Overall Winner
PDFgear
beats PDFsam by 55 points
PDFsam 40/100
PDFgear 🏆 95/100
P
PDFsam
Free
VS
PDFgear
Free
The verdict
PDFgear scores 95/100 against PDFsam's 40/100. Compare the full breakdown of scores, features, pricing, and user reviews below.
Score breakdown
Dimension
PDFsam
PDFgear
Price & Value
★★★★☆
★★★★★ wins
Features
★★★☆☆
★★★★★ wins
Ease of Use
★★☆☆☆
★★★★☆ wins
Reviews
★★☆☆☆
★★★★★ wins
Each dimension rated 1–5. Higher is better across all four.
What users say
PDFsam
"Free open-source PDF splitter but plagued by aggressive upsell behavior"
Pros
Free open-source basic version for page manipulation Cross-platform support including Linux Specialized in split, merge, extract, and rotate operations
PDFgear
"Free desktop PDF suite users call the VLC of PDF editing."
Pros
Completely free with no signup Full edit convert merge suite Easy intuitive desktop interface
Pricing & value
| Metric | PDFsam | PDFgear | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Starting price | Free | Free | PDFsam |
Our pick