About MakePDFFree
MakePDFFree is a set of 29 free PDF tools built on a simple idea: you should not have to upload a payslip, a lease or a passport scan to a stranger's server just to merge two pages.
Your files stay on your device
Merging, splitting, compressing, editing, signing, OCR and conversions to Word or images all run inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Free without catches
No account, no watermark, no daily quota and no upsell to unlock the download. The tools that exist are the full tools.
Honest about the exceptions
Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF need a server. Those pages say so before you pick a file, and files are deleted right after conversion.
Works on the device in your hand
Every tool is designed for a phone screen first, with touch-friendly controls, and scales up to a desktop.
Why build another PDF site?
Most online PDF tools work the same way: you upload a document, it is processed on a remote server, and you download the result. That model made sense when browsers were slow. Today a phone browser can run the same PDF libraries locally, so sending the file away adds risk without adding anything useful. Many sites also hide the download behind an account, add a watermark, or limit you to a couple of tasks per day.
MakePDFFree started in 2026 to show that everyday PDF jobs can be done privately and for free, with a site that loads fast, works on a phone and explains exactly what happens to your files.
How it works
When you open a tool, the page downloads the code it needs from makepdffree.com: open-source libraries such as pdf.js for rendering, pdf-lib and qpdf for editing and encryption, and Tesseract for text recognition. Your file is then read and processed in memory by your own browser. The finished PDF is created on your device and saved through your browser's normal download. You can check this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, watch the Network tab while a tool runs, and you will see requests for the tool's own code but no upload of your document.
The full list of libraries and their licences is on the open-source licenses page.
How it is funded
Hosting costs are covered by a small number of sponsors whose apps appear in clearly labelled spots. Sponsors get a mention and a link, never your data. Read more on why the site is free.
Who writes the guides
The tools and every guide on the site are written by Chinmoy Biswas, the developer who builds MakePDFFree and its sister site makebeforeafter.com. Each guide is checked against the tool it describes: the steps are run on a real file, on a phone and on a desktop browser, before the guide is published, and the date at the top of a guide is updated whenever the tool or the steps change.
Corrections are welcome. If a step no longer matches what you see, email hello@makepdffree.com with the guide URL and your device, and the guide is fixed rather than left to go stale.
Get in touch
Found a PDF that does not work, or missing a tool? Email hello@makepdffree.com or visit the contact page. There is also a growing library of step-by-step PDF guides.