A PDFsam alternative that runs in your browser
PDFsam Basic is a free desktop app for merging and splitting PDFs. If you would rather not install anything, or need compress, convert and non-PDF tools, Mediaextractr runs in your browser.
- Files never uploaded
- No daily limits
- 600+ tools, not just PDF
- Free plan
- Everything, free
- Paid plans
- Free: All tools, no sign-up, no daily limits
- Your files
- Never leave your device
- Account
- Not needed
- Works on
- Any modern browser, desktop and phone
- Free plan
- Basic is free, open source, no watermark or size limits
- Paid plans
- Enhanced from US$69 per user per year
- Your files
- No: files are processed on your computer
- Account
- None for Basic; license key for paid editions
- Works on
- Basic and Visual: Windows, Mac, Linux; Enhanced: Windows
Why people look for a PDFsam alternative
PDFsam is a desktop PDF toolkit in three editions. PDFsam Basic is free and open source (AGPL) for merge, split, mix, rotate and extract. PDFsam Visual adds more page tools with a 14-day trial. PDFsam Enhanced is a paid Windows PDF editor.
No install
PDFsam is a desktop app with no browser or mobile version. Mediaextractr opens in any modern browser, including on a phone.
Compress and convert are paid in PDFsam
The free Basic edition covers six tools. Compress, PDF to JPG, JPG to PDF, protect and organize pages sit in Visual, which is paid after a 14-day trial. We offer those free.
More than PDF
Mediaextractr also compresses video, cuts audio, converts HEIC photos, opens RAR and 7Z archives and formats JSON, all on your device.
Different needs on different machines
The full editor, PDFsam Enhanced, is Windows only. A browser tool works the same on Mac, Linux, Windows and Chromebook.
Real recordings, not mock-ups
Each clip was recorded on our live tools. Watch the upload counter in the first one stay at zero.
Mediaextractr vs PDFsam, feature by feature
Checked against PDFsam's own pages. The rows that matter most for privacy and cost come first.
| Feature | Mediaextractr | PDFsam |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy and access | ||
| Files stay on your device (no upload) | Yes | YesTheir site says files never leave your computer. This is also true of our tools, so it is not a reason to switch. |
| Free to use without an account | Yes | YesPDFsam Basic is free to use, including at work. |
| No daily limit on free use | Yes | Yes |
| No watermark on free results | Yes | YesBasic: no watermarks and no size limits, as stated on their site. |
| Works in a phone browser | Yes | NoTheir site states there is no browser version. |
| Beyond PDF | ||
| Video tools (trim, compress, convert) | Yes | No |
| Audio tools (cut, convert, MP3) | Yes | No |
| Image tools (HEIC, resize, compress) | Yes | No |
| ZIP, RAR and 7Z tools | Yes | No |
| JSON, CSV and XML tools | Yes | No |
| Everyday PDF tasks | ||
| Merge PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Split PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Compress PDF | Yes | Paid onlyCompress is in the paid Visual edition, which has a 14-day trial. |
| Rotate, reorder and delete pages | Yes | PartlyBasic rotates, extracts and mixes pages; page organizing and deleting are in paid Visual. |
| PDF to JPG / PNG | Yes | Paid only |
| JPG to PDF | Yes | Paid only |
| PDF to Word | PartlyText, headings and lists; no images or tables | Paid, Windows only |
| Word to PDF | No | PartlyEnhanced creates PDFs from Word through a PDF printer module. |
| PDF to Excel | No | Paid, Windows only |
| Protect and unlock PDF | Yes | Paid onlyEncrypt and decrypt are in paid Visual. |
| Add watermark | Yes | Paid, Windows only |
| Add page numbers | Yes | Paid, Windows only |
| Advanced PDF | ||
| Sign a PDF yourself | YesVisible signature, not a certificate | Paid, Windows only |
| Send documents for others to sign | No | NoNot listed. Enhanced supports signing with a digital certificate. |
| Fill PDF forms | Yes | Paid, Windows only |
| Redact text | Yes | ?Redaction is not mentioned on the pages we read. |
| Compare two PDFs | Yes | Paid, Windows only |
| Edit existing text in a PDF | No | Paid, Windows only |
| OCR (scans to searchable text) | No | Paid, Windows onlyOCR is in Enhanced; their pages differ on which tier includes it. |
| AI chat / summaries | No | NoNo AI features are listed. |
| Apps and extras | ||
| Several files at once | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | No |
| Google Drive / Dropbox import | No | No |
| Developer API | No | NoNo API is listed. |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No, or not offered on their site ? Not stated on their site
What you pay
PDFsam's prices as published on their site on October 30, 2026. Prices can change and may vary by country.
MMediaextractr
PPDFsam
Why Mediaextractr is the better choice
Everything people like about PDFsam's everyday tools, without the uploads, limits or accounts.
Your files never leave your device
Every tool runs inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored or seen by anyone, so private documents stay private.
Free, with no limits or sign-up
No daily task caps, no trial, no watermark and no account. Use any tool as often as you like.
Starts instantly
No waiting for uploads and downloads. Work begins the moment you add a file, even on slow connections.
600+ tools, not just PDF
Video, audio, images, Word, Excel, ZIP and JSON tools sit next to the PDF tools, all free and all private.
Ready to leave PDFsam? Your first file takes seconds and needs no account.
Try Mediaextractr freeStart with these free tools
PDFsam alternative: questions
Is there an online version of PDFsam?
Their site says there is no browser version of PDFsam Basic. Mediaextractr is an in-browser alternative for merging, splitting, rotating and compressing PDFs.
Is PDFsam free?
PDFsam Basic is free and open source, with no watermarks or size limits according to their site. PDFsam Visual has a 14-day free trial then a license, and PDFsam Enhanced is paid from US$69 per user per year.
Does PDFsam upload my files?
No. Their site says files are processed on your computer and never uploaded. Mediaextractr is the same, because it processes files in your browser, so privacy is not the difference.
Can PDFsam compress a PDF?
Compress is listed among the premium tools in PDFsam Visual. Mediaextractr's Compress PDF is free in the browser.
What is the difference between PDFsam Basic, Visual and Enhanced?
Basic is free for merge, split, mix, rotate and extract. Visual adds 25+ page tools and is paid after a 14-day trial. Enhanced is a Windows-only editor with OCR, conversion and signing.
Is PDFsam available for Mac and Linux?
Basic and Visual run on Windows, macOS and Linux. Enhanced is Windows only, and their download page points Mac and Linux users to Visual.
Mediaextractr vs other PDF sites
Switch to a simpler, private way to work with files
Free, no account, and your files never leave your device.
Explore all toolsInformation about PDFsam was checked on October 30, 2026 from its public pages: PDFsam homepage, PDFsam Basic, PDFsam Visual, PDFsam Enhanced, PDFsam Enhanced download and prices. Features and prices change; tell us if something is out of date. PDFsam is a trademark of its owner. Mediaextractr is not affiliated with or endorsed by PDFsam.