Every 'free online PDF merger' wants your document on their server. This is the same toolbox running on your machine, where the file never leaves. For anything with a client's name on it, that's not a nice-to-have.
It's open-*core*, not fully open source — check the LICENSE before assuming a feature is free. And it's a container to run and keep updated; the convenience of a website is gone.
| What you get free | Free, open-core — a Docker container gives you 50+ PDF tools locally |
| Where the limit sits | Open-core: the core is free, some parts are not. No file size or count limits beyond your machine |
| Credit card to start | No |
| Pricing type | Open source |
| Last checked | 2026-07-30 · source |
| Run it yourself | Yes — Open-core (see LICENSE) · repo |
| Platforms | linux, windows, mac |
| Category | Productivity · Self-hosted / local |
We recheck every entry. Subscribers hear first when a free tier quietly shrinks.