Best Free PDF Mergers 2026: 6 Options Compared

Merging PDFs is the simplest PDF task and the one with the most free options, so the choice comes down to privacy and volume. For a few files, an online merger such as PDF24, iLovePDF, Sejda or Smallpdf takes seconds, but each uploads your documents to a server and applies a cap: iLovePDF lists 25 merges per task and a 100 MB merge file size, Sejda 3 tasks per hour. For anything sensitive, such as an application packet, medical records or contracts, a desktop tool is safer. PDFsam Basic is the long-standing open-source option for Windows, macOS and Linux, with merge that keeps bookmarks and forms and split by page, bookmark or size. PDFgear and Stirling PDF add a wider toolbox if you also compress or sign. Check the result before sending, particularly page order and whether form fields survived, and keep the originals. If you merge the same set regularly, a tool you can run from the command line or self-host, like Stirling PDF, saves clicking. The six tools below are free to use for merging and each entry says what the free tier restricts.

PDFsam Basic

Free open-source desktop app (AGPL) for Windows, macOS and Linux that merges while keeping bookmarks and forms, and splits by page, bookmark or size. The full editor is a paid subscription.

Price: Free (PDFsam Basic is free and open source; an Enhanced edition with a full editor is a yearly subscription) (PDFsam Basic pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. AGPL (open source).

Best for: Offline merging and splitting.

PDF24 Tools

Online and desktop tools stated as free with no usage limit on the page. Easiest for combining a few files without installing anything.

Price: Free (Online PDF tools described on the page as 100% free; no paid plan or usage limit stated) (PDF24 Tools pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Windows. Proprietary freeware.

Best for: Quick merges without sign-up.

iLovePDF

Free Basic plan merges up to 25 files per task with a 100 MB merge file size. Premium at $5 a month billed annually raises the limits.

Price: Free (Basic free plan: limited tools; batch limits per task such as 25 merges and 2 compressions; 100 MB merge file size; no AI credits; web only); paid from $5 per Premium, per month billed annually (US$60 per year; US$9 billed monthly) (iLovePDF pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Drag-and-drop merging of small batches.

Sejda

Web service allows 3 tasks per hour, 200 pages and 50 MB per document with no signup. Lets you pick and reorder pages before merging.

Price: Free (Free web service: 3 tasks per hour, documents up to 200 pages and 50 MB (tool pages quote 50 or 100 MB); no signup); paid from $63 per user/year (Desktop+Web annual); Web Week Pass is a one-time US$5 for 7 days (Sejda pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Choosing exact pages from several files.

Stirling PDF

Self-hosted merge among 60+ tools; Free plan has 1,000 monthly credits and no files leave your server. More setup than a web tool.

Price: Free (Free plan at $0 with no card: web, desktop and self-hosted use, 60+ PDF tools and 1,000 monthly credits); paid from $99 per month (Team, 100 users) (Stirling PDF pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Desktop app, Self-hosted (Docker). MIT, with some directories under separate licenses (open source).

Project activity: 95.2k GitHub stars · latest release v3.2.2 (Oct 24, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Teams merging private documents.

Worth knowing: LICENSE file says MIT except app/proprietary and other directories with their own licenses. Repository README lists edit, merge, split, sign, redact, convert, OCR and compress.

PDFgear

Free desktop and web tools for merge, split, compress and sign with no stated limits. Good if you want everything in one app.

Price: Free (Page says completely free with no sign-up; it states no usage limits, watermark or paid plan) (PDFgear pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web browser. Proprietary freeware.

Best for: One free app for the whole PDF toolkit.

Which one to pick

• You merge confidential files on a Windows, Mac or Linux desktop: PDFsam Basic
• You merge once and never again: PDF24 Tools
• You need to pick pages from several documents: Sejda
• You want to run the merge on your own server: Stirling PDF