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An online PDF form—sometimes called a web-based PDF form—is a document that can be filled out directly in a browser. No downloads, no printing, no paid desktop software. Users simply open a link, complete the form, and submit it online.
With modern tools like PlatoForms, you can turn an existing PDF into an online form that works smoothly on desktop and mobile—either by converting it into a responsive web form or by making the original PDF fillable online.
Instead of emailing files back and forth, online PDF forms behave like links: easy to share, easy to complete, and easy to manage.
👉 Learn how to convert a PDF into a web-based form.
Absolutely—and this isn’t just a sales pitch. Online PDF forms remove friction from processes people already dislike: filling out paperwork.
Traditional PDFs force users to print, scan, upload, or struggle with complex editors. Online PDF forms replace that with something people already know how to use: the browser.
Less effort for users means faster submissions, fewer errors, and better completion rates for your business.
The result isn’t just convenience—it’s measurable efficiency.
PDFs are trusted for their consistency and compliance—but historically, they’ve been hard to fill out.
Online PDF forms combine the trust of PDFs with the usability of web forms:
Platforms like PlatoForms make this possible by modernizing PDFs without forcing teams to rebuild documents from scratch.
A web form is a clean, responsive page users can complete directly in their browser. Compared to static PDFs, web forms are easier to navigate, more accessible on mobile, and support richer interactions.
With PlatoForms, you can upload an existing PDF and convert it into a modern web form—fields are automatically detected, and you can adjust layout and logic as needed.
👉 See how to convert a PDF into a web form.
Best for:
Sometimes the design can’t change.
For government forms, legal documents, tax filings, or compliance workflows, preserving the original PDF layout is critical. In these cases, making the PDF fillable online is the better choice.
PlatoForms lets you turn an existing PDF into an online fillable PDF form—users complete it in the browser, and the final output remains a PDF that matches the original design exactly.
👉 Learn how to create an online fillable PDF.
Best for:
Modern PDF workflows don’t start from scratch—they start from existing documents.
PlatoForms applies AI directly to PDFs, automatically detecting fields, labels, tables, and structure. This reduces setup time dramatically while keeping humans in control.
AI in PlatoForms is not a gimmick—it’s an accelerator for document-based workflows:
👉 Learn more about AI-assisted PDF field recognition.
Filling out the same information across multiple PDFs is one of the biggest productivity killers.
Master Forms solve this by allowing teams to collect data once and automatically populate multiple related PDFs. One input form → many completed documents.
For example, HR onboarding, legal packages, or healthcare documentation often involve multiple PDFs with overlapping fields. Master Forms ensure consistency and eliminate duplication.
👉 Explore the Master Form solution.
Some documents aren’t completed by one person—they move through roles, approvals, and handoffs.
With Workflows, PlatoForms lets PDFs progress through multi-step, multi-role processes. Each participant completes their part, and the data flows into a single, consistent document.
This is ideal for:
👉 See how document workflows work.
People hate filling out forms—especially when they already gave you the information.
Pre-filled invitation forms let you populate known data before sending a form. Recipients only review, complete what’s missing, and submit.
This approach:
👉 Learn about pre-filled invitations.
Creating online forms is just the beginning. Real efficiency comes from automation.
PlatoForms integrates with tools like Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Stripe, Zapier, and Make—triggered by the final generated PDF, not just raw form data.
That means:
👉 Explore document-centric integrations.
For advanced use cases, PlatoForms provides APIs that work on the entire document lifecycle.
Developers can:
All APIs can be tested safely using the API Playground.
👉 View the PlatoForms API documentation.
PDFs aren’t going away. They remain the standard for compliance, trust, and documentation.
What’s changing is how PDFs are used.
Online PDF forms—powered by AI, automation, and integrations—turn static documents into living workflows. They reduce friction, improve accuracy, and scale without adding overhead.
That’s where PlatoForms fits in:
PDF-first, AI-powered, and built for real-world document workflows.
👉 Explore how PlatoForms fits different needs in our Solutions overview.