01Where they're alike
Both are free, with no demo stamps. Both read PDFs, fill and sign forms, comment, edit text on the page, merge files, recognize scanned pages (OCR) and export to Word and Excel. If PDFgear does everything you need and you are happy with what it collects, there is no reason to switch. The differences are below, from each vendor's own pages in October 2026.
02Where they differ
| Feature | Inkvolt PDF | PDFgear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Usage data collection | None | Usage, device and IP data; Google Analytics |
| Account | None | – |
| Open source | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | – |
| Edit text on the page | Yes | Yes |
| OCR for scanned pages | Yes, on your PC | Yes |
| Export to Word and Excel | Yes, on your PC | Yes |
| Organize and merge pages | Yes | Merge |
| Create form fields | Yes | No |
| Compare two versions | Yes | – |
| Redaction that removes the content | Yes, with a check afterwards | – |
| AI | None of its own; connect yours, off by default | Built in |
| Native on ARM64 (Snapdragon) PCs | Yes | – |
A dash means we could not confirm it from the vendor's pages. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Beyond the table, Inkvolt PDF has digital signatures with certificates, smart cards and Windows Hello; What's in This PDF and Sanitize for what a file carries besides its pages; PDF/A; Batch over many files with watched folders and a command line; an accessibility checker for PDF/UA; and PDFs from Office files (with your installed Office) and from web pages.
03What is collected
Inkvolt PDF has no account, no analytics, no ads and no telemetry. Besides its update check (the Microsoft Store on Windows, which Settings can turn off; the release feed on GitHub on the Mac), it goes online only when you ask it to: a timestamp server when you sign with a timestamp (only a hash of the signature is sent), a web page you turn into a PDF, links you click, and an AI endpoint if you connect one. The privacy policy is the whole list. Because the source is open, you can check it against the code.
PDFgear's privacy policy describes the usage, device and IP data it collects and its use of Google Analytics. Read it yourself; it may have changed since October 2026.
04Switching
- Install Inkvolt PDF from the Microsoft Store (opens in a new tab), or
winget install 9MXDTSFJ9W28. On the Mac, download the disk image orbrew install --cask gabandres/inkvolt/inkvolt-pdf. - Your files need no conversion. Comments, filled forms and signatures are standard PDF, and Inkvolt PDF reads them as PDFgear wrote them.
- Find any command with Ctrl+K (⇧⌘K on the Mac), or start from the tool cards on the start page: Fill & sign, Edit text & images, Export to Word, Combine, Compare, Reduce file size, Protect, Redact, OCR, Organize pages, Batch, Create a PDF.
- If you used PDFgear's AI, connect your own: Ollama or LM Studio on your PC, or a service with your key, in Settings. Nothing is sent until you confirm, and the app shows exactly what would go.
05Questions
Is Inkvolt PDF as free as PDFgear?
Yes: no price, no trial, no watermark, no account. It is also open source (AGPL-3.0). A Pro tier for a few power features (saved redaction patterns, batch presets, PDF/UA output) is planned for a one-time $19 and is switched off during the launch.
What does PDFgear collect that Inkvolt PDF doesn't?
PDFgear's privacy policy, read in October 2026, lists usage, device and IP data and Google Analytics. Inkvolt PDF has no analytics, no telemetry and no account.
What does Inkvolt PDF do that PDFgear doesn't?
From the vendors' own pages: create form fields, compare two versions, redaction that removes the content with a check afterwards, and a native ARM64 build. Also What's in This PDF, Sanitize, digital signatures, PDF/A, batch and the accessibility checker.
Does Inkvolt PDF have an AI chat?
Not one of its own. Connect a model on your PC or a service with your own key; nothing is on by default, and the app shows exactly what text goes where before sending.
Is there a Mac version?
Yes, Inkvolt PDF for Mac, for Macs with Apple silicon on macOS 15 or later, and an Inkvolt app for iPhone, iPad and Android. All the versions.
PDFgear is a trademark of its owner. Google Analytics is a trademark of Google LLC. Inkvolt is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by either; the names are used only to compare. Sources: PDFgear, PDFgear privacy policy, read in October 2026.