native: Your document is automatically saved, and the PDF generation happens in the cloud, requiring no local processing power.

• Accessibility: The resulting PDFs are typically well-optimized for accessibility features like screen readers.

• Completely Free: Tied to a free Google account.

Considerations: Advanced formatting can sometimes render slightly differently in the PDF compared to the online view. It’s always good to preview the download first.

6. Foxit PDF Reader: The Free Acrobat Alternative

Best For: Users who need a dedicated PDF reader with robust creation and basic editing features, mimicking the Adobe Acrobat experience.

While known as a popular alternative to Adobe Reader, Foxit’s free version includes a powerful PDF creator. The “Foxit PDF Editor” (free version) is more than just a reader; it’s a capable PDF manipulation tool.

Key Features:

• Create from File: Easily create a PDF from a wide range of file formats.

• Edit Existing PDFs: The free version allows you to perform basic edits like adding text, images, and highlights, which many pure “writers” cannot do.

• Strong Security Features: Offers options to password-protect your PDFs upon creation.

• User-Friendly Interface: The ribbon-based toolbar will feel familiar to users of Microsoft Office.

Considerations: The free version may include prompts to upgrade to the paid “PhantomPDF” suite, though core creation and editing features remain accessible.

Conclusion

The need for a paid PDF writer has significantly diminished in 2025. Whether your priority is offline security with LibreOffice, effortless simplicity with Microsoft Print to PDF, or collaborative design with Canva, there is a free tool perfectly suited to your workflow. For the most versatile toolkit that combines online convenience with offline power, PDF24 is hard to beat. Evaluate your primary use case—be it document conversion, visual design, or team collaboration—and you will find a free PDF writer on this list that empowers you to create professional-quality documents without stretching your budget.