Adobe Fill & Sign alternatives for desktop and Chrome

If you searched for Adobe Fill & Sign, you may have found that the standalone app is going away. Here is what Adobe says about that, and the free ways to fill and sign a PDF on a computer, including some you already have installed.

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read

What Adobe Fill & Sign is now

Fill & Sign started as a free mobile app for iOS and Android. In an Adobe Community announcement dated March 2, 2025, Adobe said: "The Adobe Fill & Sign app will soon be retired and no longer receive updates or support." It points users to the Acrobat Reader mobile app, which includes Fill & Sign, and links a migration guide. We could not load Adobe's help pages directly (they returned an access error), so we are relying on the announcement and on search listings of that guide. Check the guide if you still have files in the old app.

Fill & Sign also exists as a tool inside Acrobat Reader. As of October 2026, Adobe's Reader page says Reader "is free to download and use, with no subscription required," and that "the Fill & Sign tool automatically recognizes whether your PDF has fillable form fields or not." Editing existing text and images is not in Reader and needs a paid Acrobat plan, which we cover in what Acrobat costs and whether you need it.

So the real question for most people is not "what replaces Fill & Sign" but "what do I want to install, and where does my file go?"

Free options on a computer

Acrobat Reader (desktop)

The closest match. Free, local, and it has the Fill & Sign tool Adobe describes above. Limits: a large install, and prompts toward paid plans.

Mac Preview

Per Apple's Preview guide, you can click a field and type, add a text box where there are no fields, and capture a signature with the trackpad, the Mac's camera, or an iPhone or iPad. Limits: Mac only. More in signing PDFs on Mac and Chromebook.

Chrome's built-in viewer

Chrome Help describes filling out and signing paperwork in the viewer: choose "Add text" and click where to type, or draw a signature with a mouse or touchpad. We understand this arrived in Chrome 149 (June 2026). It is free and local. Limits: basic. Google notes on its Chromebook help page that it "doesn't provide signature verification or security."

Microsoft Edge

We could not confirm from Microsoft's own pages which fill and sign tools Edge's PDF viewer has, so we are not listing features. A Microsoft support article only says you can view PDFs in Edge and that you "can't edit its contents." Try it on your file; if it does not do what you need, any option here will.

Penwise (extension and web app)

Disclosure: we make Penwise.

Penwise is a Chrome extension that runs entirely in the browser. Files are never uploaded and there is no account. Free, with no watermark:

• Fill form fields, and add text anywhere, including on non-fillable or flattened PDFs (see how to fill a PDF that isn't fillable).
• Add check and cross marks, today's date, highlights and white-out.
• Draw, type (handwriting font) or upload a signature, and save it on your device.
• Drag, resize and recolour items, undo, then download or print.

A free web version does fill, sign and download in any modern browser, with the PDF opened inside the tab and nothing uploaded. Pro is a $9.99 one-time payment (no subscription) and adds true redaction, page organizing and merging, in the extension only.

What Penwise does not do: OCR, compression, conversion to or from Word, multi-party e-signature workflows, audit trails or certificate-based digital signatures. It is also not a phone app, so for signing on a phone, Acrobat Reader mobile is the Adobe route.

Side by side

Based on the vendors' own pages as of October 2026, except where noted. Features change, so check before you rely on them.

Related: fill a PDF form for free · sign a PDF without uploading it

FAQ

Is Adobe Fill & Sign still available?

As of October 2026, Adobe's announcement says the standalone Adobe Fill & Sign mobile app is being retired and that users should switch to the Acrobat Reader mobile app, which includes Fill & Sign. Fill & Sign is also a tool inside Acrobat Reader, which Adobe says is free to download and use with no subscription.

Is there a free alternative to Adobe Fill & Sign on a computer?

Yes. Acrobat Reader itself is free, Mac Preview fills forms and stores signatures, and Chrome's built-in viewer can add text and draw a signature. Penwise, a Chrome extension with a free web version, also fills and signs locally with no watermark.

Can Chrome fill and sign a PDF without an extension?

According to Chrome Help, the built-in viewer can add text and draw a signature. It is basic: Google's Chromebook help page notes it does not provide signature verification or security.

Does Penwise upload my PDF?

No. Penwise runs in the browser, files are never uploaded and no account is needed. The free web version opens the PDF inside the tab and does not upload it either.