PDF is a familiar file format for most people. Adobe first introduced it in 1993, and later standardized it in 2008 to allow anyone to create PDF files and access the tools necessary to do so.

These days there are too many PDF editors to choose from, and they all seem to do the same task. Most of them aren’t worth your time, but it’s also quite difficult to get much done for free. In this article, we’ve tried to simplify that by rounding up the best Mac PDF editors.

So here are our top picks for editing and creating PDFs on your Mac.

How to Print to PDF on macOS

Your Mac can create PDFs natively, which means just about any desktop publishing app can become a PDF editor. You’ll miss out on features like interactive forms, but there’s no quicker way to share a document or web page as a PDF.

To export as a PDF on macOS:

  1. Click File > Print in your editor, browser, or other relevant application.
  2. Find the PDF dropdown at the bottom of the Print window. Click it and choose Save as PDF.
  3. Give your file a name, specify a password if required under Security Options, then click Save.

Now, let’s jump in and take a look at the best PDF editors for Mac.

1. Preview

preview app

Preview is an app that comes pre-installed as part of macOS. It’s a bare-bones document viewer, but it also includes a few handy PDF tools. Unfortunately, it’s not a PDF creator. However, you can make rudimentary edits to existing ones forms.

Its best features are its markup and annotation tools. Preview also allows you to rearrange page order, delete pages, import new pages, convert or edit your PDF files, and export individual pages as separate documents.

Preview functions as a better PDF viewer than an editor. You can sign forms using its built-in Signature feature, enter text into forms and save the input, and mark up a PDF with shapes, arrows, custom text, and your own scribbles. These tools are easy to use and look great on the page, but Preview is still a far cry from a proper editor.

2. LibreOffice Draw

libre writer

There’s a lot to love about the open-source office suite LibreOffice, not least the Draw app’s ability to edit PDF files. We’re not talking simple markup, à la Preview, but full-blown PDF editing. To get started, launch Draw and use it to open the PDF file you want to edit.

Once Draw opens your file, it converts shape elements into fixed images, which you can resize and move. You can also move or fill text boxes, though any pre-filled data will be lost upon import. You can add your own shapes and boxes, form elements, charts, tables, and so on.

The biggest problem with LibreOffice Draw is its interpretation of certain PDF files. The formatting can appear slightly off, with weird text kerning and style interpretation. Form creation tools are hidden away under View > Toolbars > Form Controls. These can even create working interactive forms, but the tools are far from advanced.

Download: LibreOffice (Free)

3. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

acrobat reader

Adobe created the PDF, and it’s still providing one of the best solutions for PDF editing, creation, optical character recognition (OCR), and all the tasks in between. At $15 per month, the biggest barrier to entry is the price, though you can try out the app for free before you make a purchase.

Acrobat allows you to take the standard “desktop publishing” blank page route, but it’s also a master of conversion. This means you can design your document in Pages, Word, or even an app like Illustrator, then convert with Acrobat, add some PDF jazz, and keep it all handy in the cloud.

Editing tools are second to none, and you won’t have to worry about the weird formatting issues seen in free solutions like LibreOffice. A clear difference between edit and view mode means you won’t accidentally screw up formatting while trying to fill out a form.

Download: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Subscription required, free trial available)

4. PDF Expert

pdf expert

Readdle’s PDF Expert is a premium tool. For $80 you’ll get a competent editor that allows for proper PDF document editing that’s a step above what Preview offers. Unfortunately, PDF creation from scratch isn’t an option here, and a few of the editing tools leave something to be desired.

The app is a competent editor for basic text, markup, and image-related duties. You can fix typos, add a new photo to your resume, or add hyperlinks, but there are no tools for adding new shapes and form fields. However, it does include tools for merging, annotation, signing documents, and a fast search.

If you need a good editor and can’t commit to a Creative Cloud subscription, PDF Expert might just fit the bill.

Download: PDF Expert ($80)

5. Foxit PDF Editor

foxit pdf editor

The Foxit PDF Editor is a suite of PDF products from the creators of Foxit PDF Reader. You can edit, review, manage, share, and protect your PDF files across various devices. With Foxit PDF Editor, you won’t have to worry about the layout while you edit your texts. You can also join, link, and connect text blocks through the editor.

It also comes with export capabilities that let you save your PDF in different formats, like PowerPoint, text, JPEG, and TRF. And then there’s the collaboration feature, which lets you connect PDF files to cloud storage systems and CMS to get real-time feedback.

Foxit PDF Editor is available in three editions—PDF Editor, PDF Editor Pro, and PDF Editor Pro +. The latter two offer additional capabilities on top of a regular PDF editor. PDF Editor Pro, for instance, has advanced features for collaboration, editing, and security. PDF Editor Pro + goes further and adds Foxit ESign, PDF editor for cloud, and PDF Editor for mobile.

All versions of PDF Editor are available for purchase as one-time fees, annual, or monthly subscriptions.

Download: Foxit PDF Editor ($159, free trial available)

6. PDFChef

pdfchef

PDFChef is another all-in-one PDF editor. It’s a cross-platform app, available for Mac as well as other systems. What we like most about PDFChef is its ability to merge files from different formats into a single PDF file. For instance, if you have Word and JPEG files, you can combine them into a single PDF document.

This app is also available as a free PDFChef web app. So there’s no need to download the desktop app. Simply head to the online editor, select your PDF file or create a new one from scratch.

Before making a final purchase, you can try out the free trial of PDFChef on your Mac to give all the features a go first and see if it’s to your liking.

Download: PDFChef ($35.99, free trial available)

Forget the Other PDF Editors

We tried a fair few PDF editors while coming up with this list, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC was probably the best solution. Windows users can use apps like Nitro for common PDF tasks, but the scene is a little more limited on a Mac. There are lots of bad PDF editors out there, so look out for fake landing pages masquerading as official websites, especially if they suggest using a third party “installer” app for downloads.