The desire to protect your business documents and confidential data from hacking and fraud might become an important motivation for finding the best PDF encryption software. Such programs prevent unauthorized intruders from accessing your data.
Hackers can gain access to electronic documents and forms, especially when you share them. This means that you are at great risk if you don’t protect your PDFs. For businesses, the disclosure of confidential records can lead to financial losses as well as hefty fines.
As a rule, the best PDF encryption software allows encrypting the entire document, hiding the text, locking documents with a password, and granting permissions. Digital signature and the provision of secure file slots are advanced features. If you have configured it correctly, hackers won’t be able to do anything with the disclosed encrypted data.
Verdict: This software is ideal for anyone working with sensitive data. The PDF format created by Adobe is easy to use and available on any device. You can use this best PDF encryption software for both desktop displays and mobile devices thanks to its responsive interface.
Adobe Acrobat DC can add passwords, encrypt files with certificates, or manage security settings to restrict actions. User accounts can be used to control access to your files. With the Pro version, you can permanently remove confidential information from PDFs. On the other hand, you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader for free if you don't plan on editing files.
Verdict: This professional all-in-one desktop solution lets you encrypt, edit, annotate, organize, convert PDFs and fill out forms. You can set 2 types of passwords, customize accounting data and personalize directories to avoid unauthorized access. Besides, you can protect your files from being edited, copied, and printed.
Before granting access to the document, you can permanently block confidential information. You can easily add watermarks and create complex digital signatures. This is the best PDF encryption software for personal use, bulk processing, or collaborative tasks.
Verdict: This program allows you to open, view, annotate, edit, convert, export, and create secure PDF files by setting permission levels. With the edit function, you can hide sensitive information permanently, or simply mask lines.
This PDF encryption software allows you to use 256-bit passwords and restrictions for protecting your files. The developers offer an extended money-back guarantee from 30 to 90 days as they are confident in the reliability of their PDF Suite Pro Edition.
Verdict: This enterprise software integrates Microsoft Rights Management Services environments and uses Foxit add-ins to encrypt PDF files. You can do more than just open, edit, and organize text. It includes enough features to meet high-level security requirements.
This software supports such protection methods as signing with verification, editing protection, hiding metadata, encryption and electronic signature. Plus, this PDF protection software has audit logs, prevents screen capture, and restricts printing.
Verdict: PDF Unshare allows you to protect your PDF documents from unauthorized shared access and copying. This convenient PDF security utility will help you protect your copyright. It supports closed PDF and UPDF formats, which enables you to protect your content from being accessed by third parties.
This one of the best free PDF locker tools for Windows will come in handy for those who don’t want to disclose their confidential data. You can add an expiration date to PDF files, which will prevent them from being opened after the set date. Besides, nobody will be able to create screenshots when viewing your files. When editing your protected PDF documents, you can add text and change the color of a watermark.
Verdict: You can use this open-source converter for more than just creating PDFs. It has a great set of features for encrypting PDF files, decrypting PDF files, and setting up a virtual PDF printer. This free PDF encryption software allows you to protect your files by using a password, setting permissions, and adding signatures.
PDFCreator reliably protects your documents from unauthorized access or changes. You can limit access to your PDFs, require a password to open a document, or restrict printing and editing. Adding a digital signature increases security.
Verdict: PDF24 Creator is suitable for creating, viewing, managing, editing, encryption and decryption of PDF files, splitting and merging documents. You can insert watermarks, digital documents, or signatures.
This is one of the best free PDF editors that allows you to protect your PDFs with a password. Besides, you can apply some additional security settings to prevent your files from being printed. You can also set the encryption depth, add permission to edit, copy, and fill out forms.
Verdict: This PDF encryption software is a perfect alternative to Adobe Acrobat because of its easy-to-use PDF tools. With it, you can create, convert, split, annotate, merge files, fill out forms, set file permissions, and sign PDF electronic documents.
This program lets you protect your files with a password and manage who can edit, copy and print your files. This way, you can prevent people from making further modifications or any unwanted changes to your PDFs using advanced security tools.
Verdict: Wondershare PDF Converter is one of the most universal PDF converters on the market thanks to its many features. Previously it was free, but now you can pay for its Pro version or use it as part of PDFelement.
This PDF protection software allows you to protect your PDF documents with passwords and prevent other people from copying, printing, and editing them. Without a password, a user cannot open a document or change its content.
Verdict: This software can block access to files and store them in encrypted lockers. Some encryption programs create encrypted versions of files and folders. Others provide secure storage locations like standard folders, but their contents are encrypted. The third type supports encrypted storage in the cloud.
This PDF encryption software supports all three approaches, combining ease of use with a wide range of features. It provides not only encryption, but also the ability to set a false password, protect against hackers, log unauthorized login attempts, back up all passwords, and get alerts about potential attacks.
