A PDFgear alternative: both free, here is what differs
PDFgear is free and needs no sign-up, and so is KovaPDF. The differences are where your file goes, how signature requests work, which tools you get and which apps you can install.
- 24 tools work in your browser, so those files are never uploaded
- Free signature requests, within a limited allowance
- Redact, Protect, PDF/A and Bangla and Hindi converters
KovaPDFPDFgear- Price
- KovaPDFFree
- PDFgearFree
- Sign-up for tools
- KovaPDFNot needed
- PDFgearNot needed
- Files uploaded online
- KovaPDFNot for 24 tools
- PDFgearTo US servers
- Signature requests
- KovaPDFFree, limited allowance
- PDFgear2 a month
- Desktop app
- KovaPDFWindows
- PDFgearWindows and Mac
- Phone
- KovaPDFInstallable web app
- PDFgeariPhone and Android apps
PDFgear's facts read from its own pages on 10 October 2026.
KovaPDF vs PDFgear, feature by feature
Price, limits, tools, privacy and apps, checked against PDFgear's own pricing and help pages on 10 October 2026.
| Feature | KovaPDFFree | PDFgearFree plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price and limits | ||
| Price | KovaPDFYes: Free: every tool. Pro from $3.99 a month, billed yearly | PDFgearYes: Free. No paid plan |
| Watermark on results | KovaPDFYes: None | PDFgearYes: None |
| Tasks without an account | KovaPDFPartly: Limited free allowance | PDFgearYes: No limit stated |
| With a free account | KovaPDFPartly: A higher allowance | PDFgearNo account needed |
| Plans for the future | KovaPDFPro on sale; every tool still works free | PDFgearPartly: Says some features may become paid |
| Tools | ||
| Edit, convert, compress, merge | KovaPDFYes: Free | PDFgearYes: Free |
| OCR (read scanned pages) | KovaPDFYes: Free, 9 languages | PDFgearYes: Free |
| Redact | KovaPDFYes: Free | PDFgearNo: Not in its tool list |
| Password protect | KovaPDFYes: Free, in your browser | PDFgearPartly: Not in its online tools |
| PDF to PDF/A | KovaPDFYes: Free | PDFgearNo: Not in its tool list |
| Ask others to sign | KovaPDFYes: Free account, within a limited allowance | PDFgearPartly: eSignGear, 2 documents a month free |
| AI | KovaPDFPartly: Summaries, limited; translation | PDFgearYes: Chat, summary and rewriting in its apps |
| Bangla and Hindi font converters | KovaPDFYes: Bijoy and Kruti Dev to Unicode | PDFgearNo: Not in its tool list |
| Privacy | ||
| Online tools | KovaPDFYes: 24 in your browser; the rest on our server | PDFgearUploaded to servers in the US |
| When uploads are deleted | KovaPDFYes: When the job finishes | PDFgearPartly: No single time given |
| Desktop app | KovaPDFYes: 28 tools work offline | PDFgearYes: Files processed on your computer |
| Apps and languages | ||
| Windows app | KovaPDFYes: Free, 28 tools offline | PDFgearYes: Free, full editor |
| Mac app | KovaPDFNo: No | PDFgearYes: Free |
| Phone | KovaPDFPartly: Installable web app and free scanner | PDFgearYes: iPhone and Android apps |
| Linux | KovaPDFPartly: No app; the website works | PDFgearPartly: No app; the website works |
| Site languages | KovaPDF27 | PDFgear12 |
Prices and limits change. We read PDFgear's pages on 10 October 2026; check their site before you pay for a plan.
Which one should you use?
Choose KovaPDF if…
- You would rather not upload private files. 24 KovaPDF tools, including Merge, Split, Protect and reading text from scans, run in your browser. PDFgear's online tools upload to servers in the US.
- You send documents for signature. Request Signatures is free with a free account, within a limited allowance. eSignGear's free plan allows 2 documents a month.
- You need to redact, protect or archive. Redact PDF, Protect PDF and PDF to PDF/A are free on KovaPDF; they are not in PDFgear's online tools.
- You write in Bangla or Hindi. Bijoy and Kruti Dev converters sit next to the PDF tools.
- You read the site in another language. KovaPDF is in 27 languages; PDFgear's site is in 12.
Choose PDFgear if…
- You want apps on a Mac, iPhone or Android. PDFgear has free apps for all three. KovaPDF's app is Windows only, and on a phone it is a web app you install from the browser.
- You want a full editor on your computer. PDFgear's free desktop app is a complete editor that works on local files, with no file size limit.
- You want to chat with your PDF. PDFgear's apps can answer questions about a document, summarize and rewrite. KovaPDF's AI summaries are limited.
- You run many tasks without an account. PDFgear publishes no task limit. KovaPDF has a limited free allowance, and a free account raises it.
The tools you use, under the same names
Open the tool, drop your file in. No account, nothing to install.
PDFgear and KovaPDF are both free
PDFgear is free: no sign-up, no card and no watermark on your files. KovaPDF is free in the same way, so this page will not tell you one is "more free" than the other. If anything, PDFgear publishes no task limit at all, while KovaPDF has a limited free allowance that refills over time. A free KovaPDF account raises it.
PDFgear has also said that some advanced features may become paid in the future, with no date set. KovaPDF sells a Pro plan, and every tool still works free within a free allowance.
The real differences are elsewhere.
Where your file goes
PDFgear's online tools upload your file to servers in the United States. Its compress page gives three different answers for when uploads are deleted. PDFgear's desktop app, on the other hand, processes files on your own computer.
On KovaPDF, 24 tools work entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device: Merge, Split, Protect, Unlock, PDF to JPG and reading text from scans with Image to Text or PDF to Text among them. Tools that need our server delete your file as soon as the job is done.
Asking other people to sign
PDFgear's signature requests run through eSignGear, a separate site. Its free plan sends 2 documents a month.
Request Signatures on KovaPDF is free with a free account, within a limited allowance, with a certificate of completion and a trusted timestamp seal. If you have your own certificate, Digital Signature signs with it, and Verify Signature checks a signed PDF. These are simple electronic signatures, not qualified ones.
Tools you will not find on PDFgear's list
- Redact PDF, to remove text for good.
- Protect PDF, to add a password.
- PDF to PDF/A, for long-term archive copies.
- SmartShrink, which cuts the page count by joining mostly empty pages.
- Bijoy to Unicode and Kruti Dev to Unicode, for Bangla and Hindi text typed in old fonts.
Looking for a PDFgear alternative on Linux?
PDFgear's desktop app is for Windows and Mac. KovaPDF has no Linux app either, but the website works in any modern browser on Linux, and its 24 browser tools never upload your file. PDFgear's online tools also open on Linux, but they upload.
PDFgear alternative: common questions
Is KovaPDF more free than PDFgear?
No. Both are free, with no sign-up for the tools and no watermark. Without an account KovaPDF has a limited free allowance; a free account raises it. The differences are in privacy, signature requests, some tools and apps.
Is there a PDFgear alternative for Linux?
PDFgear has no Linux app, and neither does KovaPDF, but the KovaPDF website works in any modern browser on Linux. 24 of its tools run in the browser and never upload your file.
Does PDFgear upload my files?
Its online tools do, to servers in the United States. Its desktop app processes files on your computer. On KovaPDF, 24 tools work in your browser without uploading the file.
Can I send signature requests for free?
Yes. On KovaPDF, sending is free with a free account, within a limited allowance. PDFgear's eSignGear allows 2 documents a month on its free plan.
Does PDFgear have a Mac or phone app?
Yes. PDFgear has free apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. KovaPDF has a free Windows app, and on phones it installs from the browser as a web app. On apps, PDFgear is ahead.
Can KovaPDF convert Bijoy or Kruti Dev text?
Yes. Bijoy to Unicode and Kruti Dev to Unicode convert Bangla and Hindi text typed in old fonts, in your browser, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
KovaPDF next to other PDF services
PDFgear is a trademark of its owner. KovaPDF is not connected with, or endorsed by, PDFgear. The facts above come from PDFgear's own public pages, read on 10 October 2026.