Search results
Compress PDF file to get the same PDF quality but less filesize. Compress or optimize PDF files online, easily and free.
- Overview
- The best PDF compressor of 2024
- 1. Adobe Acrobat
- 2. SmallPDF
- 3. Soda PDF
- 4. Wondershare PDFelement
- 5. PDF Compressor
- Can PDFs be compressed?
Best
By Steve Clark
Contributions from
Darcy French
last updated 18 October 2023
Reduce PDF file sizes with the best PDF compressor online, on mobile, and on your desktop
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best pdf compressors in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
Specifications
Operating system: Windows, macOS Plan: Subscription Today's Best Deals Acrobat Pro DC $14.99 /mth Visit Siteat Adobe
Reasons to buy
+ Full suite of PDF tools included + Best-in-class compression software + Versatile and easy to use
Reasons to avoid
- Subscription-only - Features focused on professional use Adobe Acrobat is our top choice for best PDF compressor overall. But then, perhaps it is not surprising that the inventors of the PDF would have one of the best PDF compressor software. When we dived into the tool, we were delighted to find a fully-featured PDF editor. Awarding it a rare 5 stars, "sometimes," we wrote in our review, "the best solution on the market has its reputation for a reason." It might be overwhelming (or even overkill) for casual users, but overall, we found Acrobat DC a top choice for serious users needing lots of advanced features. Going beyond simple file compression, Adobe Acrobat features several optimization tools that enable you to control the quality and file size of your PDF compression. A blurry and unreadable PDF is of no use to anyone. With Adobe Acrobat, you can be confident you’ll end up with a high-quality compressed file every time. This isn't a budget PDF compressor - like most Adobe products, it requires a monthly or annual subscription to gain access to best-in-class tools. Businesses can purchase Adobe Acrobat Standard for Windows devices only, or Adobe Acrobat Pro for Windows and macOS. For more details, see our guide How to try Adobe Acrobat for free or with Creative Cloud Read our full Adobe Acrobat review (Image credit: SmallPDF)The Best PDF compressor online
Specifications
Operating system: Web, Windows, Android, iOS Plan: Free, Subscription Today's Best Deals VISIT SITE
Reasons to buy
+ Subscription includes full suite of PDF tools + Offline PDF compression + Several options for PDF compression + Free version available
Reasons to avoid
- Subscription unlocks extra features - UI can feel disjointed SmallPDF is one of the most popular PDF compressors available, and justifiably so. More than merely a compressing tool, SmallPDF provides a suite of PDF tools that will surpass most businesses’ needs. While reviewing the software, we found it's "great for converting PDFs or for using one tool at a time. However, if you have a lot of different kinds of edits that require different tools, SmallPDF starts to show its weaknesses." Although a 14-day free trial is offered, users will need to pay for a pro subscription if they want to continue using it. With a pro subscription, you will have access not only to online PDF compression, conversion, and merging, but also features such as e-signing, page rotation, and encryption. Premium customers can also download and use SmallPDF's offline PDF compression software. Offline software makes it even more straightforward to compress PDFs. We also like that SmallPDF provides numerous resources for businesses, explaining how the technology works and how you can make the most of it. For businesses, there could be few better choices for PDF compression than SmallPDF. Read our full SmallPDF review (Image credit: Soda PDF)The best free PDF compressor
Specifications
Operating system: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Plan: Free, Subscription Today's Best Deals VISIT SITE
Reasons to buy
+ Both free and paid products available + Premium subscription includes offline PDF compression
Reasons to avoid
- Freemium pricing model may not suit medium or large businesses - Web-based PDF compression is slow Soda PDF is a high-quality, reliable PDF compressor that is free to use. It also offers a paid desktop application for businesses wanting a premium PDF compression solution. We were big fans of the tool when we reviewed it, calling it "a versatile, well-designed, online PDF editor with numerous tools to hand to make all the changes you need making to a document, from minor typos to pretty much starting from scratch." The free online tool is easy to use and integrates with cloud storage platforms Google Drive and Dropbox for easy uploading. Compressed files retain most of their original quality and are easy to email or upload. If you’re looking for a free PDF compressor, it’s hard to go past Soda PDF. Although the online tool is useful and may serve many businesses’ needs without any need to purchase a subscription, we recommend the Soda PDF Business plan. Soda PDF’s premium product includes a full suite of PDF management tools, such as intelligent PDF compression, file encryption, and file format conversion. Read our full Soda PDF review (Image credit: Wondershare)The best PDF compressor for beginners
Specifications
Operating system: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Plan: Subscription, Perpetual License Today's Best Deals PDFelement 6 for Mac $59.95 Visit Siteat Wondershare
Reasons to buy
+ Both online tools and desktop application + Full suite of powerful PDF management tools
Reasons to avoid
- No monthly subscriptions, only annual - PDFelement Standard doesn’t include PDF compression PDFelement is another powerful and reliable toolbox for all things PDF. It has an easy to use interface and offers a wide range of features, including uncommon features such as optical character recognition (OCR) conversion and optimization. However, when it comes to PDF compression, we’re a little disappointed. Although Wondershare’s PDF compressor works perfectly, it is only available with PDFelement Pro (the more expensive of Wondershare’s two PDF management products). We would recommend PDFelement to businesses looking to invest in an integrated PDF management solution, as it’s one of the best. But if you’re only compressing PDF files on the odd occasion, then we’d recommend considering one of the cheaper or free PDF compressors. There are also no monthly subscription plans — you'll either have to pay for an annual plan or a bi-annual plan. Read our full PDFelement review (Image credit: PDF Compressor)The best PDF compressor for security
Specifications
Operating system: Web Plan: Free Today's Best Deals VISIT SITE
Reasons to buy
+ Free + Available online as a web application + All uploads deleted after one hour
Reasons to avoid
- No optimization features - Processing can be slow - File size limits PDF Compressor is one of the best free online PDF compressors. There’s no software to download, so you can use the platform directly from your web browser. It might not be the most attractive website, but having used the tool for years, we can confidently say it does what it says it does: compress PDFs. Although there are no options for optimizing compressed PDFs, we’ve found that compressed PDFs are still of a high quality. However, we’d make sure to check large documents before sending them. It’s also worth mentioning that PDF Compressor converts documents to and from PDF format, which can be a helpful additional feature for businesses. The company also claims to delete all uploads and conversations after an hour - a nice touch if you're concerned about your data falling into the wrong hands. There’s not much else to say about PDF Compressor. It’s free and it works The only real stopper to the workflow is the platform's file size limits, which we encountered with the 1.5GB document we tried. Best PDF compressors: FAQs
If you're wondering 'Can PDF files be compressed?', the answer is yes. And the process is relatively straightforward when using any of the best PDF compressors in our round-up.
A PDF compressor reduces the size of a PDF file so that it's easier to share and store. The best PDF compressors will compress files efficiently without lowering their quality too much. If you have a lot of files to store or share, or your PDFs contain images that demand their original resolution, PDF compressor software is ideal.
Sep 3, 2020 · Go to the Compress PDF tool. Upload the documents you want to compress by clicking the button or dragging and dropping your file. Choose between the Extreme, Recommended or Less compression level. Hit the Compress PDF button. Download your optimized PDF or save it back to the cloud.
- pdfFiller. Best for full-featured PDF management. With pdfFiller you can edit, convert, and even e-sign your PDF files. However, not many who use it recognize how truly seamless its compressing capabilities are.
- Ashampoo® PDF Pro 2. Best for creating, editing, and converting PDFs easily. Ashampoo® PDF Pro 2 is a PDF editor with the functionalities to create, edit, convert, and merge PDFs.
- PDFSimpli. Best for PDF Compression, Editing, and Conversion. PDFSimpli is an all-in-one PDF processing tool that is widely recognized for its simplicity.
- LightPDF. Best for High-Quality PDF Compression. LightPDF is an all-in-one PDF editor/converter that you can also use to compress a PDF file. In just three simple steps, you can compress a PDF file by up to 2 -5%.
How to compress a PDF. Follow these easy steps to compress a large PDF file online: Click the Select a file button above, or drag and drop files into the drop zone. Select the PDF file you want to make smaller. After uploading, Acrobat will automatically reduce the PDF size. Download your compressed PDF file or sign in to share it.
Oct 10, 2021 · To compress PDF on Mac you can use the native Preview button. Start with making a copy of your PDF file (the document will replace the original one), next, open the PDF inside Preview, next head to File > Export > from the “ Quartz-Filter ” drop-down menu select “ Reduce File Size ” option and click the “ Save ” button.
People also ask
How to compress PDF on small PDF?
How to reduce PDF file size without compromising output quality?
What is the best PDF reader?
What is the best PDF processing tool?
Why should you use a PDF compression tool?
How to compress PDF files on ilovepdf?
P I. PDF to Image. Quickly convert PDFs to various image formats with our versatile tool. Compress PDF. Reduce PDF file sizes efficiently for faster sharing and optimal storage. Split PDF. Divide large PDFs into manageable parts effortlessly with our intuitive tool. Drop your files here. Compress PDF converter: Compress PDF's with Pdf.to.
