While Lion didn't wow the crowd with most of its features, it brought some amazing additions to Apple's PDF viewer/editor that puts it over the top and makes it our choice for the best. Skim (Open Source PDF Editor for Mac) This free note taker and PDF editor is made for macOS. It functions similar to Preview. This program lets you review PDFs with comment features allowing you to make snapshots for easy reference, highlight important text, and navigate pages easily using a table of contents with a visual history. Overall, Skim For Mac seems to be a useful tool for annotating and editing PDF files with few limitations and many options.
In some circles, PDF files manipulation is an absolute necessity. It’s very easy to find a free PDF Viewer such as the official Adobe PDF Viewer, but many people think that to edit PDF files, they must purchase the Adobe paid app. That’s not true, and here’s a list of the best PDF editors you can find on Mac.
Advertising1/ Mac OS Preview (Free, built-in Mac OS)
That seems like a “duh”, but many people don’t know that Preview can edit PDFs because they think it’s just a viewer. As a viewer, I think it’s great and fast, but it offers nearly most of the most common features people need:
- Select and Add Text
- Add shapes
- Add notes
- Add Signature (including via Webcam scan)
- Fill forms
- Insert pages
- Edit metadata
- Add web links
In addition to the fact that Preview is built-in, it is also faster than the Adobe app. I haven’t tried the older versions, but the current one (from the publication date) works well for the most basic tasks.
Some people have pointed out that it would be great to be able to sign using the touchpad, and I agree, but I have a signature file around, so it doesn’t bother me much — overall, this is the “best” option for most people. Here’s how it looks in action:
2/ PDFescape Online (free for small files, $2.99/mo otherwise)
This is not really a “Mac” app, but since PDFescape also works online, Mac users can go for it. It’s an online web editor that lets people create and edit PDF files. If you don’t mind uploading your file to the site, it’s possible to edit existing files too.
The user interface is extremely basic, but it’s one of the cheapest ways to edit PDF files (<10MB), so you can try it for free (ad-supported) if Preview does not do it for you. If you have to pay, the starter cost of $2.99/mo is a low barrier to try out and see if it does what you need: essentially, it would let you upload larger PDF files.
3/ PDFPen ($75, trial available)
PDFPen isn’t free, but it costs less than the Adobe Acrobat PDF editing software. The app can create/edit PDF files and even has an optical character recognition (OCR) function.
PDFPen is one of the closest apps to the official Adobe one regarding functionality, and in recent years, its creators have made it very proficient for a group who care about digitally signed documents. This means that you can verify the authenticity of a PDF, which came to you, and others in your team will be able to verify yours.
PDFPen also supports file attachments and annotations in PDF files and is smart enough to extract them for a quick skimming. It is also possible to add record audio annotations into a PDF you’re that working on. MS Office users will appreciate the high-quality PDF to Word converter.
The PDFPen Pro version offers more options, many of which are mostly related to OCR, form-filling, and automatic field generation – compare the two (official link).
4/ Adobe Acrobat Pro ($13/mo+, trial available)
Of course, the most complete and guaranteed 100% compatible with the latest functionalities remains the official Adobe Acrobat PDF Editor. Although many competitors can get close, no-one can claim to be 100% equal to the original. It makes sense because Adobe drives the functionalities, but also the form factor and specifications, so clones will always be one step behind.
I can say that I don’t edit PDF files at a level for which I care, and I suspect that the overwhelming majority is just like me. However, it’s important to realize that there’s a gap, which will always be present. If you always need to live on the bleeding edge of PDF – check the subscription model from Adobe (official site), it will guarantee that you can access the latest version.
5/ Skim (Free, annotations)
Skim is a free (open-source ) PDF reader which lets you add/edit notes and has some cropping functions. It’s not a true PDF “editor”, but it keeps coming back in conversations, so it’s probably a good thing to know that it exists, especially since it’s free.
Beware of freemium offerings presented as free
As I was checking for free PDF editors for Mac, I was a bit disappointed that Google listed many paid apps as “free” in the top results. It’s understandable why it did it, but it’s quite frustrating.
For example, iSkysoft PDF Editor is a paid app, but you can access a trial version, but by the time users get to it, they are already furious for landing on a page about a supposedly “free” app…we do not like this approach.
Wondershare PDF Editor Pro is another one. Listed in the “Free PDF Editor” in Google’s search results, it is a paid app ($69 on Amazon).
The reviews are mixed, especially for the most recent version, but I didn’t like that the company did not make it clear enough that it was a paid app, and that it was trying too hard to get people to download, possibly waste time, and discover that they have to pay.
That said, some folks are really happy with the OCR feature, while many left lower scores on their review. If you want to take a chance, at least you know that it’s out there.
That said, some folks are happy with the OCR feature, while many left lower scores on their review. If you want to take a chance, at least you know that it’s out there.
Conclusion
You may be disappointed by the lack of “great” free PDF editors for Mac. However, PDF editors are complicated pieces of software, and they replace an expensive option from Adobe. If the price is too close to Adobe’s offering, it seems smarter just going for the real thing.
If the savings are substantial and if the replacement gets the job done, there’s no harm in saving a few bucks. If you need to edit PDF files as a one-time task, you may want to check for subscription models from Adobe and others. It may end up being cheaper.
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Sep 03,2019 • Filed to: Choose Right Mac Software • Proven solutions
It can sometimes be difficult to edit PDF files or documents on Mac, leaving users frustrated. If you are looking for open source PDF editors for Mac, then there are plenty of free PDF editor Mac tools that will allow you to modify your files quickly and easily. Here, we've listed the top 5 Open Source PDF Editors for Mac (macOS 10.14 compatible) currently on the market that you can use to convert, edit or work with PDF documents. This list will help you figure out which tool is best for you.
The Best Open Source PDF Editors for Mac
1. Formulate Pro for Mac (Best Open Source PDF Editor for Mac)
Formulate Pro for Mac is one of the best open source PDF editors for Mac users. It is a stable program with great features. This PDF editing tool lets you redact PDF files, and provides cloud services for more space to store documents. You can also merge and combine PDF files. You can also use it for creating, signing and analyzing PDF forms, and for protection of PDF files.
Features:
- This tool will convert PDFs to other output formats and vice versa
- You can add, delete and modify text, improve images, and rearrange pages
- It supports OCR technology in multiple languages
- It has password protection abilities
Pros:
- Includes a wide variety of tools that can be used to create excellent PDF files and presentations.
- Has a tremendous PDF conversion program that can convert PDF documents into different file formats
- This software is very easy to use
Cons:
- It does not convert documents to EPUB formats
2. PDFpenPro (Mac PDF Editor Open Source)
PDFpenPro offers various editing functions that will let you edit PDFs as you'd like. Their features include the ability to export PDF content, correct text content, and sign PDF files electronically and with hand-written signatures. This program lets you handle PDFs easily.
Features:
- Export PDF content to Microsoft Word documents
- Correct typos in PDF text
- Sign PDF files with handwritten signatures
- Make text in image-based PDF files editable by performing OCR
- Store PDF files in the Cloud
- Create PDF forms
Pros:
- PDFpenPRo supports adding signatures to encrypt your PDF documents
- You can use PDFpen to edit PDF documents
- OCR technology is embedded in PDFpenPro, which allows you to work with scanned PDF files for better editing and printing
Cons:
- Pen pad is not supported by PDFpenPRo
- It is difficult to write when a mouse is used
3. Skim (Open Source PDF Editor for Mac)
This free note taker and PDF editor is made for macOS. It functions similar to Preview. This program lets you review PDFs with comment features allowing you to make snapshots for easy reference, highlight important text, and navigate pages easily using a table of contents with a visual history.
Features:
- Views PDFs
- Add and edit notes
- Highlight important text, including one-swipe highlight mode
- Makes snapshots for easy reference
- Give powerful presentations using built-in transitions
- Use smart cropping tools
Pros:
Skim For Mac
- There are many options available to annotate PDFs
- You can choose from over five text colors
- Great for reading and editing PDFs
- Easily highlight text, navigate with TOCs, and more
- Integration with LaRex, PDFSync
Cons:
- Not as advanced as Adobe Acrobat X
- Some of the basic features are not as intuitive as they should be
4. Preview (Built-in Open Source PDF Editor for Mac)
Preview is the default PDF viewer and editor for Mac and one of the top Open Source PDF Editor tools for Mac on the market. It functions more like a PDF viewer that allows users to annotate PDF files as well. Preview is acceptable for reading and signing PDF documents. It is basically a limited PDF editor that is available to all Mac users for free. There is no download required. This simple PDF editor for Mac since enables you to create, merge and split PDF files as well.
Features:
- Transfer web pages and images as PDF format
- Split your PDF file by dragging thumbnails
- Merge multiple documents by dragging thumbnails together
- Rotate PDF pages
- Annotate PDF files with different tools
Pros:
- Add and Edit hyperlinks in a PDF file
- View and edit PDF metadata
Cons:
- No multicolor highlighting is available from the tool bar
- Inserting new pages is sometimes difficult
Shortcomings of Open Source PDF Editor for Mac
Many open source programs face problems in opening PDF on Mac. There are varieties of reasons for this, including the ones below:
Free Pdf Editor For Mac
- 1. The web browser needs updating: This is a common problem. Try updating your browser before trying anything else.
- 2. Your browser is not compatible: This is an issue when your OS is not working properly. If your browser is not compatible with your OS try using a different browser.
- 3. Check the Adobe Reader plug-in: Try using Adobe Reader as stand-alone program, rather than running it through your browser or a plug-in. It can be reinstalled easily if necessary.
Best Solutions for Open Source PDF Editor for Mac
PDFelement is a professional tool that is affordable, easy to use, and one of the best open source PDF editor tools for Mac on the market. It provides full editing features for Mac users that allow them to create, edit, and convert PDF documents, as well as fill out PDF forms on Mac. This tool is fully compatible with macOS, including the latest OS 10.14 Mojave. It is compatible with macOS which supports over 20 languages.
Skim Pdf Editor Mac
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