Working journalists (staff or freelance, with published work we can see) and registered nonprofits, charities and NGOs. Journalism students can apply with work published by a student outlet.

Free PDF Pro for journalists and nonprofits

If you report on public records or run a nonprofit, PDFBEAR Premium is free for 12 months. Redact documents before you publish them, make scanned FOIA responses searchable, and process whole folders at once.

Apply in two minutes

What you get

Redact PDF: black out names, numbers and addresses so the text underneath is removed, not just covered.
OCR PDF: turn scanned records into searchable, copyable text.
Clean output: no "Free Ver." badge on any file you download.
Batch processing, larger files and unlimited storage in My Files.
AI tools such as Summarize PDF and Chat with PDF, within the normal Premium fair-use limits.

Who can apply

Journalists: staff or freelance, with published work we can see. Journalism students can apply with work from a student outlet.
Nonprofits: registered charities, nonprofits and NGOs, with a registration record or official website.

A person reviews every application, usually within five working days. When your 12 months end you can apply again.

Be careful what you upload. PDFBEAR processes files on its servers over an encrypted connection and deletes them on a schedule (how we handle files). That suits public records, FOIA responses and documents you are preparing to publish. For material whose exposure could endanger a source, use an offline tool on a machine you control.

Apply

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Questions

How long does the free Premium last?

12 months from approval. You can apply again when it ends. Nothing is charged, and no card is needed.

How do you verify applications?

A person reviews every application. We look at the link you give us: bylined work for journalists, or a charity or nonprofit registration or official website for organisations.

Is redaction in PDFBEAR permanent?

Yes. Redact PDF removes the text under each black box from the file, so it cannot be copied or searched back out. Always open the redacted file and check it before you publish.