Vendor sources and our tests are labelled separately. Independent tests that have not been run are not implied.
Is this edition right for your task?
Local PDF tools for Windows, including OCR and page organization. Adding text is not the same as reliably editing existing paragraph text. This is an assessment of documented scope; we have not independently run this edition’s task fixtures. Check your required tasks and the official purchase terms before switching.
These are documented capabilities, not an independently tested recommendation. Test non-sensitive copies of your own files before switching. Platform support does not establish support for every operating system version.
- Edition
- Creator
- Platforms
- Windows
- Installation
- desktop
- Source-identified version
- Not recorded
- Last original test
- No original test recorded
- Version tested
- No independent test recorded
Capability evidence
Official sources establish advertised availability and limits. A recorded task test separately establishes what worked in a specific environment.
Edit existing text
Not supportedAdds new text and drawings. The documented workaround for changing existing text is conversion to Word, editing there, then converting back.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Read scanned text (OCR)
Available · official sourceOCR uses Tesseract; download required language packs before disconnected use.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Create fillable forms
Available · official sourceThe form-creation FAQ explicitly lists an offline alternative in PDF24 Creator for Windows; use the current Toolbox, not legacy Creator 9.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Fill existing forms
Source neededAnnotate & sign
Available · official sourceNew text, drawing and image annotations are documented; signature tools are also listed in the PDF24 tool collection.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Merge & organize pages
Available · official sourceCreator lists merge, split and page organization tools.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Permanently redact text
Tool documented · outcome test neededThe vendor offers a redaction tool. We have not extracted text or objects from its output to establish permanent removal.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026No hands-on result is implied by an official-source check. Unresolved outcomes remain excluded from tested recommendations.
Offline use and network dependencies
Setup, activation, local work and cloud services can have different requirements.
Install / first load needs internet
Source reviewed · not establishedInstaller download needs a connection. A clean installation with networking disabled has not been tested.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Account / license activation needs internet
No · documentedCreator is free for personal and commercial use; no paid-license activation is specified. First-launch network behavior has not been tested.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Core task works locally
Yes · documentedVendor documents offline local processing. OCR language packs must already be present; this is not a disconnected test result.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026Cloud features or dependencies
Yes · documentedOptional upload, email/fax services and update or OCR-language downloads need internet.
Official source ↗Source checked: 12 Sept 2026A complete disconnected installation, activation and task run has not been independently tested.