JustFill
Web browser- How fields are added
- Detects likely fields on flat, scanned or photographed PDFs and lets you adjust them, or you draw them by hand.
- Free
- Build and preview the layout free. The first clean flattened download is free.
- Paid
- Exporting clickable fields: $7 one-time pack (25 clean downloads) or plans from $19 per month.
Good when you start from a flat or scanned form and want fields placed for you, or fill many copies from a spreadsheet. Detection is probabilistic, so review the result.
Source: justfill.app/make-pdf-fillable
Adobe Acrobat
Desktop, mobile and web- How fields are added
- The Prepare Form tool analyzes the document and adds form fields automatically, and you adjust them with the toolbar.
- Free
- Acrobat Reader is free but fills and views forms rather than creating them. A paid plan can be tried free for 14 days.
- Paid
- Pro from US$19.99 per month on an annual plan billed monthly (US page). Whether the cheaper Standard plan includes Prepare Form is not confirmed on Adobe pages.
The reference tool for advanced forms, with the highest price of the group.
Source: www.adobe.com/acrobat/how-to/create-fillable-pdf-forms-creator.html
Foxit PDF Editor
Windows, Mac and web- How fields are added
- Manual form tools plus automatic Form Field Recognition, described in a Foxit article from 2021.
- Free
- A 14-day free trial. The free Foxit Reader fills forms but does not create them.
- Paid
- $129.99 per user per year, or monthly billing from $10.99. A perpetual Foxit PDF Editor 14 is listed at $209.99 one time.
A desktop alternative to Acrobat for people who want automatic field recognition and a one-time purchase option.
Source: www.foxit.com/pdf-editor/pricing/
UPDF
Windows, Mac, iOS and Android- How fields are added
- A Field Recognition feature identifies the fillable parts of a form and makes them editable.
- Free
- The free version works but adds a trial watermark when you save, including forms you create.
- Paid
- UPDF Pro at US$49.99 per year on a promotional price, or US$79.99 for a lifetime licence.
Low-cost desktop and mobile option. The watermark in the free version matters if you want to share the file.
Source: updf.com/pdf-form/how-to-create-a-fillable-pdf/
Sejda PDF
Web and desktop- How fields are added
- Manual field types (text, textarea, radio, checkbox, dropdown, signature) and an "Auto-detect fields" option on its forms page.
- Free
- Free service for documents up to 200 pages or 50 MB, with 3 tasks per hour.
- Paid
- A one-time 7-day Web Week Pass, a monthly plan and a yearly plan. Current prices are on sejda.com/pricing.
A free web option for occasional forms. The paid access removes the hourly and page limits.
Source: www.sejda.com/pdf-forms
PDFescape
Web, plus a Windows desktop app- How fields are added
- Manual: checkbox, radio, dropdown, listbox, text and button fields. No automatic detection is listed.
- Free
- Basic form fields are free. The free web version has a 10 MB file limit and 10 stored files.
- Paid
- Premium from $2.99 per month billed yearly ($5.99 billed monthly), which adds advanced form design.
A low-cost option for building a basic form by hand.
Source: www.pdfescape.com/what/features/
SimplePDF
Web editor, Chrome extension and embeddable component- How fields are added
- Advanced form-field options are listed under the paid Basic plan. How fields are created is not described on its pricing page.
- Free
- The editor is free without signup. The free plan does not include the form-field options.
- Paid
- Basic is $99 per month ($990 per year) and includes 5 seats and 2,500 documents per month.
Aimed at teams that want to embed a PDF editor in their own app, not at one-off form building.
Source: simplepdf.com/pricing
DocHub
Web, mobile apps and browser extensions- How fields are added
- Manual: text, checkbox, radio, dropdown, signature, initials and date fields. An AI field feature is shown as "coming soon".
- Free
- A free plan with a shared limit of 3 uses per month across features.
- Paid
- Basic at 8 EUR per month on the vendor page (the page does not state the billing period).
Integrates with Google Drive and Gmail, which suits Google Workspace users who add fields for signing.
Source: dochub.com/pricing
pdfFiller
Web- How fields are added
- Manual drag and drop of fields such as text, dropdown, radio button, signature and date. No automatic detection is mentioned.
- Free
- No permanent free plan is listed. Some plans come with a 30-day trial.
- Paid
- Fillable fields start on the Plus plan: $12 per month on annual billing, $30 on monthly billing.
A broad document platform rather than a focused tool for adding fields to a PDF.
Source: www.pdffiller.com/en/services.htm
Jotform PDF Editor
Web- How fields are added
- Start from scratch or convert an existing PDF into a fillable form. A matching web form is created alongside the PDF form.
- Free
- A free Starter plan: 5 active forms, 100 monthly submissions and 100 MB of upload space.
- Paid
- Paid plans start at $39 per month ($408 per year). The pricing page does not list the PDF editor separately.
Best when you also want to collect answers through an online form, not only produce a PDF.
Source: www.jotform.com/fillable-pdf-form-creator/
PDFgear
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and web- How fields are added
- Manual: place text, checkbox and dropdown fields and edit their properties. No automatic detection is mentioned.
- Free
- Free without signup and without a watermark.
- Paid
- No paid plan found on the vendor pages.
A free option if you are happy to place each field yourself.
Source: www.pdfgear.com/pdf-form/
LibreOffice
Windows, Mac and Linux desktop- How fields are added
- Manual form controls (text boxes, checkboxes, list boxes), then export to PDF with the "Create PDF form" option.
- Free
- Free and open source.
- Paid
- None.
No cost and no account. It is a general office suite rather than a dedicated PDF form editor.
Source: help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/ref_pdf_export_general.html