Pdf Editing App For Mac

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Pdf Editing App For Mac

Are you looking for a best PDF editor for Mac to meet your personal or professional needs? Due to their simplicity and security, PDF documents are now universally used to store and exchange all kinds of information. Though, there are times when we just wish to edit an existing PDF document on our Mac. Since the editing solution is not presently available in a PDF reader, we need to look for a PDF editor instead. In this post, I will make you familiar with the best PDF editor for Mac that you can use presently.
Best Desktop PDF Editor for MacAdobe Acrobat ProPDF Expert is my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a solid PDF editor on Mac. It's simple, easy-to-use, and feature-rich with the right amount of options at the right place. Top 5 Best Mac PDF Editor for EL Capitan and Sierra 1. PDFelement Pro for Mac PDFelement Pro is one of the best editors that offer you wide range of editing features like annotation, editing texts, images, highlighting, adding signatures, adding pages and many more. Basic PDF edits on a Mac. Every Mac comes with a program called Preview from Apple. When you need to edit documents, the best PDF editor is SmileOnMyMac's PDFpenPro 11 — at least on the Mac — thanks to its host of features and outstanding capabilities in optical.
Adobe understands the importance of a PDF editor and has come up with its own application for Mac. Probably one of the best PDF editors for Mac, it has a sleek interface that is packed with tons of features.
You can edit text, tables, graphics, and all kinds of data in a PDF file.
Additional features to create new PDF documents and even fillable forms.
You can import documents of different formats and even convert PDF into other formats.
There are additional features to protect, sign, annotate, and share PDF documents.
Pros
An array of PDF editing tools
Inclusion of digital IDs and signatures
Can be linked to Adobe's cloud for collaboration
Cons
A bit expensive
PDFelement Pro for MacPDFelement pro for mac is one of the best PDF editor for Mac that is already used for personal and professional requirements. You can edit, mark, protect, share, convert, create, and do so much more with PDF files.
The tool has a user-friendly interface with options to create new PDF files or import documents of other formats.
With a single click, you can edit PDF's text and other elements of a file.
There are additional features to comment and annotate PDF documents.
You can also convert PDF to other formats like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or images.
Pros
Extremely easy to use
Features to protect and sign PDF files
Cons
No free lifetime upgrade
PDF ExpertAs the name suggests, this is an expert tool to edit pdf document on mac of all kinds. There are various editing features in the tool that you can access to customize your PDF files.
It can edit texts, tables, images, links, etc. in a PDF document.
You can fill out PDF forms, add digital signatures, and export annotations as well.
Can also split or merge PDF documents with a single click
Additional features to optimize and convert PDF files
Pros
Mobile app also available
Easy to use
Cons
Limited collaborative features for professional use
PdFpen Smile Software has come up with two PDF editor versions for Mac – PDFpen and PDFpen Pro. The standard version is pretty neat and will meet almost every PDF-related requirement of yours.
You can easily edit the existing text or tabular content of a PDF file.
Seamless solutions to merge, delete, and split pages of PDF documents.
Extended compatibility to import/export documents with different formats
You can also protect your documents by including your digital signature.
Pros
Inbuilt OCR to read images
Annotation features to mark pages with comments
Cons
Can't create interactive forms (feature reserved for the Pro version)

Phantom PDF by FoxitPhantom PDF is one of the best PDF editors for Mac that has been developed by Foxit. The tool offers tons of content editing and integration features as well.
You can edit almost any element in a PDF document easily.
Create new PDF files/forms and export them into different formats
It has an intelligent tool to reduce PDF size drastically
Scan images using its OCR reader and convert them to a PDF file
Pros
Free trial version
Annotation and protection features
Cons
No support for indexing of large-sized PDF files

 Power PDF Advanced by KofaxAlready trusted by over 2 million users, this is one of the best PDF editor for Mac that you can try. There are dedicated versions for individual and business use of the application.
Import files from Word or Excel directly to a PDF or export a PDF into different formats
Seamless solutions to edit all kinds of content in a PDF doc
Fill forms, combine files, split them, and do so much more
Real-time collaborative feature to work with your team
Pros
Can create and import digital signatures
Integration with popular cloud-based platforms
Cons
Does not have its own cloud
A bit expensive

FineReader ProLastly, you can also try FineReader Pro by ABBYY on your Mac to edit and optimize your PDF documents. It is known for its inbuilt OCR feature that has excellent text recognition capability.
Apart from text, you can also edit images in a PDF file as well.
Can directly scan an image and convert it to a PDF document
You can also export your PDF documents to tons of other formats
Optimize PDF files and share them with others pretty easily
Pros
Tons of features in one place
Batch processing is also supported
Cons
Can be complicated to use at first
Master PDF Editor for MacLastly, if you are looking for a desktop application for Mac, then you can simply download the Master PDF Editor. From optimizing your documents to editing your files, it will let you do it all in one place.
It provides complete editing features to work on PDF text, pages, images, and so on.
You can split your files, merge them, optimize their size, or just convert them into different formats.
Apart from encrypting your PDF files, you can also include your digital signatures to protect them.
Pros
It can directly convert XPS documents into PDF
Can directly export PDF into formats like PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP
Cons
The free version of Master PDF editor has limited features
Best free pdf editor for macPreview If you don't want to try any third-party application, then you can edit pdf in preview which is a popular free pdf editor for mac Using this native Mac application, you can perform some operations on PDF, but it won't help you edit its text.
Users can rearrange the pages of a PDF document and even merge the pages of different files together.
You can also delete any page from a PDF document or split a file into another document.
There are different tools to markup and annotate the document. For instance, you can add comments, a shape, a textbox, and so on.
Pros
Freely available (inbuilt app in Mac)
Easy to use
Cons
You can't edit texts, images, or any other content of a PDF file
Limited features
Pdf Editing Software For Mac Free DownloadAdobe Reader DCAs a free PDF editor, Adobe Reader DC is one of the most used PDF reader applications with lots of features such as viewing, printing, signing and commenting PDF documents for free. But if you want to unlock the limited features such as editing or exporting PDF files to word or excel document, you need to subscribe to Acrobat Pro DC.
View, sign, print and comment PDFs
Collect , annotate and share PDFs
It is connected to Adobe Document Cloud with access to store files in Dropbox or Google Drive
Pros:
Easy to use
It is free
Cons
Do not support creating or exporting PDFs
Converting PDF to word/excel documents is not allowed
PDFCandyPDFCandy is a free pdf editing software for mac that you can use on your Mac or any other platform. It offers simple yet effective solutions to work on all kinds of PDF documents for free.
There are dedicated operations listed on its home that you can choose to implement on your PDF documents.
Some of its prominent offerings are to compress, optimize, merge, convert, split, edit, and resize PDF files.
You can convert files from other formats like PNG, RTF, HTML, TXT, XML, etc. to PDF and even export your PDF to other formats.
Pros
Free video editor
Several formats are supported
Cons
Can't upload files via URL
No desktop applications for Mac
SmallpdfJust like PDFCandy, Smallpdf can also be used for free to edit your PDF files. Apart from its web-based application, it provides iOS and Android solutions as well.
You can convert files from other formats to PDF and even export PDF to other formats like Excel, PPT, DOC, etc.
If you want, you can also edit the PDF documents and optimize the file.
Furthermore, it lets us protect our PDF files and sign them electronically.
Pros
Seamless options to merge and split documents
Extensive editing features
Cons
Only a 14-day trial version is available
PDF-XChange EditorIf you are looking for a lightweight free pdf editor for mac to edit and protect your PDF files, then you can also try PDF-XChange Editor. While the features are not as extensive as other tools, it will meet your basic needs.
The application has an inbuilt OCR reader that would scan the document and let you extract the textual content.
There are also options to edit the existing texts, pictures, tables, etc. in the PDF file.
You can directly export your PDF documents into other formats like Excel or Word.
Pros
Lightweight and easy to use
A digital signature feature is included
Cons
Limited free features
Some features will leave a watermark
InkscapeIdeally, Inkscape is a designing application that lets us edit vectors, but you can also use it to edit PDF files. There are also a few add-ons features that would help you manage your PDF files.
It has a resourceful text tool that can help you add and edit texts in a PDF file.
Inkscape has an inbuilt OCR reader that would let you scan any PDF document easily.
You can also set restrictions on your PDF files and even export them into different formats.
Pros
Numerous editing and designing features
LaTeX integration supported
Cons
PDF features are not that extensive
A bit complicated to use
Skim

Skim is an open-source freely available PDF reader for Mac that also has features to edit and optimize PDF documents. A lot of Mac users already prefer Skim as their default PDF application.
You can use it to read PDF files, add bookmarks, comments, notes, and use other annotation features.
Users can also create snapshots of PDF files by clipping any segment of it.
It also lets us underline certain text and export PDF files into other formats.
Pros
Integration with LaTeX and SyncTeX
Freely available
Cons
PDF editing features are limited
Best Online PDF Editor for MacSejda PDF EditorThis is one of the most popular and resourceful online PDF editors that can be accessed on any platform. Although it offers a free trial version, you can pay $7.50 per month to use its premium services.
Just go to the Sejda website, upload your PDF document, and access the online editor on any platform of your choice.
It will let you edit the existing details on your PDF documents and you can also insert different elements in your file.
Users can protect their PDF files with digital signatures, optimize them, and even convert them into different formats.
Pros
It has an inbuilt OCR reader
Users can import files from other formats and convert them to PDF
Cons
Only a free trial version is available
The free version only supports 3 actions per hour
PDFbuddyPDFbuddy is a lightweight online PDF editor for Mac that will meet your basic requirements. It is mostly used by individuals who would like to edit PDF files without installing any application.
PDFbuddy can be accessed on any browser and users simply need to load their PDF files to get started.
You can edit the existing elements of the PDF file or add texts and pictures in the document as well.
There is an embedded feature to encrypt the PDF files and protect them with digital signatures.
Pros
Extremely user friendly
Most of its features are free
Cons
With the free version, you can only edit 3 PDFs in a month
Soda PDF EditorDeveloped by Lulu Software, Soda PDF is one of the most popular online PDF editors and has been around for a while. To access most of its features, you are needed to pay $6.75 a month.
You can create PDF forms and import documents from other formats. It can also export PDF into formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
It offers a seamless PDF editor to insert new elements to your files or edit the existing things (like texts or images).
You can create or import digital signatures to protect your PDF files online.
Pros

Phantom PDF by FoxitPhantom PDF is one of the best PDF editors for Mac that has been developed by Foxit. The tool offers tons of content editing and integration features as well.
You can edit almost any element in a PDF document easily.
Create new PDF files/forms and export them into different formats
It has an intelligent tool to reduce PDF size drastically
Scan images using its OCR reader and convert them to a PDF file
Pros
Free trial version
Annotation and protection features
Cons
No support for indexing of large-sized PDF files
 Power PDF Advanced by KofaxAlready trusted by over 2 million users, this is one of the best PDF editor for Mac that you can try. There are dedicated versions for individual and business use of the application.
Import files from Word or Excel directly to a PDF or export a PDF into different formats
Seamless solutions to edit all kinds of content in a PDF doc
Fill forms, combine files, split them, and do so much more
Real-time collaborative feature to work with your team
Pros
Can create and import digital signatures
Integration with popular cloud-based platforms
Cons
Does not have its own cloud
A bit expensive

FineReader ProLastly, you can also try FineReader Pro by ABBYY on your Mac to edit and optimize your PDF documents. It is known for its inbuilt OCR feature that has excellent text recognition capability.
Apart from text, you can also edit images in a PDF file as well.
Can directly scan an image and convert it to a PDF document
You can also export your PDF documents to tons of other formats
Optimize PDF files and share them with others pretty easily
Pros
Tons of features in one place
Batch processing is also supported
Cons
Can be complicated to use at first
Master PDF Editor for MacLastly, if you are looking for a desktop application for Mac, then you can simply download the Master PDF Editor. From optimizing your documents to editing your files, it will let you do it all in one place.
It provides complete editing features to work on PDF text, pages, images, and so on.
You can split your files, merge them, optimize their size, or just convert them into different formats.
Apart from encrypting your PDF files, you can also include your digital signatures to protect them.
Pros
It can directly convert XPS documents into PDF
Can directly export PDF into formats like PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP
Cons
The free version of Master PDF editor has limited features
Best free pdf editor for macPreview If you don't want to try any third-party application, then you can edit pdf in preview which is a popular free pdf editor for mac Using this native Mac application, you can perform some operations on PDF, but it won't help you edit its text.
Users can rearrange the pages of a PDF document and even merge the pages of different files together.
You can also delete any page from a PDF document or split a file into another document.
There are different tools to markup and annotate the document. For instance, you can add comments, a shape, a textbox, and so on.
Pros
Freely available (inbuilt app in Mac)
Easy to use
Cons
You can't edit texts, images, or any other content of a PDF file
Limited features
Pdf Editing Software For Mac Free DownloadAdobe Reader DCAs a free PDF editor, Adobe Reader DC is one of the most used PDF reader applications with lots of features such as viewing, printing, signing and commenting PDF documents for free. But if you want to unlock the limited features such as editing or exporting PDF files to word or excel document, you need to subscribe to Acrobat Pro DC.
View, sign, print and comment PDFs
Collect , annotate and share PDFs
It is connected to Adobe Document Cloud with access to store files in Dropbox or Google Drive
Pros:
Easy to use
It is free
Cons
Do not support creating or exporting PDFs
Converting PDF to word/excel documents is not allowed
PDFCandyPDFCandy is a free pdf editing software for mac that you can use on your Mac or any other platform. It offers simple yet effective solutions to work on all kinds of PDF documents for free.
There are dedicated operations listed on its home that you can choose to implement on your PDF documents.
Some of its prominent offerings are to compress, optimize, merge, convert, split, edit, and resize PDF files.
You can convert files from other formats like PNG, RTF, HTML, TXT, XML, etc. to PDF and even export your PDF to other formats.
Pros
Free video editor
Several formats are supported
Cons
Can't upload files via URL
No desktop applications for Mac
SmallpdfJust like PDFCandy, Smallpdf can also be used for free to edit your PDF files. Apart from its web-based application, it provides iOS and Android solutions as well.
You can convert files from other formats to PDF and even export PDF to other formats like Excel, PPT, DOC, etc.
If you want, you can also edit the PDF documents and optimize the file.
Furthermore, it lets us protect our PDF files and sign them electronically.
Pros
Seamless options to merge and split documents
Extensive editing features
Cons
Only a 14-day trial version is available
PDF-XChange EditorIf you are looking for a lightweight free pdf editor for mac to edit and protect your PDF files, then you can also try PDF-XChange Editor. While the features are not as extensive as other tools, it will meet your basic needs.
The application has an inbuilt OCR reader that would scan the document and let you extract the textual content.
There are also options to edit the existing texts, pictures, tables, etc. in the PDF file.
You can directly export your PDF documents into other formats like Excel or Word.
Pros
Lightweight and easy to use
A digital signature feature is included
Cons
Limited free features
Some features will leave a watermark
InkscapeIdeally, Inkscape is a designing application that lets us edit vectors, but you can also use it to edit PDF files. There are also a few add-ons features that would help you manage your PDF files.
It has a resourceful text tool that can help you add and edit texts in a PDF file.
Inkscape has an inbuilt OCR reader that would let you scan any PDF document easily.
You can also set restrictions on your PDF files and even export them into different formats.
Pros
Numerous editing and designing features
LaTeX integration supported
Cons
PDF features are not that extensive
A bit complicated to use
SkimSkim is an open-source freely available PDF reader for Mac that also has features to edit and optimize PDF documents. A lot of Mac users already prefer Skim as their default PDF application.
You can use it to read PDF files, add bookmarks, comments, notes, and use other annotation features.
Users can also create snapshots of PDF files by clipping any segment of it.
It also lets us underline certain text and export PDF files into other formats.
Pros
Integration with LaTeX and SyncTeX
Freely available
Cons
PDF editing features are limited
Best Online PDF Editor for MacSejda PDF EditorThis is one of the most popular and resourceful online PDF editors that can be accessed on any platform. Although it offers a free trial version, you can pay $7.50 per month to use its premium services.
Just go to the Sejda website, upload your PDF document, and access the online editor on any platform of your choice.
It will let you edit the existing details on your PDF documents and you can also insert different elements in your file.
Users can protect their PDF files with digital signatures, optimize them, and even convert them into different formats.
Pros
It has an inbuilt OCR reader
Users can import files from other formats and convert them to PDF
Cons
Only a free trial version is available
The free version only supports 3 actions per hour
PDFbuddyPDFbuddy is a lightweight online PDF editor for Mac that will meet your basic requirements. It is mostly used by individuals who would like to edit PDF files without installing any application.
PDFbuddy can be accessed on any browser and users simply need to load their PDF files to get started.
You can edit the existing elements of the PDF file or add texts and pictures in the document as well.
There is an embedded feature to encrypt the PDF files and protect them with digital signatures.
Pros
Extremely user friendly
Most of its features are free
Cons
With the free version, you can only edit 3 PDFs in a month
Soda PDF EditorDeveloped by Lulu Software, Soda PDF is one of the most popular online PDF editors and has been around for a while. To access most of its features, you are needed to pay $6.75 a month.
You can create PDF forms and import documents from other formats. It can also export PDF into formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
It offers a seamless PDF editor to insert new elements to your files or edit the existing things (like texts or images).
You can create or import digital signatures to protect your PDF files online.
Pros
Features a sophisticated OCR feature
Annotation options are also included
Cons
Not available for free
PDFProPDFPro is another trusted application that you can use to create and edit PDF documents on your Mac online. To access its premium versions, you can pay $7.99 a month.
Using PDFPro, you can seamlessly edit your PDF files and even create PDF forms on the go.
You can erase or highlight texts, add comments, delete anything, and do so much more.
Other features include optimizing, splitting, merging, rotating, and converting PDF files.
Pros
Security features to protect PDF files
Easy to use
Cons
You can only work on 3 PDF files for free in a month
PDFescapeIf you use Mac, you can choose PDFescape free online PDF editor tool which can let you view, edit and annotate,PDF files. Additionally, it can also be used to fill out PDF forms, create new PDF forms, share PDF documents online and protect PDF documents. The PDFescape software works with a number of web browsers such as Chrome , Firefox 3+ ,Edge , IE 6+ , and more.
Pros:
The online PDF editor is free to use
Cons:
With limited features
The web-based tool only support file within 10M
I hope that after reading this post, you would be able to pick the best PDF editor for Mac to suit your requirements. I have listed both free and paid tools for individuals and businesses alike in this post. Since most of them offer a free trial version, you can give them a go and be a judge of these tools on your own!
Business • Updated on Nov.17, 2020
Editor's note: After another round of testing, we stand by our picks. We also added a little information about our thoughts on online PDF editors.
PDF is a necessity in macOS. Without PDF, you can't easily create & share portable documents. In fact, almost every native macOS application lets you export content into PDF.
Preview in Mac is a great PDF viewer and annotator, but it's not enough for editing. Normally, people got to convert the PDF file to something else and do the editing after. That isn't the most convenient option either.
That is why a fully-fledged PDF editor for Mac is a necessity indeed! Unlike the common thought, there is an impressive variety of PDF editing programs to choose from.
And, Adobe Acrobat Pro is most people's go-to option.
Jump to:
Disclosure: We sometimes use affiliate links which means that, at zero cost to you, we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links.
Why Adobe Acrobat Pro DC isn't enough?Adobe Acrobat Pro DC has been the standard for PDF editing for quite a long time. Considering that Adobe built the format, it's quite not surprising. Anyway, it's not really a great reason to keep using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC as the macOS PDF editor.
The Good: Acrobat Pro DC is undoubtedly one of the powerful PDF solutions out there. You can get the best of the Adobe ecosystem as well. If you use Adobe Reader to view PDF documents, you can have the benefits of a familiar UI as well.
The Bad: Even then, Acrobat Pro DC does not offer the best User Interface in town. Sure, it gets the job done, but that's not enough. We cannot recommend Acrobat Pro DC when you want to edit multiple documents and manage everything with ease.
The Ugly: Acrobat Pro DC is damn expensive. It comes with a monthly subscription charge of $14.99. Adobe Pro 2017, an older, standalone version, is available for a hefty price-tag of $449. These rates are way beyond what a normal user can afford.
We believe these reasons are enough for anyone to look for an Adobe Acrobat alternative — or one better PDF editor for Mac.
How to choose the alternative to Acrobat Pro DCAs we said, there are a huge number of PDF editors for macOS. As always, we wanted to pick the best ones. To navigate through the immense collection of options, we had a proper criteria as well.
The PDF Editor must have a Simple User Interface. It must be non-distracting as well as focused. We always recommend a UI that works well with single-document and multi-document management.
Easy & Advanced PDF Editing is a must-have option in a PDF tool. Automated selection recognition is great since it enables easy editing of other components like images, boxes, shapes and signatures.
Security of the PDF documents is also an important concern. The PDF editor should have an option to enable the basic security features. For instance, there must be a way to password-protect PDF.
Feature-rich: The ideal PDF editor shouldhave additional features as well. On top of the list are Optical Character Recognition and Digital Signing. You may, indeed, go for a minimal editor, though.
Price: Not everyone wants to or cannot spend around $100 on a PDF editor. So, we have included a variety of PDF editors that come with varying price tags.
So, we have chosen the best Mac PDF editors based on this criteria.
The pick: PDF Expert (the fastest, easiest & made-for-all)PDF Expert is a fast, robust and beautiful PDF editor. If you are looking for a feature-rich PDF editor that is available on multiple platforms, PDF Expert could be the right candidate. We chose PDF Expert as the best pick after testing it for more than a few weeks.
After the testing period, this tool has become our go-to option for editing PDF documents with ease. The package has some downsides and room for improvement, of course. Even then, we believe PDF Expert must be your first choice if seamless editing is your priority.
PDF Expert comes from Readdle Inc, a developer who makes wonderful apps for Apple devices. Many of the products, including the Spark email app, are popular on iOS and macOS. So, in terms of security and privacy, you don't have to worry at all.
Here are a few reasons why we think PDF Expert is your best choice at PDF editing on Mac.
Intuitive User InterfaceAs you can see, PDF Expert offers a clean and intuitive User Interface. You can simply drag-and-drop a file to get started. From the top-left side of the window, you can open options like Bookmarks, Thumbnails, Outline, and Annotation. Unlike the other PDF editors, we have tried, this one doesn't scare us with the big number of toolbars.
Instead, everything is organized very efficiently. So, whenever you want a particular feature, you can access that single module. Altogether, we love this UI so much.
Easy PDF EditingPDF Expert lets you edit PDF documents without any fail. There are actually four main options in the toolbar — Text, Image, Link and Redact. Making things easier than ever, PDF Expert automatically detects the type of content you've selected. If you've selected an image, for instance, you will see options to rotate, replace, export and crop the photograph.
Like the same way, you edit other parts of the PDF document. The Redact feature is also quite helpful, which works in a single click. I've found this feature really useful while sharing confidential data with friends.
Smart Annotation & Page ManagementYou get some smart Annotation features in this package. You can fill out content, provide signatures digitally and export all your annotations with ease. You can add signatures using text, trackpad or by even uploading an image of the signature. Either way, you get awesome results. PDF Expert has a page manager, with options such as Add Page, Append File, Copy, Paste, Rotate, Delete and Share.
You can easily arrange multiple pages by dragging and dropping them. You can also extract individual pages from a complete PDF document. Altogether, it checks all the important boxes.
Multi-Platform SupportPDF Expert is available for both macOS and iOS. It also enables content-sync between the devices, you know. If you want to access documents that you created using PDF Expert for macOS, you can easily do it from an iPhone or iPad. You can download the apps from the App Store, and everything is kept in sync. It's a great way to access cloud storage; everything is done via iCloud.
It's as seamless as it gets. I always love a software product when it can offer the same amazing UX on iPhone and Mac. PDF Expert does exactly that.
Enhanced Security & UtilitiesPDF Expert has an in-built method for password-protecting PDF files as well. This is a great way to secure your PDF file without further complication. It's so simple that you can go to File –> Set Password and pick the password of your choice. You can also use it to reduce the file size of a PDF file.
When we checked, PDF Expert was able to reduce the file size by 75%, which is quite a great deal. Because you get Touch Bar support, accessing these options is easy as a piece of cake.
What Could be BetterThere are a few things that we didn't like in PDF Expert. We understand that PDF Expert is a minimalistic PDF editor but it has left out some basic features as well.
You cannot create PDF documents using PDF Expert. You can technically add a new page in the PDF file and add text, but that's something inefficient. We'd have really loved to see some additional set of PDF creation features in the program.
PDF Expert could have included a basic version of Optical Character Recognition. It's disappointing that the program does not even support plug-ins, which can bring in the feature. It lacks other types of plug-ins as well.
There are only four editing options in PDF Expert. At times, these may not be enough for most people. We'd have loved to see some extra toolbars in there.
It would be better if PDF Expert had better options for bulk actions. As of now, that's NIL.
Also, PDF Expert lacks options for customization and control. The features are basic — very basic, at times.
Availability & pricingPDF Expert is available for macOS and iOS. You can download the Mac version from the official website and the iOS version from App Store.
PDF Expert for macOS is priced at $79.99 while the iOS version can be bought for $9.99. If you ask us, both apps have been priced quite reasonably. The PDF Expert license actually lets you run the app on 3 Macs.
VerdictPros
Simple design and UI
Smart editing options
Multiplatform Support
Cons
Lacks advanced features
Cannot create PDF Files
If you are looking for a simple yet effective PDF editor for Mac, PDF Expert is the best option. It brings all the necessary editing features, never compromising the performance as well. It isn't for you if you want technical features like OCR, though. Overall, for the price you're paying, PDF Expert is worth it.
Upgrade pick: PDFpenPro (the most powerful)There are times when you need more than a basic PDF editor. PDFpenPro is the best choice for that occasion. It comes with a great set of features inside, including the option to create awesome PDF files. If you can spend more for a comprehensive PDF suite, PDFpenPro could be a potential option.
Unlike the top pick we suggested for most people, PDFpenPro is made for advanced users, it is an upgraded version of the PDFpen software. You get a lot more options than simply changing the text or adding some comments. We think it's suitable for you if you have to handle too many PDF documents.
[ Further reading: Case Study: Tim Ferriss & PDFpen ]
Precise Control UIPDFpenPro has been designed to create PDF files with precision. The UI has been optimized for professionals. When you open the program, you can see the blank screen where you can insert content like text, images, shapes and others. Like we saw in PDF Expert, PDFpenPro too offers different viewing options. It has a multi-tabbed UI for managing multiple files as well.
Nevertheless, we should admit that the UI isn't that intuitive. We needed time to figure out how the tools work. It also lacks automated recognition options.
Advanced Editing OptionsPDFpenPro checks all the boxes when it comes to editing PDF files. You can take care of a wide variety of content like text, images and others. All the editing options are included in the same toolbar. It's also easy to navigate between multiple pages of the document. We also loved the Precision Edit tool in PDFpen, which lets us select even the minute elements in a document and remove them easily.
When it comes to annotations, there are five different ways you can annotate documents using PDFpenPro. From simple drawing and scrabbling over the document, to adding your notes, comment boxes, links, bookmarks, or attachments. There is even an option to add an audio annotation, which is adding audio comments to the document. We also loved how you can use your iPad to bring richer content.
PDFpenPro allows you to turn websites into PDF in a single click. Thanks to the wider compatibility, you can export PDF files to Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint as well.
DocuSign SupportPDFpenPro is your upgrade pick if you have to deal with PDF signing a lot. Apart from the native option to put and manage signatures, the latest version now offers DocuSign integration. It means you can now make use of this signature-management system to request digital signs from others. Because DocuSign comes with full legal compatibility, you don't have to worry at all.
On any day, this powerful integration can help you save a few hours. Personally speaking, this is one of the best signing options I have seen in a PDF editor.
Efficient Scanning & OCROptical Character Recognition is perhaps themost important advanced feature inside PDFpen. It has been designed to extract an impressive variety of data from sources like a scanned image. To use this feature, you can open the image in the software and begin the OCR option. In a few minutes, PDFpenPro will help you convert the content into editable text.
It's quite a time-saver and PDFpenPro offers great speeds too. PDFpenPro offers much control over the OCR process. You can decide the quality and resolution with ease.
[ Further reading:Best OCR Apps for Mac and Windows ]
Availability & PricingBest Pdf Editing App For MacPDFpenPro is available for both macOS and iOS.
PDFpenPro costs $124.95. Still, you can download a free trial from Smilesoftware and get a single license that can register only on one Mac.
You can actually find its standard version, PDFpen, on Setapp.
VerdictPros
Advanced PDF Editing
OCR and DocuSign support
Versatile Editing Control
Cons
UI could be better
An expensive package
PDFpenPro is made for professionals, and there's a steep learning curve. Even then, PDFpenPro offers many features you can't find in other tools. The best example would be OCR, which works great in this program. It is just that you should be ready to pay something extra.
Other apps we consideredHere are some of the top apps we considered as the best Mac PDF editor. They did not, however, make it to the top list.
PreviewPreview is the pre-built PDF and image viewer in macOS. It's something that you can securely use for viewing and annotating PDF documents. The best part? It's quite integrated to the system that you get the maximum level of performance. The main limitation here is that Preview does not actually let you edit the PDF files. It has a bunch of effective options for annotation.
You can do a few things like adding text and shapes to the document. Once done, Preview can neatly export the files to PDF as well. Considering that you are not paying anything to get this program, we'd love to keep it aside. So, if you just want to bring some annotations and text boxes to a PDF document — without affecting the existing text, Preview would be fine.
Preview is free and is built into macOS.
ABBYY FineReader Pro for MacAre you looking for a fully-fledged suite for OCR? Then, ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac is a great choice for. The problem is that you cannot expect standard features here. The whole program has been made for OCR needs, an area in which you can expect the best results. In just a few seconds, the program would convert a scanned image to editable text.
As far as OCR technology is concerned, ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac works just great. It was able to do the OCR for even some of the low-quality images we'd tried. But, of course, if you have a better-quality image, the results would be better. We would not recommend the program for standard editing needs, though. The price tag is relatively higher too.
ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac is available for $119.00.
Wondershare PDFelement Pro for MacWondershare PDFelement Pro for Mac is one of the most well-priced PDF editing suites out there. It makes some compromises in performance and features, though. However, the best part of the app comes with full support for OCR and PDF conversion. These two features are great when you consider the overall price tag of the app.
If you ask us what matters the most here, it's Batch Processing. Wondershare PDFelement Pro for Mac is one of the very few editors that allow complete support for batch processing. You can convert and deal with a lot of PDF files at once. The UI is also quite similar to that of PDF Expert, but we wish it had an enhanced level of performance.
Priced at $99, Wondershare PDFelement Pro is available for macOS and Windows.
Foxit PhantomPDFFoxit PhantomPDF is one of the smoothest PDF editors we've seen so far. It packs so many features into a smaller-looking tool. Nevertheless, compared to other PDF editors we've covered, Foxit PhantomPDF comes with a larger footprint. Multitasking is not easy when you have Foxit PhantomPDF running in background. It also checks the boxes of OCR and automated recognition.
It's comparatively easier to do PDF editing in Foxit PhantomPDF. We think, however, that the AI could be an impressive one. As of now, the User Interface looks so rudimentary and you will need some time to get used to the deal. Keep that aside, Foxit PhantomPDF is a great PDF editor for teams as well. It has options for real-time collaboration features.
Foxit PhantomPDF is available for Windows and macOS. It has a hefty price tag of $99.95 for Mac.
Kdan PDF Reader ProKdan PDF Reader is another app which makes it to our list of PDF editors for Mac. It is quite popular with over 44,000 App Store ratings. It provides a wide range of document functions for business and daily life. It has both desktop and mobile apps, so you can work anytime, anywhere. It provides you with the feature to create and edit PDFs with features such as handwritten comments, highlighting, striking through, underlining texts, and more.
The highlight of this app is the Robust Reading Engine which provides you with a comfortable reading experience with features such as smooth page scrolling and the option to change the theme and page background so that your eyes don't strain up.
Kdan PDF Reader's individual plan can be purchased at $59.99 for a year.
What about online PDF editors?Online PDF editors are the next best choice that people make when they can't afford Acrobat Pro DC. It's an awesome option too — until you lose the internet connection. The problem with online editors is that you'd need a fast, reliable Internet connection at all times.
There are also some security concerns. You basically have to upload the PDF document to a third-party server for editing it. It's not the ideal option when you are dealing with confidential files. Besides, not all online PDF editors are offering satisfactory features. A lot of them ask for paid subscriptions as well.
Personally speaking, I think online PDF editors are just good for page management of PDF documents. If you need deeper editing or bulk editing, you can't count on them. More importantly, most people like to edit their files in a native environment, which isn't the case with most online PDF editors.
So, it makes sense to check out some of the actual native macOS PDF editors out there.
The bottom lineBest Photo Editing Apps MacSo, these are the best Mac PDF editors you can find today. We have tried to suggest PDF editors that work well for particular needs. We hope it helps you choose the right one.
Pdf Editing App For Mac Windows 10If you are still confused and want a PDF editor that's easy and effective, you can go with our pick, PDF Expert. As far as you don't need anything fancy out there, that choice won't go wrong. However, if you think you need more features and a better UI to manage documents, we recommend PDFpenPro, which packs some powerful features too.
Free Pdf Editing Software MacWe've also got you covered when you're Windows. Check out our guides for PDF editors for Windows.