PDF files are universally compatible and have consistent formatting, making them a preferred format for sharing and storing documents for official or unofficial purposes. However, to ensure the security of sensitive information, PDF files must be protected with passwords. This post will discuss the 5 best PDF password protectors to help you secure sensitive data and confidential information effectively. Let's find out all the tools.
Comparison Chart of the 5 PDF Protector Tools
Before diving into the details of each PDF password protector tool, here's a comprehensive chart with highlights for a comparative analysis. Let's go through each tool's offerings on common grounds and find out which suits you best.
| PDF Protector | Pricing | Ease of Use | Supported OS | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwifDoo PDF |
7-day free trial Starts from $16/mo |
Very easy | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | ✔️ |
| Adobe Acrobat | Starts from $19.99/mo | A bit complex and complicated | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | ❌ |
| SmallPDF | Free version available. Pro plan starts at $12/mo | Easy | Web-based software | ✔️ |
| Foxit PhantomPDF | Starts at $14.99 | Moderate | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | ✔️ |
| Nitro PDF |
Starts from $13.26 per user/month |
Easy | Windows, iOS, and macOS | ❌ |
#1. SwifDoo PDF
SwifDoo PDF offers one of the most versatile and simplest ways to password-protect your PDF files. It provides extra layers of protection through Open and Permission passwords to safeguard your confidential and private information. While setting the Open Password lets you encrypt your PDF files to protect and restrict them from opening, the Permission password helps you lock your file and put certain restrictions on unauthorized editing, copying, printing, and annotating.
Click the following download button and enjoy a 7-day free trial now:
Pros and cons of SwifDoo PDF:
pros
- Add a watermark, e-signature, and password protect your PDF
- Randomly merge and split pages to manage the documents
- Make PDFs editable with the OCR tool
- Offers a PDF flattener to lock interactive PDF elements for printing
- Offers advanced redaction capabilities to edit and manage PDFs while maintaining the highest privacy and security levels
cons
- Unavailable for Linux computers
Here's how to easily password-protect a PDF using SwifDoo PDF:
Step 1: Download the SwifDoo PDF and install it on your device. Then, open your PDF file in the software.
Step 2: Hit the Protect button and select Encryption.
Step 3: Choose the Open Password option to password-protect your PDF file. However, if you want to lock your file for editing, select the Permission Password to restrict the editing feature.
#2. Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is a trusted PDF password protector tool that encrypts confidential PDF documents and keeps private information safe. The best part is that it lets you know the strength of your password. For instance, while setting the password, the program tells you if it is strong, medium, or weak to help you modify it immediately. Moreover, you can even apply permission to lock PDFs from editing and printing.
Pros and cons of Adobe Acrobat:
pros
- Edit, annotate, and create PDFs easily with various built-in tools
- Compatible with emails and uploading documents to websites
- Easily integrate with other programs like Word or Excel
- Add headers and footers, add watermarks, and OCR
- Quickly sign PDFs with e-signatures
cons
- The subscription plan is expensive and not easily affordable
- The user interface is complicated, and new users often get confused
#3. Smallpdf
SmallPDF is an online tool that enables you to encrypt your PDF files with strong AES 128-bit encryption for free to prevent unauthorized access. It offers reliable PDF protection that's not easy to breach. You can simply upload the files to the cloud on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines to encrypt them without downloading any third-party tool.
Pros and cons of Smallpdf:
pros
- User-friendly website
- Offers password protection against unauthorized access
- Boasts many advanced features such as merging, compressing, and converting PDF files to doc files for free
- The free version is available for urgent tasks, such as reducing the size of a PDF
- Compatible with all platforms and devices
cons
- It's not advanced enough to replace Adobe
- Converting PDF files to Word extensions is difficult
#4. Foxit PhantomPDF
Foxit PhantomPDF is a reliable PDF editor that allows users to encrypt, redact, and sign PDFs. It can permanently remove visible text and images from PDF documents to protect confidential information. The software uses password or certificate encryption to control the actions that others can take on the document to protect sensitive data.
Pros and cons of Foxit PDF:
pros
- Permanently redact and remove text and images
- Scan and OCR paper docs
- Wide selection of PDF editing tools
- In-built file sharing and collaboration features
- PDF creation and conversion capability
cons
- No free trial without registration
- No advanced features are included in a free trial
#5. Nitro PDF
Lastly, Nitro PDF Reader is another convenient PDF password protector that helps you set passwords without hassle. It offers different types of passwords, such as open and permission passwords, to not only keep your PDF safe from opening but also control what others can do to your PDFs.
Pros and cons of Nitro PDF:
pros
- Very easy to use
- Provides analytics to automate workflows
- Make collaboration a breeze
- Manage documents on various devices
- Use OCR to edit, combine, convert, and fill up PDF documents
cons
- Offers no free version
- Some features are available for a lesser price elsewhere
Conclusion
Using a PDF password protector tool is crucial when dealing with sensitive documents. We have discussed and compared the 5 top-rated PDF protectors to evaluate their performance. However, due to its high-level security features, advanced AI features, ease of use, and performance rating, the SwifDoo PDF is the most recommended tool. So, why not try out this versatile program by downloading it on your device now? Use this reliable tool to protect your PDFs most conveniently.
Monica