- Adobe Acrobat Dc Vs Pdf Expert
- Adobe Acrobat Vs Pdf Expert
- Pdf Complete Vs Adobe Acrobat
- Pdf Complete Review Vs Adobe
- Adobe Acrobat Vs Pdf Expert Pdf
- Adobe Acrobat DC vs. PDF-XChange Comparison Are you looking for the best PDF software? Wondering if Adobe Acrobat DC or PDF-XChange is suitable for you? Use this tool to see how they measure up in terms of reviews, pricing options, features, and more. With an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, Adobe Acrobat DC trails behind PDF-XChange's 5.
- Nevertheless by working with our system, it's easy to match the features of PDFelement Pro and Adobe Acrobat including their general score, respectively as: 8.8 and 8.3 for overall score and 98% and N/A% for user satisfaction. You can also compare them feature by feature and find out which program is a more suitable fit for your enterprise.
Adobe Acrobat 是鼻祖，谈到 PDF 就不能绕过它；PDF Expert 是 macOS 上最受欢迎的 PDF 应用，其为 Mac App Store 编辑精选、2015 年最佳应用、收费应用冠军；PDFelement 是我 之前推荐 的全能型应用，其开发者最近向我约了一份稿《Adobe Acrobat VS PDFelement》并愿意支付稿费，我.
Why You Should Trust Me
My name is Adrian, and I write about tech topics on SoftwareHow and other sites. I've been using computers since the 80s, and PDF files since the mid 90s, shortly after the format became available.
About a decade ago I decided to become as paperless as possible, partly because it's better for the environment, and partly because I was sick of the clutter. So I purchased a Fujitsu ScanSnap document scanner, and started converting paper to electrons. I scanned each document to PDF, and used OCR (optical character recognition) during the scanning process to make these images of paper into useful, searchable documents.
I also use the format for training material and ebooks, and have requested my bills be emailed to me as PDFs instead of being delivered to my letterbox. And I recently changed my habit of clipping web pages to Evernote, and now store them in PDFs instead.
So I'm a big user of PDF files. Over the recent months I've reviewed every major PDF editor, and in this article I'll help you find the one that best fits your needs.
Disclaimer: The content of this review is my own opinion, based solely on carefully testing each app. I was not influenced in any way by the software developers or anyone else with an interest in the applications reviewed.
Insights About the PDF Industry
1. With the Right Software, It's Possible to Edit a PDF
Documents are normally distributed as PDF files once they are finished products, with no further editing or changes to be done. And normally the recipients of PDF files are meant to read and consume them, not alter and improve them.
While it's true that PDF files are not as easy to edit as, say, a Microsoft Word file, it is possible with the right software. Adobe Acrobat Pro has been able to create and modify PDFs since the format became available, and since then a number of alternatives have become available.
2. The PDF Format is Based on the PostScript Printing Language
PostScript is a page description language developed by Adobe in the early 80s. It was used to print complex page layouts accurately on laser printers, and became very popular, especially with the rise of desktop publishing later that decade.
Adobe used PostScript as the basis of the PDF format in the 90s. Their aim was to be able to share documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware and operating system. A page description language was a perfect starting point, and has been extended since then to include additional elements, such as form fields and video.
3. The PDF Format Is an Open Standard
Even though PDF was a proprietary format belonging to Adobe, it became widely used. As early as 1993, Adobe made the specification available free of charge. In 2008, it was standardized as an open format (ISO 32000). It does not require any royalties for its implementation.
4. Not All PDF Editors Are Expensive and Difficult to Use
Adobe Acrobat Pro is the best-known PDF editor. It has a reputation of being expensive and difficult to use. It remains the most powerful way to create and edit PDFs, and is a product we recommend in this review.
But it's not the only option. Some of the alternatives are easy to use and inexpensive to purchase. We'll explore all of your options in this article.
Who Should (& Should Not) Get a PDF Editor?
There are a lot tasks the right PDF software can really help with. Determining the reasons that are important to you is the first step in finding the most appropriate app. Which of these do you best relate to?
- Highlighting and underlining the text in PDF training material for a course you are doing.
- Correcting a typo in an important PDF.
- Making significant updates to an out-of-date PDF.
- Making notes about changes you would like someone else to make to a document.
- Converting a PDF into a Word or Excel document.
- Filling in and signing a form that was shared with you online.
- Converting a large number of paper documents into PDFs as you move towards becoming paperless.
- Creating complex PDF documents and forms for your business.
If one or more of those scenarios describes you, the right PDF software will make your life easier.
On the other hand, if you only use PDFs as reference, say to store manuals of household items, then you don't need a special app. Adobe Acrobat Reader or Apple's Preview app (for Mac users only) is all you need. They will allow you to read PDFs, highlight important information, and even fill in and sign PDF forms. More on this later.
How We Tested and Picked
Comparing PDF editors products isn't easy. Each has its own strengths, and emphasizes different features. The right app for me may not be the right app for you.
We're not so much trying to give these apps an absolute ranking, but to help you make the best decision about which one will suit you best in a business context. So we hand-tested each product, aiming to understand what they offer.
Here are the key criteria we looked at when evaluating:
How Convenient Are the Markup Features?
When studying, marking, reviewing or editing a PDF document, it can be very convenient to use markup features such as highlighting, sticky notes, drawing and writing to assist your thinking and clarify your communication. Most PDF editors include tools like these, but some are much more convenient to use than others.
How Capable Are the Editing Features?
Some PDF apps have more powerful editing features than others. Some are only handy for correcting the odd typo, while others enable you to make extensive edits, such as adding a new paragraph or moving an image to a different location. Is the correct font automatically used when you type new content? Is the app able to redact text to keep private information confidential?
Your editing may go beyond just changing a few words — you may want to rearrange the order of your document. Does the app allow you to add, delete and reorder your pages? How easy does it make the task?
Can the App Convert or Export PDFs to Other File Formats?
Rather than trying to edit a PDF document, sometimes it's just easier to convert it into a Word or Excel file where you can edit it using tools you're already familiar with. Which file formats can the app convert or export to? Able2Extract specializes in converting PDFs to editable text formats.
How Well Does the App Handle PDF Forms?
PDF forms are a common way of conducting business. They allow your customers to access important forms online, and fill them in conveniently. Does the app allow you to quickly and easily fill in a PDF form? Can you add a signature?
Some apps are capable of creating PDF forms. You may be able to do this from scratch, or importing a form from another app. Some apps automatically recognize fields to quickly create a fillable PDF form.
Can the App Create PDF Documents?
Some apps are great at editing and annotating existing PDFs, but can't create a new one from scratch. Others, like Adobe Acrobat Pro, have a major focus on creating high-quality PDF files. Some allow you to create a PDF by importing a different file format — say a Word file.
Can the App Convert Scanned Documents to PDFs?
Can it perform OCR? Scanning a paper document onto your Mac is handy. Applying optical character recognition so that you can search for and copy text within the document is even better.
How Much Does the App Cost?
Some apps are significantly less expensive than others. Here are the apps we're considering in order of least expense:
- Wondershare PDFelement: Standard $79, Pro from $129
- Readdle PDF Expert: $79.99
- Smile PDFpen: $74.95, Pro $129.95
- InvestInTech Able2Extract: Professional $149.99, or $34.95 for 30
- Adobe Acrobat DC: Standard from $12.99/month, Pro from $14.99/month (that's $179.88/year)
- ABBYY FineReader: for Windows $199.99, FineReader Pro 12 for Mac $119.99
How Good is Their Customer and Technical Support?
A clear and detailed knowledge base with FAQs may answer all of your questions without the need for further support. Similarly, asking questions to the community of users can also be very helpful, such as through an actively moderated forum. When you need to ask an expert for support, it's helpful to be able to reach out via a number of channels, including email, live chat, and phone.
OS Compatibility
Some applications are available only for Mac or Windows, while others are cross-platform, working on a variety of operating systems. That can be very useful, especially for those with several computers running different system software.
The Winners
Best Choice: PDFelement (Windows & Mac)
PDFelement makes it easy to create, edit, markup and convert PDF files. The app feels capable, stable and surprisingly easy to use. When we first reviewed PDFelement, we were delighted by how well it achieved a balance between cost, ease of use, and a comprehensive feature set.
That balance makes this the PDF editor I recommend for most business users. It will do what you need without needing to do a course or read a manual. It's also the least expensive app that we review.
Most users will get by with the features of the Standard version (from $79), while the Professional version (from $129) is even more capable. We suggest you decide which version is for you by evaluating the free trial.
You can get a more complete idea of PDFelement's features in my initial review. For now I'll highlight a few key features and explain what they mean to you.
PDFelement has many of the features of Adobe Acrobat Pro (our choice for most powerful PDF editor) while retaining the simplicity of the more user-friendly apps like PDF Expert and PDFpen. Take editing, for example. Unlike the simpler programs, you can edit whole blocks of text, rather than just one line at a time. A text box is drawn around the text, and you can add, delete or modify the text with the correct font being retained.
Adding and resizing images is also easy to achieve, as is the ability to rearrange and delete entire pages.
A wide range of markup tools are available, which you can customize from the side panel. This is great for your own study, or when giving feedback on a document to others.
Another example of where PDFelement goes beyond the basics is forms. Many of the easy-to-use PDF apps just allow you to fill forms in. PDFelement can quickly create complex forms from scanned paper forms, or by importing Microsoft Office documents.
Notice that all of the fields were automatically recognized, and can be easily customized.
PDFelement performs optical character recognition on scanned paper documents, allowing you to search for text, or copy it to other documents. And the app is able to export a PDF to common Microsoft and Apple formats, as well as a bunch of less-used formats.
While Wondershare don't offer phone or chat support, they use a ticketing system and offer a comprehensive online help system that includes a guide, FAQ and troubleshooting section. They also provide an active user forum that is moderated by staff.
Quickest and Easiest: PDF Expert (Mac)
If you value speed and ease of use over a comprehensive feature set, and you're on a Mac, then I recommend Readdle PDF Expert. It's the fastest and most intuitive app I've tried, while retaining the basic PDF markup and editing features most people need. Its annotation tools allow you to highlight, take notes, and doodle, and its editing tools allow you to make corrections to the text, and change or adjust images.
It's not suitable for those looking for editing power — its feature set is more limited than its competitors. While the tools are easy to use, they are also a little less capable, and the app is not able to provide optical character recognition (OCR) on scanned documents.
PDF Expert costs $79.99, making it one of the least expensive apps we cover. A trial version is available so you can fully evaluate it. Students and professors can apply for an educational discount.
You can get a more complete idea of PDF Expert's features in my initial review. Here I'll highlight the factors that may make it the best app for you.
The app's functionality is split into two major categories: Annotate and Edit. The tools appear along the top, and a minimal selection of options appears in the right panel. For example, you can highlight text with the left-most icon, choosing highlight color from the panel on the left.
The other annotation tools work the same way. The editing features are basic, but they're good for a quick fix. Formatting can be adjusted from the right panel.
It's also easy to rearrange or change images.
You are able to fill in and sign forms with PDF Expert, but not create them.
Technical support is limited to a knowledge base and contact form on Readdle's website. Phone and chat support are not offered, but are unlikely to be needed given how intuitive the app is.
Most Powerful: Adobe Acrobat Pro (Windows & Mac)
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the industry standard PDF editing program, created by the company who invented the format. Android 10 sketch. It's designed for those who need the most comprehensive feature set, and are willing to commit to learning how the program works.
All of that power comes at a price: subscriptions cost at least $179.88 a year. But for professionals who need the most powerful editor, Acrobat DC remains the best option. If you've already subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud, Acrobat DC is included.
Adobe Acrobat Pro (read my review here) allows you to create detailed PDFs, either from scratch or by importing a document you created in another app, say Microsoft Word.
It's also able to create a new PDF from a website or scan. When working with scanned paper documents, Acrobat's optical character recognition is superb. Not only is text recognized, but the correct font is used as well, even if the app has to create the font automatically from scratch. Complex PDF forms can also be created, either from scratch or by importing from another app.
Electronic signatures are now supported through Document Cloud, and Acrobat's Fill and Sign feature allows you to use the app to fill in the form with a signature, and the Send for Signature feature lets you send the form so others can sign, and track the results.
Acrobat's editing features are also top quality, and new text is able to flow within the text box, though it doesn't automatically move to the next page.
Adding, rearranging and deleting both pages and images is easy to achieve with Acrobat. Markup is easy, using the provided highlight and sticky note tools.
Another feature Adobe takes to a new level is the ability to export and share your work. PDFs can be exported in many formats, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, though complex documents may not quite look right in the other app. PDFs can be shared with others on Document Cloud using the Send & Track feature, and a variety of privacy and security features are available.
Adobe is a big company with an extensive support system, including help documents, forums and a support channel. Phone and chat support is available, but not for all products and plans.
Read on for more options.
The Competition and Comparison
1. PDFpen
Smile PDFpen is a popular Mac-only PDF editor, and offers the features most people need in an attractive interface. I enjoyed using the app, but it's not quite as responsive as PDF Expert, not quite as powerful as PDFelement or Acrobat Pro, and costs more than both. But it's certainly a strong, reliable option for Mac users. The app has a good number of markup tools, and I found them easy to use.
Editing text is accomplished by clicking the Correct Text button, and is suitable for fixing typos.
The app has excellent OCR when importing scanned documents, and the Pro version can create PDF forms. PDF export to Word format is pretty good, and the official website contains helpful video tutorials, knowledge base and PDF user's manual. Reviews of this app are always positive, and users seem happy. You can read our full PDFpen review here.
The standard version of PDFpen for Mac costs $74.95, and provides the features most people need. If you need to create PDF forms, or need more export options, consider the Pro version, which costs $124.95. An iOS version is available for $19.99.
Adobe Acrobat Dc Vs Pdf Expert
2. Able2Extract Pro
Able2Extract Professional (Mac, Windows, Linux) is quite different than the other apps included in this roundup. While it's able to edit and markup PDFs (but not as well as any of the other apps we cover), its real strength lies in powerful PDF export and conversion.
If you're looking at the best app for converting PDFs into other formats, this is it. It's able to export a PDF to Word, Excel, OpenOffice, CSV, AutoCAD and more, and the exports are very high quality, retaining the original formatting and layout of the PDF.
The app has extensive export options which you can tweak to create the exact output you are looking for. I tried exporting a complex PDF brochure to OpenOffice's .ODT format, and I couldn't find a fault. It was as close to perfect as you can imagine.
Able2Extract does more than just export — it's able to edit the text within PDFs (one phrase at a time), redact personal information, add annotation, and OCR scanned documents. But the interface for achieving these tasks is not as polished as the other apps. Read our full Able2Extract review for more.
Being the best-in-class at PDF conversion, the app isn't cheap, costing $149.99 for a license. But if you're only converting files for a limited time, the app's $34.95 monthly subscription is definitely worth looking at.
3. ABBYY FineReader
ABBYY FineReader (for Mac & Windows) is a well-known PDF editor that has been around for quite a while. The company started developing their own OCR technology in 1989, and it's widely held to be the best in the business. If your priority is to accurately recognize text in scanned documents, FineReader is your best option, and many languages are supported.
Apple users should be aware that the Mac version lags the Windows version by several versions, and lacks many of the latest features, including the ability to edit, collaborate and redact text. Mac documentation is also lacking when compared to the Windows version.
However, the OCR engine is essentially the same, so it is still the best choice for accurate optical character recognition. The Mac version is also significantly less expensive, costing $119.99 rather than $199.99. Read our full FineReader review for more.
Besides OCR, FineReader is able to accurately export PDFs to other formats, retaining the original layout and formatting. It's second only to Able2Extract in this regard. It's also able to rearrange pages and areas of a PDF, but it's not the best option if you need to edit and markup your PDFs, especially if you're a Mac user.
Free Software and Options
Still not sure if you need to buy a PDF editor? Here are some free options and alternatives.
Use Acrobat Reader or Apple's Preview App
If your PDF needs are simple, Adobe Acrobat Reader may do everything you require. It allows you to add comments and sticky notes, contains annotation and drawing markup tools, enables you to fill in PDF forms and even add a signature. Complete commenting tools are only available in PDFs that have commenting enabled.
If you use a Mac, Apple's Preview app also allows you to mark up your PDF documents, fill in forms, and sign them. The Markup toolbar includes icons for sketching, drawing, adding shapes, typing text, adding signatures, and adding pop-up notes.
On an iPad Pro, you can annotate a PDF using an Apple Pencil.
Edit the Source Document Instead of the PDF
An alternative to editing PDFs is to edit the original source file, say a Word document. It's quite easy to create a PDF from a document. Both macOS and Windows 10 have an option to create a PDF on the Print dialogue box, and if you use an older version of Windows, utilities like CutePDF do the same. It's quick and convenient.
So if you need to make changes to your PDF, rather than editing the PDF directly, edit your Word document and create a new PDF. Word's editing tools are superior to those in most PDF editors anyway.
Of course, to do that you need to have access to the original source document. That's not always possible, and one of the main reasons PDF editors are needed.
Use A Different Portable File Format
Over the years various alternatives to the PDF format have arisen. Usually they have been short-lived, though some, like DjVu and Microsoft's XPS, are still around. The PDF format has become the defacto standard for distributing 'paper' documents digitally. But it's not the only way.
As ebooks become more popular, the .EPUB and .MOBI formats (for Apple Books and Amazon Kindle respectively) are a good way to distribute long-form information. Like printing to PDF, you can turn a Word document into an ebook, or alternatively make use of free tools like iBooks Author and Kindle Create.
You can also share documents using image files. Most scanners can save to the .TIFF format, which can be opened on most computers. And you'd be surprised how often I'm emailed a one-page document as an image. Someone will take a photo of the page using their smart phone, and just share it with me. Of course, that's not best for official documentation, but can be handy when sharing information in-house in an emergency.
What About a Web Page
Finally, if you want to share written documentation with others, consider a web page. HTML allows you to share text, images, sound and video with the world.
Creating a professional website can be a big job, but there is an abundance of quick and dirty ways of sharing information over the web. That's a topic for another article, but Evernote, Google Docs, Tumblr and Medium are four suggestions that come to mind.
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 DC
As 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 Interface
As 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 Editing
PDF 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 Management
You 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 Support
PDF 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 & Utilities
PDF 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 Better
There 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 & pricing
PDF 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.
Verdict
Pros
- 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 UI
PDFpenPro 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 Options
PDFpenPro 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 Support
PDFpenPro 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 & OCR
Optical 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 & Pricing
PDFpenPro 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.
Verdict
Pros
- 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 considered
Here are some of the top apps we considered as the best Mac PDF editor. They did not, however, make it to the top list.
Preview
Preview 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 Mac
Are 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 Mac
Wondershare 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 PhantomPDF
Foxit 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 Pro
Kdan 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. What is adobe fuse. 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.
Adobe Acrobat Vs Pdf Expert
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.
Pdf Complete Vs Adobe Acrobat
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.
Pdf Complete Review Vs Adobe
So, it makes sense to check out some of the actual native macOS PDF editors out there.
Adobe Acrobat Vs Pdf Expert Pdf
The bottom line
So, 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.
If 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.
We've also got you covered when you're Windows. Check out our guides for PDF editors for Windows.
