Do I need a subscription to read PDFs?
No. Reading, search, printing, highlights and sticky notes in Starix PDF Free have no time limit. Document tools such as forms, signing and OCR belong to Pro.
STARIX PDF · WINDOWS 10 / 11
Starix PDF features: from free reading to Pro document tools
Explore Starix PDF free reading and highlights, plus Pro existing text editing, annotation and form adjustments, OCR, page organization, comparison, security and export.
Free reading & annotation · Sign in and verify email for a 14-day Pro trial · No credit card
Free and Pro, matched to your work
| Feature and purpose | Starix PDF Free | Starix PDF Pro |
|---|---|---|
| PDF reading, search and printingRead across tabs, navigate thumbnails and find the details you need. | Included | Included |
| Highlights and sticky notesMark key passages and leave notes that remain editable after saving. | Included | Included |
| Edit existing text and text boxesCorrect supported references, dates or short phrases, or add text boxes. Undo and redo are supported; paragraphs do not automatically reflow. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Adjust annotations and form objectsSelect supported objects to move or delete them. Text boxes and sticky notes stay editable after saving and reopening. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Organize, merge and split pagesReorder, rotate, insert, crop and resize pages while organizing attachments and retaining current edits. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Four-language OCRCreate searchable Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean PDFs. Full-page and selected-region OCR support undoing the current result. | Requires Pro | Included |
| PDF document comparisonReview text and visual differences between two document versions. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Forms and signingCreate and fill forms, add handwritten signatures or sign with your own suitable digital certificate. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Permanent redaction, passwords and permissionsRemove sensitive content and apply document passwords and permissions. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Export, compression and batch processingExport common document and image formats, compress files and repeat tasks across documents. | Requires Pro | Included |
| Word document exportRebuild editable paragraphs, text styles, images and recognized tables. Run OCR on scans first and review complex layouts manually. | Requires Pro | Included |
Still deciding? Download, sign in and verify your email to claim a one-time 14-day full Pro trial. No credit card. Monthly, yearly and Lifetime Pro each let one user use up to 3 personal computers at the same time. Prices are in USD; taxes and the final amount are shown at checkout.
Current support and scope
Windows 10/11 x64. Edit supported existing text, add text boxes and adjust pages locally. Automatic paragraph reflow, advanced original image/vector editing, direct scanner capture, mobile/browser editing, cloud collaboration, an AI assistant and PDF/A, PDF/X or PDF/UA preflight are not currently provided. OCR and conversion depend on source quality.
Proposals, contracts and internal reports can stay on your computer for core PDF processing. You choose where to save and when to share. Sign-in, payment and licence sync require internet access. Offline Pro use depends on your licence and offline validity period.
Before you get started
How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?
Run OCR in Pro, select the document's recognition language, save and check your search results. Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean are supported; scan quality and layout affect recognition.
Do I need to upload my PDF?
Core PDF opening, editing, OCR and export run on your computer. Sign-in, payment and licence sync need internet access; offline Pro use depends on the licence term.
Can I try Pro before paying?
Download, sign in and verify your email to claim a one-time 14-day Pro trial, with no card or automatic charge. Every Pro plan allows the same user to use up to three personal computers simultaneously; the perpetual plan covers the purchased major version.
How do I change existing PDF text?
In Pro, open a copy and choose Edit → Edit Page Text. Select the text, apply your change, then save and reopen to check it. Editing depends on text structure, fonts and available space; scanned images need OCR first. This changes existing text without automatic paragraph reflow.
What can Undo and Delete Selected Object do?
Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Y redoes. Select a supported annotation or form field, then use Delete Selected Object. Original page images and vectors are not universally editable objects. Cropping, resizing, OCR and flattening rebuild the document and reset earlier undo history, but the current operation can be undone. Save a copy before important changes.
Can I keep editing after exporting to Word?
PDFs with a text layer can become Word paragraphs with recognized font sizes, bold/italic styles, colors, images, tables and some column layouts. Scans without text stay as images; run OCR in the app before exporting them. Complex tables, vertical text, fonts and page breaks can change. PDF annotations, interactive forms and links are outside the Word export preservation scope.
What do Excel and PowerPoint exports preserve?
Excel extracts recognized tables, falling back to text rows when no table is found; it does not restore spreadsheet formulas. PowerPoint currently uses page images and a text layer. Editing that layer does not remove the original text in the image, so it is not a fully editable native slide conversion.
Can I change signatures, redaction or flattened content later?
Handwritten signatures are written into page content and cannot be selected and deleted as ordinary annotations after reopening. Applied permanent redaction removes content and cannot be undone. Flattening turns affected pages into images, losing separate text and annotation editing. Keep the original and review before delivery. Certificate signing requires your own suitable certificate.