Artefact (formerly ClearPDF) — Open-Source PDF Editor, Office Viewer & Document Workspace for Android
Artefact is a free, open-source PDF reader, PDF editor, Office document viewer (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) and productivity app for Android. Read, edit, annotate, sign, merge, split and compress documents in one lightweight app, with no ads or subscriptions.
⚠️ Early Alpha Preview. This is the first release under the Artefact name. Some features and visuals are still being refined. Please report bugs so we can fix them quickly.
📥 Download & Upgrade
- Download: grab the latest APK from the Assets section below.
- Upgrading from ClearPDF? Artefact keeps the same Android application ID, so it installs as a normal update. Your existing data and settings are preserved.
- Requirements: Android X.X or later (fill in your minimum version).
🔥 Highlights
| Feature | What you get |
|---|---|
| ⚡ Quick Preview | Floating, Quick Look-style document preview from WhatsApp, Gmail and other apps |
| 🪟 Liquid Glass UI | Fully redesigned, glass-inspired interface with a new File Desk |
| 📄 PDF Editor | Edit text, annotate, fill forms, sign and verify signatures |
| 📊 Office Support | View and edit .docx and .xlsx, present .pptx, open legacy .ppt
|
| 🖼️ Image Editor | Crop, rotate, and adjust exposure, contrast, highlights and saturation |
| 📝 Productivity Desk | Notes, checklists, photo notes and voice memos |
| 🔍 On-device OCR | Extract text from scanned pages, fully offline |
✨ What's New
⚡ Quick Preview: Quick Look for Android
Preview documents without leaving the app you're in.
- Open PDFs, Word files and spreadsheets straight from WhatsApp, Gmail and other apps
- View them in a floating, glass-style card
- Swipe up to open the file in Artefact
🪟 Liquid Glass: A Redesigned Android Experience
- Redesigned PDF viewer and editing screens
- Translucent, glass-inspired surfaces
- Refined toolbars, contextual menus and settings
- New File Desk for accessing and organizing documents
- Smoother interactions and navigation
📄 PDF Reader & Editor
Reading & navigation
- PDF viewer with full-text search
- Bookmarks
- Reading mode and night mode
Editing & annotation
- Edit existing PDF text directly
- Annotate and mark up documents
- Fill PDF forms
- Add electronic signatures and verify digital signatures
Management
- Merge, split and compress PDFs
- Password-protect documents
- Organize, reorder and manage pages
Creation
- Create PDFs from images or text
- Create PDFs from scanned documents
📊 Office Document Viewer & Editor
| Format | Capabilities |
|---|---|
Word (.docx)
| Read and edit paragraphs |
Excel (.xlsx)
| Edit cells, use formulas and formatting, switch sheet tabs |
PowerPoint (.pptx)
| View and present slides full screen |
Legacy PowerPoint (.ppt)
| Text-based viewing |
🖼️ Built-in Image Editor
Crop, rotate, and fine-tune exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, vibrance and saturation.
📝 Productivity Desk
Quick notes, checklists, photo notes and voice memos, all next to your documents.
🔧 Additional Improvements
- On-device OCR for scanned pages
- Expanded file-opening options
- Better discoverability of image and Office tools
- Monochrome adaptive icon support
- Refined navigation and interactions
🛠️ Issues Resolved
| Issue | Change |
|---|---|
| #102 | Added support for opening legacy .ppt presentations
|
| #101 | Expanded file compatibility through the new Open File experience |
| #94 | Improved discoverability of image and Office document options |
| #43 | Added monochrome adaptive icon support |
| #27 | Officially transitioned the project from ClearPDF to Artefact |
💙 Community Contributors
Thank you to everyone who reported issues and shaped this release:
- @wittyvishaltyagi-ui for #102
- @ramenIgirl for #101
- @orbit21 for #94
- @Sometimes-Bad for #43
- @kamik-hub for #27
Want to help? Check out the open issues, open a pull request, or ⭐ star the repo to support the project.
❓ FAQ
Is Artefact free?
Yes. It is free and open source.
Is Artefact the same app as ClearPDF?
Yes. ClearPDF was renamed to Artefact and keeps the same application ID, so it installs as an update.
Does it work offline?
Yes. OCR and document processing run on-device.
Which file formats are supported?
PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PPT and common image formats.
🚀 What's Next
Artefact is growing into a complete, modern, open-source productivity workspace for Android. More refinements and features are already in development.
One app. More than documents.
Keywords: open-source PDF editor Android, PDF reader, PDF merge split compress, Office document viewer, DOCX XLSX PPTX editor, offline OCR, ClearPDF alternative