Scribus is a free PDF editing software for Mac that can be used to open PDFs and even edit certain aspects of the PDF document. It is one of the easiest programs to use because the user interface is simple and clean.
2020-10-27 10:56:49 • Filed to: Choose Right Mac Software • Proven solutions
You are wondering how to access a free Mac PDF editor, or how to choose the right PDF editor for Mac? Below, we'll cover 10 commonly used PDF editor Mac, all of which are compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina. By reading this list, you will be able to determine the most cost-effective Mac PDF editing software that also best meets your business needs.
Always free, and now more powerful than ever, the Acrobat Reader mobile app is packed with the tools you need to view, annotate, sign, and share PDFs anywhere. And with Acrobat Pro DC, you can do even more. Edit, create, export, organize, and combine files right from your tablet or mobile phone. PDFExpert for Mac (Free Trial) FindReader Pro for Mac (Free Trial) Some of these apps do certain things better than others, so the best PDF editor for you will depend on what your particular needs.
Top 10 PDF Editor Mac
1. PDFelement
PDFelement is a PDF solution integrate with a variety of convenient and practical features for editing, conversion, annotation, OCR, form processing and digital signatures.
This well-rounded PDF editing software is popular among users and has a step up above the competition due its excellent form field recognition and data extraction technology.
Unique Features:
- Fully compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina.
- Powerful PDF editing and annotation tools that allow for a smooth editing experience.
- It has robust PDF creation and conversion features.
- It allows you to fill and sign PDF forms easily.
Pros:
Pros of this program include clear function classification, a complete set of PDF tools, OCR and batch processing, high compatibility with all operating systems, simple user experience, and interface, and the ability for document conversions.
Cons:
Because of its focus on simplicity, it has less advanced features than programs like Adobe Acrobat. You can download a free trial version to test and purchase the full version after testing.
Supported Systems: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Other Benefits:
- A smooth and simple interface design
The full functionalities can be enjoyed by both Windows and Mac users. - A better experience with PDF forms
The automatic form recognition feature enables you to create an editable form with just one click. - PDF editing tools
You can export data from paper or electronic forms into an editable Excel form. - Intelligent and smooth editing features.
A better PDF editing experience lets you keep the fonts and formatting of your original file while converting it. - It can convert standard PDF file format to longer-lasting PDF / A format for a longer archiving period.
2. Acrobat for Mac
Free Pdf Editing Software Mac
Acrobat is also a powerful tool. As the world's best desktop PDF solution, the brand new look of Acrobat will blow your mind. It also includes a mobile version that lets you fill in, sign, and share PDFs on any device at any location. However, Adobe Acrobat XI has ended support, meaning you might need to turn to an Acrobat alternative if you are looking for dedicated support. Click here to discover the best Acrobat alternative options.
Unique Features:
- Fast document comparison.
- It supports operational procedures for review and approval.
- Automatic form field recognition.
- Create a PDF from Office formats quickly and easily.
Pros:
It has stable functionalities, high efficiency, and high compatibility.
Cons:
It has a lot of advanced features that are complicated and difficult to use for beginners. Plus, the bloated features mean it comes at a higher cost, and you need to pay in order to use the full version.
Supported Systems: Windows, Mac, iOS
Price: $179.88 / Year
More Introduction:
- An attractive user interface that supports touch functionality
Fully compatible with mobile devices and supports touch functionality with a user-friendly interface. - Work anytime, anywhere.
Acrobat has all the tools needed for converting, editing, and signing a PDF anytime and anywhere. You can start a document at work, modify it during the transit ride home, and then send it for approval from the comfort of your living room. - Edit any file any time
You won't need to spend your valuable time re-creating new documents. Simply export or convert your file into an easily editable format.
Pdf Editor software, free download For Mac
3. PDF Expert
PDF Expert is one of Readdle's premium Apps. It has been the leading producer of PDF processing software on the iOS platform for quite some time. Since the launch of PDF Expert on the Mac platform in 2015, it has become the best application on the Mac App Store in 2015 and has been recommended by Apple editors.
Unique Features:
- Fast speed for page organization and functionalities
- Fluent in adding annotations and editing
- Simple text and image editing functions
Pros:
It possesses excellent reading experience, simple operation, and easy to use. Plus, it has a nice user interface.
Cons:
It has fewer features than other PDF editors, and PDF compatibility could be improved.
Supported Systems: Mac, iOS
Price: $59.99
More Introduction:
- Professional reading experience
There are smooth scrolling and a quick search function. Choose your favorite layout and complete any task quickly and easily. - Editing PDFs is seamless.
PDF Expert for Mac helps you format text and paragraphs easily. It will automatically detect fonts, and editing a PDF document is as easy as using any other program to edit a document. - Fill in and sign PDF forms effortlessly.
Fill PDF forms easily, such as application forms, tax reports, shopping lists, you name it. You can sign a contract by using a legally valid personal e-signature in just a few clicks. - Integration, sharing, and collaboration
Add notes or comments to easily collaborate with colleagues. You can also use a password to protect your sensitive files and documents. - Compatibility with iPhone, iPad, and more
PDF Expert is compatible with all Apple platform products: Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It allows you to transfer documents across these devices seamlessly. Your work can be done anytime and anywhere.
Get the best PDF Expert alternative now - PDFelement.
4. PDFpenPro
PDFpenPro is a professional program heavily influenced by Preview. It is fully compatible with macOS X for PDF documents. It keeps the original operation processing feature of Preview, which fits more user's operating habits and is more convenient for a beginner user. There are also functional enhancements. You can add signatures, text, and images, as well as make changes, correct typos, and perform OCR on scanned documents. It allows you to fill and create fillable forms, as well as convert PDF to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.

Unique Features:
- Simple form field creation
- Intuitive annotation properties
Pros:
It meets basic PDF editing needs, and the operating experience is similar to that of Preview.
Cons:
Not all languages are supported, such as Chinese. It also has weak text and page editing capabilities compared to other programs.
Unique Features: Mac, iOS
Price: $124.95
More Introduction:
- Generic PDF editing tools
You can use PDFpenPro to add text and signatures, amend the text, and use OCR for scanned documents. - Make interactive PDF forms for Mac and Windows.
You may create an interactive form by using check boxes, text boxes, radio buttons, and interactive signature fields. - Exports MS Office formats to PDF
It allows you to export a PDF to Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and save as a PDF/A format. - Store your PDF in the cloud
You can edit your PDF at any time and can use the PDFpen on an iPad or iPhone to edit a PDF seamlessly over iCloud or Dropbox.
5. Preview
As a built-in PDF software on Mac, Preview allows for the limited ability to read and browse PDF formats, as well as make simple annotations. It can meet your primary requirement of reading and editing PDFs. But if you have more advanced PDF editing needs, Preview will not be suitable.

Pros:
Build-in system, more preview formats, and read files fluently.
Cons:
Poor compatibility, lack of professional functions, and PDF content can only be edited in the most basic ways.
Supported Systems: Mac
Price: Free
More Introduction:
- Quick annotation
- You can quickly arrange pages by dragging and dropping thumbnails
- The camera is able to recognize handwritten signatures quickly.
Learn more about Preview here >>
6. Skim
Skim is a free Mac PDF editor. It functions like Preview, offering markup tools that help highlight important PDF content. You can also add and edit notes, crop PDF files, and more.
- View PDF files.
- Add and edit notes.
- Highlight text.
- Take snapshots of PDF files.
- Give presentations with built-in transitions.
7. PDF Nomad
PDF Nomad is unique editing software that provides a number of editing tools. The software supports the editing of images and texts in PDFs. It also allows you to arrange, split, and merge PDF pages in a document. Some of the tools in this software also make it easier for you to rotate, scale, and crop PDF files.
Pros:
- It can be used to edit all aspects of PDF files, including images.
- It comes with an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature that makes editing scanned PDFs very easy.
- You can use it to annotate a PDF document.
Cons:
- The free version lacks many features, and at $75 the pro version is somewhat expensive compared to others.

8. Master PDF Editor for Mac
Master PDF Editor is PDF editing software for Mac that comes with loads of features allowing you to convert PDF to numerous other file types and edit just about any aspect of your PDF document.
Pros:
- It can be used to edit both text and images.
- You can convert PDFs to other formats, including Word and Excel.
- It works with Linux.
Cons:
- The complex interface makes it difficult to use for beginners.
- The free version has limited capabilities.
9. Scribus for Mac
Scribus is a free PDF editing software for Mac that can be used to open PDFs and even edit certain aspects of the PDF document. It is one of the easiest programs to use because the user interface is simple and clean. You can also use it to annotate PDF documents if you want to highlight and edit sections of the document you consider important.
Pros:
- It is very easy to use.
- It can be used to edit both text and images.
Cons:
- It can't be used to convert PDFs.
10. PDF Buddy
This is another online tool that can be very useful when you want to edit PDF documents. This PDF editing software for Mac comes with a lot of features that can be used to manipulate a PDF document in many ways. You can add text, add and remove images and even split and merge PDF files. It can also be used to add signatures to your PDF document.
Pros:
- It is free to use.
- It lets you make numerous edits to your PDF files.
- There is no limit to the size of the PDF file you can work with.
Cons:
- It sometimes fails to download the file after editing.
There you have it - the 10 Best Free PDF Editor Tools for Mac. Now that you've had time to research the best PDF editor for Mac, don't hesitate to try out PDFelement now to see if it's right for you!
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!
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Ever had a bounce-back when you tried to upload a PDF document on a certain website or as an attachment to an email while working on your Mac? If so, I am sure you must have thought of re-editing the document to make it smaller or had to remove some content even when everything was important.
I can confidently tell you that there was a simpler and more convenient way to compress PDF files on your Mac OSX without having to part way with crucial content. In fact, there are tools that will let you amazingly compress PDF to 100kb or even lower than that without compromising on the original quality much.
Consequently, this has led to the realization of this article that focuses on the best PDF compressor for Mac. Your quest for a good PDF compress program ends here as we have featured the top cream. It is time to do away with the hassle for the best PDF compressor for Mac.
While some of the tools are available for free download, others are downloadable after you have purchased them. Let us dive in and find out the boatload of available software so that you can choose one that augurs best with you.
5 Great Mac PDF Compressor Software to Reduce PDF File Size – Free Download
Software Name | Supported MacOS Version | Offline Version | Download Link |
---|---|---|---|
Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina | Free Version | Free Download | |
High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina | Free Trial | Free Download | |
High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina | Free Demo | Free Download | |
Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina | Free Trial | Free Download | |
High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina | Free Demo | Free Download |
1. Lightweight PDF
As one of the best PDF compressor for Mac, Lightweight PDF lives to its name by being a very minimalistic software. In fact, the installation file is just a mere 4MB in size. Consequently, getting started takes moments with the aim of getting you to the core business as soon as possible.
Better yet, you obtain it as a free download program and amazingly achieves up to 90% PDF compression. By simply dragging and dropping files on the interactive interface, you will manage to compress PDF Mac without losing quality in the most convenient way possible. Discrepancies may occur between the file size and the quality when using other PDF reducing software but this top tool maintains an optimal balance between the two.
Moreover, since it is an offline PDF reduction software for Mac OSX, your files will always remain confidential and private. For a good quality PDF compression, give this downloadable software a try.
2. Cisdem PDF Compressor For Mac
If you are looking to compress PDF files in a radical way, Cisdem will give you exactly that while at the same keeping a good quality as much as possible. This is achievable by getting rid of useless elements like metadata. Even before you get to reduce PDF file size, it is suitable we don’t ignore the user interface.
Actually, the user interface doubles as both simple and instinctive with no learning curve at all. The PDF compress process has been simplified to just take 3 steps and on top of that, batch PDF compression is also possible for multiple files. By implementing the simple drag-and-drop feature to add multiple files, you will manage to save on both the time and effort.
During the conversion process, you will get real-time feedback on the file sizes depending on the compression mode. To make the PDF reducing process even simpler, several preset filter modes are provided depending on your PDF compression needs.
3. PDFOptim
Imagine effectively being able to compress PDF to 100kb. PDFOptim sees to it that the delivered features are polished to almost perfection. Terming software as the best PDF compressor for Mac does not come that easy if at all a tool has outstanding features.
Best Pdf Software For Mac
This top PDF compress program lets you reduce PDF file size without compromising on integrity. To help you in this, some predefined compression filters are at your disposal to avoid you having to tinker with lots of options.
You are also empowered with flexible file management options especially when adding PDF files like the drag-and-drop feature that brings that ultimate convenience. On top of that, a real-time preview of the original and optimized PDF file is provided for you to compare the files even before the PDF reduction is completed on your Mac OSX.
Batch PDF compression is also supported on top of trackpad gestures for preview with zooming options. With this downloadable Mac software, you will be able to reduce PDF file size dramatically.
4. PDF Squeezer For Mac
By simply dragging and dropping PDF files on this top program available for download on your Mac, you will have offset the journey to a comprehensive PDF reducing the experience. The convenience does not end there as you are also opened up to preset PDF compress filters that cutaway many steps and the good thing is that you can also come up with your own depending on your preferences.
Better yet, you are empowered with a batch PDF reduction feature so as to efficiently work on multiple PDF files in a folder and its subfolders. If you are working on encrypted PDF files, do not hassle at all as this program is able to process them and at the same time offer an add-on for Finder, Safari, and Preview when accessing the share menu.
PDF Squeezer the best PDF compressor for Mac, especially when you consider its automatic compression mode which is further facilitated by a ‘One-Click-Compression’ button.
5. Neuxpower PDF Compressor For Mac
Pdf Merge software, free download For Mac

Free Pdf Merge Software For Mac
Neuxpower is not left behind when you are looking for the best PDF compressor for Mac. In fact, it is capable of PDF reducing dramatically up to 95% a level that most of the other similar PDF reducer programs struggle to achieve. One of the good things about working offline is the fact that you get to enjoy a secure and most of all a convenient local PDF compression process.
Free Pdf Redaction Software For Mac
Better yet, this top software is available for you as a free download with the aim of helping you compress PDF to 100kb or even smaller than that. It comes in very handy to rid you of the need to keep splitting and merging PDF files which prove to be both tedious and time-consuming.
For extra convenience, the simple drag-and-drop option is at your disposal so that you can add files efficiently. With a simple and intuitive interface, you will compress PDF files significantly without compromising on the good quality.
Each of the programs above will try their best to beat the others but you are the one with the final decision on which gets an edge over all the others. At the end of the day, you are sure to get a PDF reducer that satisfies your needs. Whether in an online or offline working environment, you are taken care of comprehensively. No more splitting and merging of PDF files will be required once you get started with one of these top software.
