8 Best PDF Editors for Mac: Your Essential Guide

‘PDFs play a crucial role in sharing information smoothly. A reliable PDF editor is essential whether you’re a student, professional, or simply managing personal documents. For Apple users, finding the right PDF editors for Mac can greatly enhance productivity and simplify tasks.

Introduction

PDFs play a crucial role in sharing information smoothly. A reliable PDF editor is essential whether you’re a student, professional, or simply managing personal documents. For Apple users, finding the right PDF editors for Mac can greatly enhance productivity and simplify tasks.

In this guide, you’ll explore the significance of PDF editors in streamlining document management. It will also highlight the specific needs of Mac users and provide easy-to-follow criteria for selecting the best PDF editor for your needs. Let’s dive in and revolutionize how you handle PDFs on your Mac!

Part 1. Your Complete Guide to the 8 Best PDF Editors for Mac

In today’s digital age, having the right tools to manage your PDF documents is essential. Fortunately, Mac users have a range of options, each offering different features and functionalities tailored to meet diverse needs. This section will introduce you to eight of the best PDF editors for Mac, each with its unique features and benefits. Let’s dive in!

Wondershare PDFelement – Your Ultimate PDF Solution for Mac

Wondershare PDFelement is a powerful and reliable PDF editor for Mac users. Its straightforward interface and convenient features make it perfect for beginners and advanced users alike.

Image Link: https://images.wondershare.com/pdfelement/images2023/pro-mac/tab-ai.png

Standout Features of PDFelement

PDFelement boasts many features designed to streamline your PDF editing experience. Here are some of PDFelement’s standout features:

• Intuitive editing tools. With PDFelement, editing text, images, and links in your PDFs is a breeze. Its user-friendly interface empowers anyone to harness its capabilities.

• Conversion capabilities. Need to convert your PDFs to other formats? PDFelement has you covered. Whether you need to convert to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or other formats, PDFelement can handle it with ease.

• Advance OCR technology. Say goodbye to manual data entry with PDFelement’s advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. This feature can convert scanned documents into editable and searchable text effortlessly.

• Form creation and management. Need to create fillable forms or collect data from your PDFs? PDFelement makes it simple. With its form creation and management tools, you can easily create, edit, and distribute forms without any coding knowledge.

• Document security. Protecting sensitive documents is crucial, and PDFelement makes it easy with its security features. You can password-protect your PDFs, apply permissions to restrict access, and even add digital signatures for added security.

Pros

Here are the upsides of using PDFelement:

• Easy-to-use interface

• Feature-rich with many editing tools

• Compatible with both Windows and Mac

• Supports batch processing for efficient translation of multiple documents

Cons

The only drawback PDFelement might entail is:

• It may require a paid subscription for full access to all features.

Pricing

PDFelement offers a range of pricing plans. See them below (as of Feb 28, 2024).

PDFelement also offers bundles and tailored pricing for teams and businesses. Head out to PDFelement’s pricing page and check them out.

User Review

PDFelement reaches a score of 4.5 on the G2 website. Users mainly praise its well-designed interface, reasonable price, and practical functions such as multiple converts and AI features to produce clear and error-free content.

Preview – Your Built-in Mac PDF editor

Preview is the default PDF viewer and editor for Mac users. While it may not have as many features as third-party software, it’s still a handy tool for basic editing tasks.

Key Features

Here are its key features that you may want to take advantage of:

• View and annotate PDFs

• Merge and split PDFs

• Fill out forms and add signatures

Pros

Here are the advantages of using your Preview PDF editor:

• Free and pre-installed on Mac devices

• Simple and easy-to-use interface

Cons

One of its disadvantages is:

• Limited editing capabilities compared to other software

Pricing

Preview comes pre-installed on all Mac devices and is free to use.

Scribus for Mac – Open Source PDF Editor

Scribus is an open-source desktop publishing software that doubles as a PDF editor for Mac users. While it may not be as user-friendly as other options, it’s a powerful tool for creating and editing PDF documents.

Key Features

Here are the important features that you might want to use:

• Create and edit multi-page documents

• Advanced typography and layout options

• Export other document formats to PDF

Pros

The benefits of Scribus for Mac are outlined below:

• Free and open-source software

• Extensive customization options

Cons

Some of its drawbacks are:

• A steeper learning curve compared to other listed programs

• It is not as intuitive for basic editing tasks

Pricing

Scribus is a free program to download and use.

Skim – Lightweight PDF Editor

Skim is a lightweight PDF reader and editor for Mac users. While it may not have as many features as some other options, it’s a simple and easy-to-use tool for basic editing tasks.

Key Features

Below are some of its main features that you might be interested in:

• • View and annotate PDFs

  • Highlight and underline text

  • Add notes and comments

Pros

Check out the benefits of using Skim below:

• • Free to download and use

  • Simple and intuitive interface

Cons

One of its disadvantages is:

• • Limited editing capabilities compared to other software

Pricing

Skim is a free software to download and use.

PDF Expert – Sleek and Intuitive

PDF Expert is a feature-rich PDF editor for Mac users. Its sleek and intuitive interface makes it perfect for personal and professional use.

Key Features

Here are its main features that you might want to use:

• • Edit text, links, and images

  • Fill out forms and sign documents

  • Mark up and annotate PDFs

  • Merge and split PDFs

Pros

The following are the strong points of using PDF Expert:

• • Sleek and intuitive interface

  • Comprehensive editing tools

  • Seamless integration with cloud storage services

Cons

One of its shortcomings is:

• • Higher cost when compared to the free PDF solutions

Pricing

PDF Expert is available for $79.99.

pdfFiller – Online PDF Editor

pdfFiller is an online PDF editor offering a desktop application for Mac users. Its user-friendly UI and wide range of features make it a great option for managing PDF documents.

Key Features

Here are some of pdfFiller’s important features:

• • Edit, annotate, and sign PDFs

  • Fill out forms and create fillable PDFs

  • Real-time collaboration with other users

  • Secure documents with encryption and passwords

Pros

Here are the benefits that pdfFiller brings to you:

• • A comprehensive set of features to help users with various knowledge and background

  • User-friendly interface

  • Cloud-based storage and collaboration tools

Cons

Below is one of pdfFiller’s downsides:

• • pdfFiller’s editing capabilities are limited compared to other PDF editing software

Pricing

pdfFiller offers a range of subscription plans starting from $6 per month.

PDFpen – Extensive PDF Editing Features

PDFpen is a powerful PDF editor for Mac users. Its user-friendly design and the many features it offers make it perfect for personal and professional use.

Key Features

Using PDFpen ensures the following main features:

• • Edit links, text, and images

  • Annotate and mark up PDFs

  • Fill out forms and sign documents

  • OCR technology for scanned documents

Pros

Here are the advantages of using PDFpen as your next PDF editor:

• • A comprehensive set of PDF editing tools

  • Intuitive interface

  • Seamless integration with other apps and services

Cons

Using PDFpen comes with this advantage:

• • Higher pricing once it’s compared to some other options

Pricing

PDFpen offers a range of pricing plans starting from $79.95.

PDF Nomad – Versatile PDF Editor

PDF Nomad is a versatile PDF editor designed specifically for Mac users. It offers a large number of features for editing and organizing your PDF documents.

Key Features

Here are some of the important features that you might want to use:

• Edit text, images, and shapes

• PDF annotation and mark-up feature

• Merge and split PDFs

• Batch process multiple documents

Pros

Here are the assets of using PDF Nomad:

• Intuitive interface

• Powerful editing tools

• Support for batch processing

Cons

One of the downsides of using PDF Nomad is:

• Developers no longer maintain PDF Nomad, so its interface is outdated, and it is short of advanced features

Pricing

PDF Nomad has been discontinued and is no longer for sale. However, you can still download a copy of its software if required.

Choosing the right PDF editor for Mac can greatly improve productivity and streamline workflow. Whether you’re looking for a simple and intuitive tool or a more advanced solution with extensive features, there’s something for everyone on this list. When you make your choice, take your budget and particular requirements into consideration, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering PDF editing on your Mac!

Part 2. Criteria for Evaluating PDF Editors for Mac

For Mac users, finding the right PDF editor is particularly important. While macOS does come with a built-in PDF viewer and editor called Preview, it may not always have the advanced features necessary for complex editing tasks. Additionally, Mac users often require seamless integration with other software and services they use daily.

When evaluating PDF editors for Mac, there are several key criteria to consider:

• User interface and ease of use. Every user, from beginners to seasoned pros, needs an intuitive interface. The editor should be intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing users to perform tasks quickly and efficiently.

• Editing features. The editor needs to provide an extensive array of editing functionalities, such as the capability to modify text, images, and hyperlinks. Advanced features such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology for scanned documents and the ability to create fillable forms are also important.

• Compatibility and integration. The editor should seamlessly integrate with other software and services commonly used by Mac users, such as cloud storage platforms like iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

• Security. Ensuring document security through measures like password protection, encryption, and digital signatures is essential to safeguard sensitive information.

• Price. While price is an important factor, it should be considered with the features offered. Some PDF editors might provide a no-cost version with limited functions, while others offer a one-time payment subscription.

Conclusion

PDFelement has rightfully earned its place among the top 8 PDF editors for Mac. Its intuitive interface, powerful features, and excellent customer support set it apart from the rest. Throughout the selection process, PDFelement consistently stood out as a reliable solution for all PDF editing needs.

Choosing the right PDF editor, such as PDFelement, can significantly impact productivity by streamlining document management tasks and simplifying workflows. Whether you’re a student, professional, or small business owner, investing in a quality PDF editor like PDFelement will surely enhance your productivity and make your life easier.

This Post was Last Updated On: March 6, 2024