What's the easiest way to edit a PDF without Adobe?

The easiest way depends on what kind of edit you need:

1) Simple edits: text, pages, annotations

Use a free online PDF editor or a built-in app:

• Google Drive / Google Docs: good for converting a PDF to editable text, then re-exporting as PDF.
• Microsoft Edge / Chrome: can annotate, highlight, and sometimes fill forms.
• Free web editors like:
  • Sejda
  • PDFescape
  • iLovePDF
  • Smallpdf

These are easiest if you just need to:

• add text
• highlight
• sign
• delete/rotate pages
• fill in forms

2) Editing actual PDF content

If you need to change text already inside the PDF, that’s harder. Best options:

• LibreOffice Draw (free, desktop app)
• Sejda Desktop or similar PDF editors
• Foxit PDF Editor or PDF-XChange Editor (more powerful, often cheaper than Adobe)

3) If the PDF is scanned

If it’s an image of a document, you’ll need OCR first:

• Use Google Drive, Adobe alternatives like iLovePDF OCR, Smallpdf OCR, or OCRmyPDF
• Then edit the converted text

Fastest recommendation

• For quick changes: iLovePDF or PDFescape
• For real editing on your computer: LibreOffice Draw
• For best free desktop option: PDF-XChange Editor on Windows

If you want, I can recommend the best option for your device — Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, or Android.