The best free PDF editors for Mac
For everyday editing, PDF Unlimited covers signing, forms, merging, compression, OCR and true redaction for free with no account. Preview is the best built-in option for quick jobs. Skim is ideal for academic reading. PDFgear and LibreOffice Draw can change existing text, which PDF Unlimited and Preview cannot yet.
| App | Price | Account needed | Edit original text | OCR | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Unlimited | Free forever | No | Not yet | Yes | Everyday editing without a subscription |
| Preview | Free, built in | No | No | Embed Text on export, when offered | Quick signing and markup |
| Skim | Free, open source | No | No | No | Reading and annotating papers |
| PDFgear | Free | No, per the developer | Yes | Yes | Changing original text for free |
| Acrobat Reader | Free, paid upgrades | Not to read | No (paid) | No (paid) | Adobe-only XFA forms |
| LibreOffice Draw | Free, open source | No | Yes, clunky | No | One-off text fixes on simple PDFs |
How we judged them
Free means free to do the job, not free to try. We looked at whether each app adds watermarks, needs an account, works offline, and which of the common jobs it handles: sign, fill, annotate, merge, compress, OCR, redact and edit existing text. Yes, we make one of these apps. We have tried to be fair anyway, and we recommend others where they are better.
PDF Unlimited: best all-round free editor
A native Mac app with Read, Annotate, Sign, Pages and Redact modes. It merges, splits, compresses with before and after sizes, runs OCR, adds passwords and does true redaction. No subscription, account, watermark, ads or telemetry, and it works offline. Who it is for: anyone who wants to stop paying for a PDF editor. The catch: it does not edit existing text in place yet. Download it here.
Preview: best for quick jobs
Built into every Mac. Signing, form filling, highlights, text boxes, page reordering and password protection are all there, plus a Reduce File Size export filter and a Redact Selection tool. Who it is for: occasional PDF users. The catch: tools are spread across menus, compression is blunt, and it does not edit existing text. More in Preview alternative.
Skim: best for academic reading
A free, open-source PDF reader and note-taker designed for scientific papers. It has highlighting, notes you can export as text, snapshots, presentation mode, and LaTeX and SyncTeX support. Who it is for: students and researchers who read and annotate many papers. The catch: it is a reader, not an editor, so page assembly and compression are not its focus.
PDFgear, Acrobat Reader and LibreOffice Draw
PDFgear is a free PDF editor for Mac that the developer says needs no sign-up. It can edit existing text and run OCR. Who it is for: people who need to change original text or convert to Office formats and want a free app. Its developer says its AI features need an internet connection. More in PDFgear vs PDF Unlimited.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free for reading, commenting, filling and signing. Merging, compressing, OCR, redaction and editing text are paid. Who it is for: anyone handed an Adobe-only XFA form, which other apps cannot fill.
LibreOffice Draw is part of the free, open-source LibreOffice suite and can open a PDF and edit its existing text. It is clunky: fonts may be substituted and layouts can shift, so it suits simple documents. Who it is for: the occasional "I just need to fix this one sentence" job.
Quick picks by job
If you only read one part of this page, read this:
Apple, Preview, Adobe, Acrobat, PDFgear, Skim and LibreOffice are trademarks of their respective owners, named here only to identify their products. PDF Unlimited is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
- Sign or fill a form: Preview or PDF Unlimited.
- Merge, split or reorder pages: PDF Unlimited, or Preview for small jobs.
- Make a file smaller: PDF Unlimited, with before and after sizes.
- Make a scan searchable: PDF Unlimited.
- Hide sensitive information: PDF Unlimited for areas, Preview for selected text.
- Change the original words: PDFgear or LibreOffice Draw.
- Read and annotate research papers: Skim.
Questions
What is the best free PDF editor for Mac?
For most people, PDF Unlimited: it covers signing, forms, pages, compression, OCR and redaction with no account or watermark. For editing original text, try PDFgear or LibreOffice Draw.
What is the best PDF reader for Mac?
Preview is fast and built in. Skim is the best for academic reading and notes. PDF Unlimited works well if you also edit PDFs.
Is there a completely free PDF editor for Mac with no watermark?
Yes. PDF Unlimited, Preview, Skim and LibreOffice Draw never add watermarks. Be wary of trials that stamp your saved files.
Can I edit the text in a PDF on a Mac for free?
Yes, with PDFgear or LibreOffice Draw. Preview and PDF Unlimited add new text with text boxes but do not retype existing text.
Does Apple have a free PDF editor?
Yes, Preview. It handles markup, signatures, forms, page edits and passwords. See how to edit a PDF on Mac for step-by-step instructions.