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PDF Arranger
GPL-3.0Merge, split, rotate, crop, and rearrange PDF pages locally with PDF Arranger, a private desktop alternative to iLovePDF.
Open-source alternative to — compare it against:
Overview
Software engineer Jérôme Robert started PDF Arranger as a fork of the dormant PDF-Shuffler project to modernize visual page management on Linux and Windows desktops. Backed by the pikepdf library, the application focuses entirely on rearranging, merging, splitting, and cropping document pages without touching remote servers. That single-purpose scope gives non-technical users an uncomplicated offline workspace where confidential records never leave the local machine.
Why PDF Arranger instead of iLovePDF
When handling bank statements, medical records, tax forms, or signed contracts, web tools like iLovePDF require uploading every page to an external server. Even when online services promise prompt file deletion, transmitting personal records across the internet introduces confidentiality risks. PDF Arranger runs strictly on your desktop. Page reordering, extraction, and rotations occur in local memory through pikepdf and QPDF, ensuring sensitive files never pass through a remote pipeline or browser cache.
iLovePDF provides broad utility suites including optical character recognition, PDF compression, and format conversions from Office documents. It also works in any browser without local installation. PDF Arranger does none of that: it cannot convert Word documents, rewrite paragraphs, or run OCR scans on flattened images. In return, it imposes no subscription fees, file size caps, queue delays, or paywalls. For everyday tasks like stitching receipts into an expense report or trimming scanned pages, PDF Arranger provides complete data ownership without service dependency.
What it does well
- Visual page reordering: Drag and drop page thumbnails to assemble custom document layouts across multiple open files.
- Selective page extraction: Export chosen pages or odd and even selections into separate PDF files without re-encoding or quality loss.
- Rotation and border cropping: Rotate individual sheets in 90-degree steps or trim away scan margins visually before sharing.
- Multi-file document merging: Combine multiple PDF files and standalone images into a single organized document in one click.
- Sheet duplication and blank pages: Insert blank sheets or duplicate pages to balance print layouts and prepare paper booklets.
- Multi-window clipboard: Cut, copy, and paste pages between separate document windows just like handling slides.
