Free Alternatives to
Adobe Acrobat for Lawyers
Adobe charges $240/year for features most attorneys use maybe twice a week. Here's what actually works for free.
Adobe Acrobat Pro is the default answer for legal PDF work — Bates stamping, redaction, e-signatures, form filling. But at $239.88 per year per seat, a five-attorney firm pays over $1,200 annually just to stamp documents and fill in forms. Most of that functionality is now available free, often without even installing software.
The Legal PDF Tasks That Actually Matter
Before comparing tools, it helps to separate the tasks lawyers actually need from the ones Adobe charges for:
The Attorney-Client Privilege Problem With Online Tools
Before listing alternatives, there's a critical distinction to understand. Most "free" online PDF tools — Smallpdf, ILovePDF, Sejda, PDF2Doc — upload your file to their server for processing. For non-sensitive documents this is fine. For client files, it may not be.
ABA Model Rule 1.6
Attorneys must make "reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client." Uploading privileged documents to a third-party server without a data processing agreement is a potential Rule 1.6 issue.
The safest tools for legal work are either desktop applications (nothing leaves your machine) or genuinely client-side browser tools (processing happens in your browser's RAM, nothing uploaded). We flag this distinction in the comparison below.
Tool-by-Tool Comparison
Bates Stamping
| Tool | Cost | File Upload? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ResourceCentral Bates Stamper ⭐ | Free | ❌ No upload | Client-side only. Safe for privileged docs. |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | $239.88/yr | ❌ No upload | Desktop. Full-featured but expensive. |
| Sejda | Free (3/hr) | ✅ Uploads file | Server-side. Not for privileged docs. |
| DeftPDF | Free | ✅ Uploads file | Server-side. Not for privileged docs. |
PDF Redaction
Redaction is where free alternatives struggle most. True redaction (permanently removing content, not just drawing a black box over it) is hard to do well in a browser.
- LibreOffice Draw (free, desktop) — can redact PDFs if converted to editable format first. Cumbersome but free and fully local.
- Foxit PDF Editor (free tier) — includes basic redaction tools. Desktop app, nothing uploaded.
- Redactable — browser-based, uploads to their server. Good for non-privileged documents. Has a free tier.
- PDFgear (free, desktop) — newer tool with redaction support, Windows and Mac, fully local.
For truly sensitive redaction on privileged documents, a desktop tool is the safest choice.
PDF Merging
- PDF24 (free, browser or desktop) — merges locally in browser mode, no upload required if you use the desktop app.
- PDFgear (free, desktop) — excellent merger, fully local.
- LibreOffice (free, desktop) — can merge via the PDF export function.
E-Signatures
- DocuSign (free tier) — 3 free sends per month. Widely accepted, BAA available for healthcare-adjacent work.
- Sign.plus (free tier) — generous free plan, legally binding in most jurisdictions.
- HelloSign / Dropbox Sign (free tier) — 3 free sends/month. Clean interface.
OCR (Making Scans Searchable)
- Google Drive (free) — upload a scanned PDF, open with Google Docs, it auto-OCRs. Download back as PDF. File goes to Google's servers, so consider sensitivity.
- Adobe Acrobat free tier — limited OCR available in browser version.
- Tesseract (free, open source CLI) — runs locally on your machine, no uploads. Steep learning curve.
The Recommended Free Stack for Attorneys
This stack handles the vast majority of legal PDF work at zero cost. The only time Adobe Acrobat genuinely earns its subscription is for heavy OCR workflows on large scanned document sets, or for firms with complex PDF form creation needs.
Start With Free Bates Stamping
No upload. No account. Works on any device including Chromebook and Linux.
Open Bates Stamper — Free →FAQ
Can I use free PDF tools in court filings? +
Courts care about the PDF standard compliance and file size, not the tool used to create it. PDFs created with free tools are generally accepted. Check your court's electronic filing requirements for size limits and PDF/A compliance if required.
Is drawing a black box over text enough for redaction? +
No. Drawing a shape over text in a PDF does not remove the underlying text — it can be selected and copied by anyone who receives the document. True redaction permanently removes the content from the file. Always use a tool that explicitly supports permanent redaction, not just visual overlay.
Does ResourceCentral's Bates Stamper work on large files? +
Yes. Because processing happens in your browser, there are no server-side file size limits. Performance depends on your device's RAM. Documents up to 500MB process reliably on modern hardware. For very large document sets, the Pro tier offers optimised handling.