Top 10 Best Document Redaction Software of 2026

Adobe Acrobat Pro is a leading PDF editing suite renowned for its robust document redaction capabilities, enabling users to permanently remove sensitive information such as text, images, and metadata from PDFs. It features advanced tools like searchable redaction, pattern recognition for personally identifiable information (PII) like SSNs and credit cards, and batch processing for efficiency. With OCR support, it handles scanned documents seamlessly, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

Foxit PDF Editor is a versatile PDF management tool renowned for its robust redaction features, allowing users to permanently remove sensitive information such as text, images, and metadata from PDFs. It offers advanced search-and-redact capabilities, including pattern recognition for items like Social Security numbers, emails, and phone numbers, applicable across multiple pages or entire documents. Beyond redaction, it supports comprehensive PDF editing, conversion, signing, and security compliance, making it a strong all-in-one solution for privacy-focused workflows.

Nitro PDF Pro is a robust desktop PDF editor from GoNitro that provides comprehensive tools for creating, editing, converting, and securing PDF documents. For document redaction, it offers powerful features like manual markup, search-and-redact for patterns (e.g., SSNs, emails), and OCR support for scanned files to permanently remove sensitive information. It ensures compliance by applying irreversible blackouts or overlays, making it suitable for legal, HR, and business users handling confidential data.

Wondershare PDFelement is a comprehensive PDF management tool that includes robust redaction features for permanently removing sensitive information like text, images, and patterns from documents. Users can manually mark areas for blackout or use automated search-and-redact for personal identifiable information (PII) such as emails, SSNs, and phone numbers across single or multiple pages. It combines redaction with full PDF editing, conversion, OCR, and e-signing capabilities, making it a versatile alternative to more expensive solutions like Adobe Acrobat.

ABBYY FineReader PDF is a versatile PDF management tool with built-in document redaction features, enabling permanent removal of sensitive text, images, or patterns from both native and scanned PDFs. It leverages advanced OCR technology to accurately identify and redact content in image-based documents, supporting batch processing for efficiency. While not exclusively a redaction tool, it integrates redaction seamlessly within its broader editing, conversion, and automation capabilities.

PDF-XChange Editor is a powerful PDF editing suite from Tracker Software that includes robust document redaction capabilities for permanently removing sensitive information from PDFs. It allows users to manually mark areas or use search-based tools to identify and redact text, images, or patterns across single or multiple pages, ensuring data cannot be recovered post-application. Beyond redaction, it offers comprehensive editing, annotation, OCR, and conversion features, making it a versatile tool for document management.

Kofax Power PDF is a comprehensive PDF management suite with built-in document redaction tools designed for permanently removing sensitive information from PDFs. It supports manual redaction markups, search-and-redact for patterns like SSNs, emails, and phone numbers, and ensures data is irretrievably deleted rather than just obscured. Ideal for users needing more than just redaction, it combines editing, OCR, conversion, and security features in a single application.

CaseGuard Studio is an AI-driven redaction platform designed primarily for multimedia content, including videos, audio, images, and documents like PDFs and scanned files. It automatically detects and permanently redacts sensitive information such as PII (names, addresses, SSNs), license plates, and text patterns using machine learning algorithms. The software supports batch processing, collaboration tools, and compliance features for industries like law enforcement and legal services, ensuring secure handling of evidence and records.

Blackout by Purpose Built Software is a specialized document redaction tool designed for permanently removing sensitive information from PDFs, Microsoft Office files, images, and other formats using visual selection, pattern matching, and OCR. It supports batch processing for high-volume workflows and includes audit trails to meet compliance standards like FOIA, GDPR, and CJIS. The software ensures redactions are tamper-proof and irrecoverable, even with forensic analysis.

Sejda PDF is a user-friendly online and desktop PDF editor that offers reliable document redaction tools for permanently removing sensitive information. Users can redact via text search, regular expressions, predefined patterns (e.g., SSNs, emails), or manual visual selection for text, images, and areas across multiple pages. It ensures redacted content is sanitized and unrecoverable, making it suitable for basic to moderate redaction needs.