“Create a free account” or “Limit reached” when you download
Guests need a free account to download edited documents; your work moves into it and the download continues. Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month. When they run out, Limit reached offers Pro, Business or a Day Pass, or wait for the reset.
Updated 2 min read Counts toward edited-document downloads
“Create a free account to download”
As a guest you can edit, fill and sign, but downloading, printing or sharing an edited document needs a free account. The dialog says Your work is saved — it moves into the account, nothing is lost. Create the account or log in, and you'll see You’re signed in. Picking up where you left off… as the download resumes.
“Limit reached”
When a monthly allowance runs out, the dialog reads You've reached this month's edited-document downloads (or whichever allowance it is) and shows how many you've used. Your work is saved either way. Your options:
- Upgrade to Pro ($15 a month) for unlimited downloads. New subscribers get 7 days free with a card; cancel before the trial ends and nothing is charged.
- Start Business ($24 per seat a month) for teams, branding and bulk sending.
- Get a Day Pass: $6 for 24 hours of Pro, nothing renews. Upgrade to Pro within 7 days and the Day Pass price comes off your first payment.
- Wait: allowances reset at the start of your next monthly period.
| Feature | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edited-document downloads | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Signature requests | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Office & advanced conversions | 2 | 10 | 500 | 2,000 |
| OCR pages | 5 | 20 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| AI credits | 5 | 20 | 500 | 2,000 |
What counts as a download
- The first download of each version of an edited document counts once. Downloading the same unchanged document again is free.
- Printing from the editor counts as a download.
- Browser tools (merge, split, rotate and similar) never count and need no account.
- Signed copies from completed requests are delivered by email and from Download signed copy.
It says “This needs a paid plan”.
The feature itself isn't in your plan (for example bulk send or signer access codes), not just a monthly limit. Compare plans on Pricing.
I paid but still see the limit.
Reload the page; the plan updates when checkout finishes. If it persists, contact us with your account email.
Is there a watermark on Free downloads?
No. Free plan downloads have no watermark.
Did this answer your question?
Related articles
- What happens when you reach a monthly limitWhen you use up a monthly allowance, PDFBetter stops before the task and offers to wait for the reset, buy a Day Pass or upgrade. For AI credits and fax pages you can also buy a pack that never expires.
- Compare the Free, Pro and Business plansFree costs nothing and has no end date. Pro is $15 a month for one person, with unlimited downloads and signature requests. Business is $24 per seat a month and adds teams, branding, bulk send, the API and the largest spreadsheet-fill allowance.
- Buy a Day Pass for a one-off jobA Day Pass costs $6 and gives you Pro for 24 hours. It doesn't renew. Upgrade to Pro within 7 days of buying it and the Day Pass price comes off your first Pro payment.
- Download your edited PDF, fillable or flattenedClick Done → Download, choose Keep fillable or Flatten, decide whether to Include comments and sticky notes, and click Download. Downloading needs a free account; Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month, and Pro is unlimited.