Best Free PDF Watermark Tool Online No Account 2026

Author: pdfClaw Last updated: 2026-05-21 20:08

Author: pdfClaw Last updated: 2026-05-19 20:29

Adding a watermark to a PDF should be simple: type your text (or upload your logo), set opacity, position it, download. But the "free" watermark tool landscape in 2026 is full of bait-and-switch: tools that say "free" but require account creation to download, have severe daily limits, or don't handle CJK text reliably. This guide compares six tools across seven dimensions so you can pick the right one immediately.

What to Look For in a PDF Watermark Tool

Before the comparison, here are the features that matter:

No account required

— can you complete the entire task without signing up?

Text watermark

— type custom text (DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, your company name)

Image watermark

— upload a PNG logo or image

Opacity control

— adjust transparency so the watermark doesn't obscure content

Rotation

— diagonal placement (45°) is the professional standard for most watermarks

Page range

— apply to all pages, a range, or specific pages

CJK text support

— can you type Chinese, Japanese, or Korean characters?

Instant download

— does the file download immediately, or is there a delivery delay?

The Six Tools

1. pdfClaw

URL:

pdf.appsclaw.com/convert/watermark

Account:

No account required — ever

Watermark options:

Text watermark: custom text, font size, font family, color
Image watermark: upload PNG or JPG
Opacity: adjustable slider
Rotation: configurable angle (including diagonal)
Position: center, corners, tiled

CJK support:

Yes — Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters render correctly in the watermark output. This is a notable advantage: many free tools use font rendering pipelines that do not fully support CJK glyphs, potentially resulting in missing or malformed characters.

Instant download:

Yes — file downloads immediately after processing.

File deletion:

Auto-deleted within 1 hour.

Limitations:

Single file per session (no batch watermarking).

2. iLovePDF

URL:

ilovepdf.com/watermark-pdf

Account:

No account required for basic use, but rate-limited

Watermark options:

Text watermark: yes (font, size, color, opacity, rotation)
Image watermark: yes (position, size, opacity)
Mosaic/tile mode: yes
Page range: yes

CJK support:

Limited — may not render CJK characters correctly due to font and encoding constraints.

Instant download:

Yes.

File deletion:

2 hours.

Limitations:

Free users face daily task limits. After several uses, the tool may prompt for account creation. Batch watermarking typically requires an account.

3. PDF24

URL:

pdf24.org/en/add-watermark-to-pdf

Account:

No account required

Watermark options:

Text watermark: yes
Image watermark: yes
Opacity, rotation, position: yes

CJK support:

Partial — results may vary depending on document complexity and font embedding. Simple CJK text watermarks sometimes work; documents with mixed fonts or advanced layout may show inconsistent rendering.

Instant download:

Yes.

File deletion:

Yes (timing varies by policy).

Limitations:

Interface is feature-dense. CJK support is not guaranteed — test with a sample document before bulk use.

4. Sejda

URL:

sejda.com/watermark-pdf

Account:

No account required (3 tasks/hour limit)

Watermark options:

Text watermark: yes (font, size, color, opacity, rotation, position)
Image watermark: yes
Advanced placement options

CJK support:

Limited — may not consistently display CJK characters in all contexts.

Instant download:

Yes.

File deletion:

5 hours.

Limitations:

3 tasks/hour across all Sejda tools. 5-hour file retention is longer than some alternatives.

5. Smallpdf

URL:

smallpdf.com/watermark-pdf

Account:

No for first 2 tasks/day; then gated

Watermark options:

Text watermark: yes
Image watermark: yes
Opacity, rotation: yes

CJK support:

Limited — may not reliably support CJK input due to font and encoding handling.

Instant download:

Yes (for free tier tasks).

File deletion:

1 hour.

Limitations:

2 tasks/day limit on free tier. Prominent upsell to Pro plan after every task.

6. Adobe Acrobat Online

URL:

acrobat.adobe.com

Account:

Free Adobe account required

Watermark options:

Text and image watermarks
Page range selection
Opacity, rotation, position — full control
Preview before applying

CJK support:

Yes — Adobe's PDF processing engine generally supports CJK text well.

Instant download:

Yes (downloaded to device after processing).

File deletion:

Files stored in Adobe cloud — not auto-deleted.

Limitations:

Requires creating and verifying a free Adobe account. Files remain in Adobe cloud storage. Free tier limits apply.

Full Comparison Table

Tool

No Account

Text WM

Image WM

Opacity

Rotation

CJK

Instant DL

Auto-Delete

pdfClaw

Yes

1 hr

iLovePDF

Rate-limited

Yes

Limited

Yes

2 hrs

PDF24

Yes

Partial

Yes

Stated

Sejda

3/hr limit

Yes

Limited

Yes

5 hrs

Smallpdf

2/day limit

Yes

Limited

Yes

1 hr

Adobe Acrobat

Account req.

Yes

Not auto

Choosing the Right Tool

"I need to watermark one PDF right now, no friction"

Use pdfClaw. No account, no daily limit, download immediately.

"I need to watermark documents with Chinese or Japanese text in the watermark"

Use pdfClaw (strong CJK support) or Adobe Acrobat (requires account).

"I need to watermark multiple PDFs in one session"

Use iLovePDF (up to daily limit) or PDF24 (no limit, but test CJK documents first).

"I need full control over watermark appearance"

Sejda or Adobe Acrobat offer detailed placement and styling options.

"Privacy is a concern — my document is confidential"

Use pdfClaw (1-hour auto-delete, no account) or Sejda (5-hour delete, no account). Avoid tools that store files in persistent cloud accounts.

Common Watermark Use Cases and Settings

Marking drafts:

Text: "DRAFT" or "REVIEW COPY"
Opacity: 30–40% (visible but not distracting)
Rotation: 45 degrees (diagonal — standard for draft watermarks)
Position: Center of page

Marking confidential documents: