PdfCraft v0.14.0

PdfCraft is a free, open-source PDF application designed as an alternative to Adobe Acrobat. Built from scratch in Rust, it combines PDF viewing, document organization, page management, file merging, splitting, and encryption tools in a native desktop application.

Unlike cloud-based PDF services, PdfCraft is designed to process documents locally without requiring an account, telemetry, or cloud processing. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, with a WebAssembly version that runs in a browser.

PdfCraft is particularly interesting for users who want a lightweight, privacy-focused PDF workbench without a subscription. However, it is still an early-stage project, and users who depend on advanced PDF editing, digital signatures, or OCR should consider its current limitations before adopting it.

Features

PDF Viewing and Search

PdfCraft provides a document viewer with text selection, page navigation, and search-as-you-type functionality. Its text selection follows the document's reading order, making it easier to select and copy content from complex layouts.

The renderer is designed to handle international text, vertical Japanese writing, color emoji, and transparency. The application also includes a dark theme and two-page reading mode for a more comfortable reading experience.

A command palette provides quick access to tools and commands, reducing the need to navigate through multiple menus.

Organize and Rearrange Pages

PdfCraft includes a visual page organizer that makes managing PDF documents straightforward. Users can rotate, delete, insert, and reorder pages, with undo support for reversing changes.

These tools are useful for rearranging reports, removing unwanted pages, correcting scanned documents, and assembling documents in the desired order.

The application also supports incremental editing and atomic saves, alongside autosave and crash recovery features designed to reduce the risk of losing work.

Merge, Extract, and Split PDFs

PdfCraft allows users to combine multiple PDF files into a single document, extract selected pages, and split documents into smaller files.

Its document-processing engine aims to preserve important PDF structures during these operations, including links, form fields, layers, and bookmarks.

This makes it useful for administrative work, combining reports, preparing documents for submission, and separating large files into manageable sections.

However, complex documents should be checked after processing to ensure that their formatting and interactive elements remain intact.

PDF Security and Encryption

PdfCraft supports opening encrypted PDF files using older RC4 encryption and modern AES-256 encryption.

It also respects document permissions specified by the author. This is useful when working with protected documents that restrict certain operations.

Encryption support does not mean that PdfCraft provides every security feature available in professional PDF software. Users who require certificate-based digital signatures, advanced redaction, or specialized document-security workflows should verify those capabilities separately.

Forms, Layers, and Document Structure

PdfCraft is designed to preserve PDF features beyond ordinary page content. These include form fields, layers, links, and bookmarks when combining or splitting documents.

This is important because PDF files often contain interactive elements and structural information that can be lost when processed by simpler PDF utilities.

The project emphasizes document integrity, although its developers acknowledge that its rendering quality has not yet been comprehensively compared against Adobe Acrobat.

Command-Line Tools and AI Automation

PdfCraft includes a command-line interface for inspecting documents, extracting text, rendering pages, editing PDF files, combining documents, extracting pages, and splitting files.

For example, you can inspect a PDF's structure in JSON format:

pdfcraft-cli info document.pdf

Extract text from a specific page:

pdfcraft-cli text document.pdf --page 3

Rotate pages, delete a page, and update the document title:

pdfcraft-cli edit input.pdf \
  --rotate 1,2:90 \
  --delete 5 \
  --title "Q3" \
  --out output.pdf

These capabilities make PdfCraft useful for batch processing, scripts, and automated document workflows. Its agent-oriented architecture also makes it suitable for integration with compatible AI tools.

Download PdfCraft v0.14.0 - Software Mirrors
PdfCraft v0.14.0 for Windows pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-x86.msi | 68.29 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-x86-portable.zip | 81.03 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-x64.msi | 70.32 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-x64-portable.zip | 84.78 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-arm64.msi | 66.18 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-windows-arm64-portable.zip | 81.2 MB
PdfCraft v0.14.0 for macOS pdfcraft-cli-0.14.0-macos-universal.zip | 60.22 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-macos-universal.dmg | 94.26 MB
PdfCraft v0.14.0 for Linux pdfcraft-cli-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 30.03 MB pdfcraft-cli-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | 28.54 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 84.2 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.rpm | 84.85 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst | 66.67 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.flatpak | 63.37 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.deb | 85.28 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage.zsync | 281.03 kB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage | 80.23 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-riscv64.tar.gz | 81.85 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-riscv64.rpm | 82.51 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-riscv64.deb | 82.77 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | 80.63 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.rpm | 81.98 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst | 64.34 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.flatpak | 59.55 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.deb | 82.54 MB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage.zsync | 269.15 kB pdfcraft-0.14.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage | 76.83 MB
PdfCraft v0.14.0 for BSD pdfcraft-0.14.0-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz | 83.62 MB
Others Download related to PdfCraft v0.14.0 pdfcraft-web-0.14.0.zip | 15.22 MB
PdfCraft v0.14.0 Source Code PdfCraft v0.14.0 Source code (zip) PdfCraft v0.14.0 Source code (tar.gz)
PdfCraft v0.14.0 Release Notes: What's Changed fix(cos): one decode budget per page walk, so repeated stream references cannot multiply decoding by @aiongg in #4114 fix(cos, content, filters, crypt, model, render, print, a11y): bound the work that repeated keys, streams and page values multiply by @aiongg in #4128 fix(limits): bound the decoding and listing work that repeated references and small inputs multiply by @aiongg in #4117 fix(js, xfa): bound the text and work that form scripts and XFA data can multiply by @aiongg in #4121 fix(edit,organize,create): bound the work hostile files cause in editing, page organizing and image import by @aiongg in #4151 chore(sonar): exclude vendored crates and the spec-mandated MD5/RIPEMD-160 (SonarCloud rust:S4790) by @dylanmtaylor in #4169 fix(packaging): use [[ tests and name positional parameters (SonarCloud shelldre:S7688, S7679, S7682, S131) by @dylanmtaylor in #4170 fix(audit): find covers the audit missed, bound its work and honour the copy permission by @aiongg in #4109 fix(xfdf, sign, preflight, engine, forms, measure, annot): bound repeated work in form exchange, preflight and export, and check what imports and time stamps claim by @aiongg in #4129 M14: update ctutils to 0.4.5 for RUSTSEC-2026-0385 by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4220 Fix FormCalc Str() printing small negative numbers as "-0" by @Silvertree2010 in #4108 Accept long unit names in FormCalc UnitValue by @Silvertree2010 in #4116 test(sign): serialize the Keychain search-list tests by @ffishman in #4124 M9: sign_list lists a hidden or NoView signature field as not visible by @EricKaden in #4141 M6: scripts see xfa_version, and xfa_installed in XFA forms by @EricKaden in #4142 Regression tests for #246, #843 and #2028 by @skylartaylor in #4143 fix(optimize): keep a destination referenced only through an indirect /Dest by @Matoo125 in #4212 CI: the workflow token is read-only by @oracola91 in #4026 ci(deps): bump Swatinem/rust-cache from 2.9.2 to 2.9.3 in the actions group by @dependabot[bot] in #4227 FreeBSD: package the aarch64 cross build (craft-common-actions#39) by @zuujiscom in #4137 Reject non-hex characters in XFDF colour parsing by @Silvertree2010 in #4145 fix(edit): setting a paragraph's width no longer panics on text larger than a page by @Matoo125 in #4110 fix(redact,sign,cos): close the still-open high-severity scan findings by @dylanmtaylor in #4244 fix(docs): one row per crate in the vendor README table and remove duplicates by @alehel in #4015 M10: odd and even pages are page numbers, as Acrobat counts them (#3984) by @mtlcl410 in #4034 fix: Issue #4017. Flattening removes empty fields it cannot draw by @Ridzzz0Alam in #4033 M11: Convert to PDF/A needs the owner's permission on an encrypted document (#3921) by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4203 M5: stamp_custom places a picture fitted inside a rect (#4077) by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4233 M5: sticky notes draw the icon they name (ISO 32000-2 Table 175) by @mtlcl410 in #4182 M3: a Launch link that names a PDF opens it in PdfCraft (ISO 32000-2 §12.6.4.6) by @mtlcl410 in #4185 ui: prevent top item clipping under panel header separators by @piyushgoel2808 in #4073 fix(ui): keep colour popups open when "+" opens the custom colour picker by @agent-reed in #4066 M6: calculations read their notation only from a comment, and a regex after a condition as a regex by @Piohrun in #3993 Accessibility: set a table's Summary and a header cell's Scope (#4103, #4104) by @pat26-dotcom in #4130 M4: bookmarks show and set their title colour and style (ISO 32000-2 Tables 151, 152) by @mtlcl410 in #4171 Cancel stale Organize page drags after document changes by @ahmadmuj in #4039 M2: text extraction finishes a column before the next one across a paragraph gap (#3658) by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4214 fix: Issue #4076, pdfcraft --help prints usage instead of opening the app. by @Ridzzz0Alam in #4093 Open Save As and export dialogs in the document's own folder by @aalbertiarchitecte in #4012 M9: visible signatures read upright on rotated pages by @vjeko2404 in #4067 G14: Romanian: translate the 64 catalog rows still in English by @vioreltus in #4016 Packaging: pin the signing client and appimagetool, and check their hashes by @aiongg in #3731 fix(links): resolve remote document paths with craft-docpath's resolve_absolute by @aiongg in #3730 Allow OFL typefaces, Noto CJK and Source Han included (AGENTS.md §1.1) by @aiongg in #3908 CI: nextest, line tables only, one wasm check by @aiongg in #4269 CI: shared gate workflow; nightly fuzzing in its own workflow by @aiongg in #4270 test(automation): give sign_document a real digital ID and document in the hostile-arguments sweep by @aiongg in #4277 release: the git-sources gate moves into craft-common-actions (storytold/craft-common-actions#78) by @dylanmtaylor in #4292 Translations: a missing string never fails; xtask ci prints the gaps by @aiongg in #4302 Assets: don't hash translation catalogs in ATTRIBUTION.toml by @aiongg in #4284 ci(sonar): stop cancelling main-branch runs so coverage is published by @dylanmtaylor in #4321 fix(render): bound xref streams, JBIG2 referred-to counts, saved graphics states and /W2 runs by @aiongg in #4350 chore: resolve SonarCloud maintainability issues by @dylanmtaylor in #4356 fix(deps): bump crypto-bigint to 0.7.6 (RUSTSEC-2026-0387) by @aiongg in #4366 Tests: UI tests wait for background work by time, not frame count (#4186) by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4242 fix(demo): resolve SonarCloud web/css issues in showcase.html by @dylanmtaylor in #4402 Integration batch 3: 47 contributor PRs (editing, forms, XFA, rendering) by @aiongg in #4390 fix(xfa): skip PDF fallback scripts while XFA layout is active by @PerchAnton in #2648 M6: dotted field names make parent fields (#2696) by @mtlcl410 in #2957 fix(edit): batch styled paragraph fallback glyphs by @PerchAnton in #3000 fix(ui): the header, footer and watermark previews show the page under the marks (#2837) by @guillehr2 in #3009 M12: laying out a dynamic XFA form takes off the usage rights it voids by @EricKaden in #3401 fix(forms): write each /DR font as its own object, so Acrobat keeps typed text (#3441) by @mtlcl410 in #3488 Save commits the open Edit Text boxes before writing the file (#3496) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #3546 M6: util.scand reads dates as another viewer does by @EricKaden in #3549 Edit text: keep Tr, stroke, line width and gs set inside BT when rewriting a paragraph (#3508, #3509) by @cadelass in #3551 M12: a date typed by another of an XFA field's edit patterns is kept in its first by @EricKaden in #3552 M6: form buttons show the side panels (app.execMenuItem) by @EricKaden in #3580 Redaction: follow nested forms as deep as the readers do by @Hamza0101 in #3670 M6: values typed into Password fields are written to no file (#3926) by @mtlcl410 in #3943 M6: a document script that throws no longer stops the form's other scripts (#3940) by @mtlcl410 in #3985 fix: Issue #4018, form_fill warns when a value does not fit its field (#4018) by @Ridzzz0Alam in #4053 M4: a save prompt that opens in the background asks for the user's attention by @EricKaden in #4155 M2: a symbolic TrueType font reads its (3, 0) cmap before its (1, 0) one (#4156) by @mtlcl410 in #4157 fix(ui): the added-text editor keeps the box's alignment by @RiceDee in #4178 M11: PDF Optimizer ▸ Clean Up stores LZW streams with Flate (optimize.flate-unencoded) by @marcoarnulfo in #4181 fix(audit): covered_text reports the words under the cover, not the whole line by @mercuryVM in #4198 M7: edited text keeps the spaces typed, except at the edges of a stretched justified row (#4199, #3797) by @Jayesh-Prajapati9 in #4217 M7: paste added text boxes and images in the engine and through content_copy (#2636) by @lev-n in #4230 M7: a batch of content edits refreshes the added content and page marks by @lev-n in #4258 M7: added text takes character spacing from Format text by @marcoarnulfo in #4266 M12: XFA text is measured at its standard-14 font's own widths by @EricKaden in #4287 Check boxes and radio buttons draw their mark in the field's text colour by @marcoarnulfo in #4295 Omit minus sign when FormCalc Format() rounds to zero by @Silvertree2010 in #4299 M6: Field Properties ▸ Actions: Edit opens an existing script (#4006) by @marcoarnulfo in #4307 M11: honor page UserUnit when measuring image resolution by @KyleKassen in #4310 M10: write DOCX cell widths from their grid columns by @KyleKassen in #4311 M7: a bold paragraph's stand-in font no longer turns earlier edits bold (#4280) by @Lcoding15 in #4316 M12: round XFA check buttons draw a round background and border by @EricKaden in #4317 M12: links in XFA rich text become clickable links by @EricKaden in #4318 M12: XFA borders and rectangles with rounded corners are drawn rounded by @EricKaden in #4319 M10: preserve table text from covered export slots by @KyleKassen in #4329 M8: redact labelled Italian international slash numbers by @KyleKassen in #4330 M10: apply soft-mask Decode intervals to image exports by @KyleKassen in #4331 M12: flowed XFA subforms are drawn with their border and fill by @EricKaden in #4338 M6: fields that don't scroll stop taking text when full by @EricKaden in #4339 M6: the date picker has a Today button (#4274) by @mtlcl410 in #4343 M2: a DeviceN colour with twelve inks paints, and a colour that can't be evaluated no longer blanks the page (ISO 32000-2 §8.6.6.5) by @mtlcl410 in #4345 M6: check boxes, radio buttons and push buttons without an appearance are drawn, and comb fields show their cells (ISO 32000-2 Table 192, 12.7.5) by @mtlcl410 in #4368 M2: Invisible annotations of unknown types and popups don't paint their appearance on the page (ISO 32000-2 Table 167) by @mtlcl410 in #4371 M2: a stand-in for a non-embedded font keeps its glyph shapes at wider /Widths advances (Arial,Bold no longer draws i and l as blocks) by @mtlcl410 in #4374 M2: a non-embedded CIDFont's fallback request carries its descendant's font descriptor (ISO 32000-2 §9.7.4, §9.8) by @mtlcl410 in #4380 fix(edit): Delete removes the selected paragraph or objects in Edit text by @meethere in #4111 Integration batch 4: 26 contributor PRs (comments, viewer, pages, printing), after #4390 by @aiongg in #4391 M5: sticky notes stay upright where they are placed on rotated pages (NoRotate, #2583) by @guillehr2 in #3016 feat(organize): Extract pages takes typed page ranges (#3593) by @Lombardi2003 in #3750 M5: the arrow keys move the selected comment by @ohagmann in #3786 Leave the page grid when the Crop tool is chosen by @eliets2 in #3974 fix(automation): guard MCP dispatch and bound line and file reads (#3924) by @jonathanwxh-cell in #3997 M12: type or pick an architect's 1:N drawing scale in the Measure panel, applied at once by @aalbertiarchitecte in #4058 i18n(fi): translate the 64 labels left in English after #2210 by @Janiz-zzz in #4068 feat(ui): the secured-document notice can be turned off for good (#4035) by @Lombardi2003 in #4096 fix(sign): judge a page's indirect /Annots array by the annotations it gains by @ffishman in #4132 fix(sign): let an LTV update declare the ESIC extension in the catalog by @ffishman in #4133 Flatten comments from the page's right-click menu and the Comments panel's menu by @ohagmann in #4147 M10: every paper size reaches the printer, from the dialog and doc_print (#3752) by @thesilvjurado in #4161 feat(ui): add 'Split document...' to page thumbnail context menus by @so-sai in #4211 M3: a link without a position keeps the reader's place (ISO 32000-2 §12.3.2.2) by @Lcoding15 in #4303 M10: preserve page artwork when printing annotations by @KyleKassen in #4312 test(ui): recovery idle tests make folders that never share a name by @EricKaden in #4323 M5: stamps without an appearance draw the stamp they name (ISO 32000-2 Table 184) by @mtlcl410 in #4349 Reject open-ended page range on a document with no pages by @Silvertree2010 in #4352 M3: a fresh install follows the desktop's appearance (#1248) by @mtlcl410 in #2190 M3: restore last view settings when reopening documents (#1767) by @mtlcl410 in #2195 organize: split a combined field/widget so every copied page owns its widget by @midasmatterhorn in #2289 M10: a booklet decides two-sided itself, as Acrobat does (#2707) by @mtlcl410 in #2748 cli: the argument bugs photocraft#7071 lists are live here too by @Hamza0101 in #3849 M3: resize and move the window again right after a resize or move (Wayland) by @bmh129 in #3970 Comments: the composer hides while its comment is scrolled away (#4021) by @mmmaarian03-crypto in #4095 M5: comments without an appearance draw their /Border dashes, Ink dashes and the caret's ¶ (ISO 32000-2 Tables 166, 168, 183) by @mtlcl410 in #4362 Integration batch 5: 9 contributor PRs (OCR, attachments, documents, selection), after #4391 by @aiongg in #4394 M10: recognize a scanned page when Edit is turned on for it by @philip-tam in #1609 Attachments: attach a file and delete one (panel, edit, tools); duplicate names numbered as text by @regendorf-ux in #1960 M3: Document Properties shows a title and author stated only in XMP (#2373) by @magdale76 in #2588 M11: Optimize keeps a JPEG's colour transform (#1201) by @guillehr2 in #3012 fix(ui): the back arrows leave Edit as the Edit tab does by @guillehr2 in #3056 Select All takes the whole document's text while scrolling continuously (fixes #2639) by @SBaksa in #3694 Refuse an OCR batch whose inputs would write one output file by @eliets2 in #3765 fix: Issue #4020, Extract keeps the bookmarks of the pages it copies by @Ridzzz0Alam in #4041 OCR: a recognizer panic or a dead worker ends the run (#3919) by @mmmaarian03-crypto in #4196 fix(forms): a multiline field rejects a glyph wider than the field by @aiongg in #4447 fix(render): vendor hayro-postscript so a run of << in a CMap can't overflow the stack by @aiongg in #4363 Fixed broken link to nFPM installation site by @roopeshor in #4372 Redaction keeps images still drawn through a form without /Resources by @oracola91 in #4413 fix(optimize): a GoToR or GoToE /D no longer keeps a local named destination by @dotCooCoo in #4445 refactor(xtask): reduce cognitive complexity in parity and layers by @dylanmtaylor in #4406 refactor(a11y): reduce cognitive complexity in autotag and alt by @dylanmtaylor in #4407 refactor(engine): reduce cognitive complexity in camera_edges and word_count by @dylanmtaylor in #4408 refactor(ui): split field-table divider input (Sonar S3776) by @FredApps in #4419 fix(ui): seven tools take the page zoom from the side the page's width is on in a turned view by @Lombardi2003 in #4425 M2: tiling pattern cells sit at their XStep/YStep multiples at every scale (ISO 32000-2 8.7.3.1) by @mtlcl410 in #4421 fix(automation): roots-only mode refuses other shares and devices by name by @mercuryVM in #4289 M12: XFA check boxes sit where their margins, caption and alignment put them by @EricKaden in #4300 M5: line comments draw their leader lines and caption (ISO 32000-2 Table 178) by @mtlcl410 in #4354 M3: a document opens at its /OpenAction destination, position and named destinations included (ISO 32000-2 Table 149, 12.3.2.4) by @mtlcl410 in #4376 M4: Document Properties has a Custom tab for custom properties by @dotCooCoo in #4387 M3: a closed top-level bookmark opens closed (ISO 32000-2 Table 151 /Count) by @mtlcl410 in #4389 fix(ui): header, footer and watermark previews step through the pages by @aiongg in #4448 Reject non-finite numbers in XFDF coordinate lists on import by @Silvertree2010 in #4449 refactor(xfa): explicit model imports (Sonar S2208) by @dylanmtaylor in #4403 M2: Type 3 text in rendering mode 7 is not rendered and adds no clip (ISO 32000-2 9.3.6) by @mtlcl410 in #4430 M2: a Separation /All colour paints every colourant, gray 1 − tint on screen (ISO 32000-2 8.6.6.4) by @mtlcl410 in #4439 Remember the annotation tool pin across restarts (#4253) by @PerchAnton in #4276 M6: an editable combo box takes a typed value (ISO 32000-2 Table 233 Edit) by @mtlcl410 in #4451 chore: order the render integration-test modules (fmt) by @echelon in #4486 fix(ui): text typed into a new text box counts as unsaved work by @aiongg in #4441 Integration batch 6: 6 contributor PRs (All tools view, page pointer, comments, redaction, Properties, Home) by @aiongg in #4566 M3: All tools expands to a full, searchable view by @alehel in #2460 fix(ui): Document Properties layout, Space Audit tab, no page cursors under dialogs by @alehel in #2556 M3: the community card on Home can be closed for the rest of the run by @max1e6 in #2617 fix(ui): one page pointer per frame, so taps work and nothing over a page lets it through by @alehel in #2685 fix(comments): thread replies by their /IRT reference, count comments like Acrobat by @alehel in #4061 fix(redact,cos): cleared redaction marks leave nothing behind by @alehel in #4226 fix(xfa): require full save when stripping XFA packets by @dylanmtaylor in #4568 fix(forms): align has_password_flag traversal depth with field enumeration by @dylanmtaylor in #4570 fix(redact): remove AcroForm on Hidden::FormFields even when field count is zero by @dylanmtaylor in #4571 forms: clear typed XFA password field values from datasets on save (#3944) by @jonathanwxh-cell in #4506 fix(ui): the page ignores the pointer while a panel is being dragged by @aiongg in #4581 New Contributors @Matoo125 made their first contribution in #4212 @zuujiscom made their first contribution in #4137 @piyushgoel2808 made their first contribution in #4073 @agent-reed made their first contribution in #4066 @pat26-dotcom made their first contribution in #4130 @aalbertiarchitecte made their first contribution in #4012 @vjeko2404 made their first contribution in #4067 @vioreltus made their first contribution in #4016 @cadelass made their first contribution in #3551 @RiceDee made their first contribution in #4178 @mercuryVM made their first contribution in #4198 @lev-n made their first contribution in #4230 @KyleKassen made their first contribution in #4310 @meethere made their first contribution in #4111 @thesilvjurado made their first contribution in #4161 @so-sai made their first contribution in #4211 @roopeshor made their first contribution in #4372 @dotCooCoo made their first contribution in #4445 Full Changelog: v0.13.0...v0.14.0

Performance and Compatibility

PdfCraft is written in Rust, with its PDF parsing, rendering, and editing logic organized into reusable libraries. The graphical interface is built on top of this underlying engine.

The project emphasizes faithful document rendering, reliable file operations, and local processing. Its developers report zero crashes across a test corpus of 983 PDF files, although this result should not be interpreted as a guarantee of compatibility with every PDF document.

Supported platforms include Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and modern web browsers through WebAssembly. Available packages include Windows installers and portable archives, a universal macOS disk image, Linux AppImage packages, Debian packages, RPM packages, and other distribution formats.

PdfCraft is still in early development. Its roadmap identifies renderer improvements, stronger compatibility testing, editing existing PDF content, digital signatures, OCR, Office-related workflows, preflight tools, and XFA support as areas for further development.

Consequently, it is best viewed as a promising PDF workbench rather than a complete replacement for every Adobe Acrobat workflow.

System Requirements

• Operating systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD.

• Browser support: WebAssembly build for modern browsers.

• Windows architectures: x86, x64, and ARM64.

• Linux architectures: x86-64 and ARM64.

• macOS: Universal build for Intel and Apple silicon.

• Build requirements: Rust 1.90 or newer, along with the project's documented development dependencies.

The project does not establish a comprehensive minimum RAM or processor specification in the information reviewed. Basic PDF viewing should be suitable for a broad range of modern computers, but performance will depend on document complexity and system resources.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free and open-source under permissive licenses.

• Native applications for major desktop operating systems.

• Local document processing without mandatory accounts or cloud uploads.

• PDF viewing with text search and selection.

• Page rotation, deletion, insertion, and reordering.

• PDF merging, extraction, and splitting.

• Support for encrypted PDFs and document permissions.

• Designed to preserve links, form fields, layers, and bookmarks.

• Autosave, crash recovery, and undo support.

• Command-line tools for scripting and batch processing.

• WebAssembly version for browser-based use.

Cons

• Still in early development, with some features planned rather than implemented.

• PDF rendering quality has not yet been comprehensively benchmarked against Adobe Acrobat.

• Advanced editing of existing PDF content remains a development priority.

• Digital signatures, OCR, and specialized document workflows are not yet comprehensive.

• Compatibility with complex forms and unusual PDF documents requires further testing.

• Professional publishing and document-preflight capabilities are limited.

How to Install

The easiest way to install PdfCraft is to visit its official website and download the package for your operating system.

Windows users can choose an installer or portable archive. macOS users can download the universal disk image, while Linux users can select AppImage, DEB, RPM, or another available package.

To build PdfCraft from source, install Rust 1.90 or newer and run:

git clone https://github.com/storytold/pdfcraft.git
cd pdfcraft
cargo run --release -p pdfcraft

For command-line PDF processing, build or install the CLI package provided by the project. Consult the official documentation for supported commands, build dependencies, and platform-specific installation instructions.

Final Verdict

PdfCraft is a promising open-source PDF editor for users who want to read, organize, combine, split, and secure documents without relying on a cloud service or paid subscription.

Its strongest advantages are local processing, cross-platform availability, careful handling of PDF structure, and a command-line interface that supports automation. These features make it appealing to developers, privacy-conscious users, and anyone who regularly manages PDF documents.

The main limitation is maturity. PdfCraft does not yet cover every advanced capability offered by established PDF applications, particularly for editing existing content, digital signatures, OCR, and specialized document workflows.

For everyday PDF viewing and organization, PdfCraft is worth trying. Users who need a complete professional PDF solution should evaluate its current feature set against their specific requirements before replacing their existing software.

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Software Informations:
Developer:
ArtCraft
Operating System:
Windows / macOS / Linux / BSD
Date Added:
2026-10-26T07:07:30.506Z
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