Who is it for?
- Fits people who want to merge or split confidential PDFs without uploading them to a website.
- Fits anyone who scanned odd and even pages separately and wants the mix tool to interleave them into one document.
PDFsam Basic — Merge, Split or Compress PDF
PDFsam
PDFsam Basic is a free, open-source desktop app that merges, splits, extracts, rotates, inserts and mixes PDF pages on your computer without needing the internet.
Why it fits
| Good to know | Desktop |
|---|---|
| Free output | Yes |
| No account needed | — |
| No watermark | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes |
| Batch processing | — |
| Content language | — |
— Unverified conditions. Official documentation reviewed. The app itself has not been hands-on tested. Matches only documented content-language support, not interface language.
Sources and review date3
Founder feedback and correction
Editorial selection guide
Last checked:
Getting started
- Download and install the Windows, macOS or Linux version from pdfsam.org.
- Open the merge, split, extract, rotate, mix or insert module and add your PDF files.
- Set options such as page ranges or the split rule, choose an output folder, run it and open the result to check it.
Decision points
- If you need to edit text, compress or convert to Word, this tool is not enough; the official pages do not list those functions for Basic.
- If you want more tools and visual page previews, look at the publisher's paid PDFsam Visual or Enhanced editions.
Limits
- It works at page level only and does not edit the text or formatting inside a PDF.
- This entry covers the desktop app only; it needs installation (Windows 10+, macOS 11+ or 64-bit Linux).
Frequently asked questions
Does PDFsam Basic upload my files?
The official page says it works entirely on your computer, needs no internet and uploads no files.
Is it free and without watermarks?
The official page says Basic is free and open source (AGPL) with no watermarks or file size limits. The Visual and Enhanced editions are separate paid products.