8 Best Free PDF Editor for Mac (100% Free Editors 2023)

Rosa Reyes
January 17, 2023 Preview 212.4K Preview 6
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PDF is a great format for distribution and sharing of files. You can open it, print it, even copy text from it, but the major downside, of course, is that you can't edit PDF files easily and freely once it’s been created. In this case, a free PDF Editor for Mac is extremely useful as it allows you to edit and re-master PDF documents. Here we have rounded up several best free PDF Editor for mac that everyone should try. You can choose the one fits your needs from the list according to information covered in the following parts.

Part 1. Is There a 100% Free PDF Editor? 

Yes, of course. There are some 100% free PDF editors on the software market. Whether you want to edit PDF online or offline, there is always one for you. I believe that most users do not have a deep understanding of free PDF editor for Mac. Here we will introduce some knowledge about the free PDF editor to help you choose the best one.

For users who need to handle PDF tasks for a short time, some built-in free PDF editors on Mac or online programs not only save the time to download and install software, but also save the subscription fee. Another benefit of the free web-based PDF editor is that it can be used on any device and at any time. 

Actually, a free PDF editor for Mac is able to finish the basic work and costs free, but it has some non-negligible drawbacks. Although we have listed the best free PDF editors for Mac in the article, they may fall short of PDF users’ expectations in one way or another. 

  1. For all I know, free online PDF editors are not particularly safe. You may have the opportunity to encounter the virus and receive junk mail.
  2. There are some limitations for online free versions, such as file size, function permission and download limit.
  3. Some free Mac PDF editors are not fluid, thus the program might get stuck or lag.

The above-mentioned content is only to increase your understanding of the PDF editor. The free PDF editors we will introduce in the following parts are the most secure, practical and all-around editors selected after use and testing. 

Part 2. Best Free PDF Editor for Mac—Desktop Freeware

In this part, we post 5 best free PDF editors on desktop, including Foxit Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Preview, LibreOffice and Skim. Follow the article and pick the best free PDF editor for Mac.  

Foxit Reader for Mac

Foxit Reader for Mac is a free PDF editor for mac, fast and lightweight. PDF users may be quite familiar with Foxit, the leading PDF software developer to offer PDF solutions. With Foxit PDF Reader for mac, users can view, highlight, add bookmarks & comments, search and protect PDFs for free. 

Available System: macOS 10.12.0 or later; Windows; iOS; Android; Linux

Software Size: 197.1 MB

best free pdf editor mac foxitreader

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

In the huge market of PDF editors, Adobe’s position is unshakable. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as a basic program in the Adobe family, is available on desktop and mobile devices. This freeware enables to view, print, annotate, sign and share PDF documents. Users can find the most annotating tools in the “comment” bar. 

The size of the installation package is the largest of the software mentioned in this article, which may also be a consideration for some users.

Available System: macOS 10.13.0 or later; Windows; iOS; Android

Software Size: 310.8 MB

best free pdf editor mac acrobat reader

Preview

Your Mac comes with Preview, which is adequate for reading and managing PDF files, even doing some editing: It’s basically a limited PDF editor on mac for free, and there’s no download required! But if you’ve run the gamut (no pun intended) with what you can do with Preview, you’re probably in need of something a bit more sophisticated.

With Preview, you can zoom, split, merge PDFs, add highlights and notes, rotate, add bookmark, protect PDF, and export to other editable formats.

Available System: Mac

Best Free Mac PDF Editor- Preview

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is a 100% free and exceptional office suite available on Mac. If you think the freeware mentioned above can’t satisfy you to modify the text directly on the PDF file, then this software is perfect for you. It allows you to easily modify and replace text like editing a Word document. 

This free and open-source office suite is tested and used by a large number of users, and takes various suggestions from community users and updates the software. In addition, it is available in 100+ languages.

Available System: macOS 10.12.0 or later; Windows; Linux

Software Size: 285.6MB

best pdf editors free mac libreoffice

Skim

Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. Most of the major features you need are covered by Skim including: adding and editing notes, highlighting important text, adding bookmark, rotating page, making snapshots for easy reference and navigation using table of contents or thumbnails, with visual history. 

Available System: OS X 10.10 or higher

Software Size: 14.5 MB

best pdf editor free mac skim

Do you find the best free PDF editor for Mac from the above desktop software? Is there still any user who wants to edit text in PDF without downloading software and for free? We can certainly reach your expectations! Follow me, you can read more about the best free PDF editor for Mac here. 

Part 3. Best Free PDF Editor for Mac — Web-based Service

We’d like to present 3 web-based services that enable you to edit and modify the text in PDF freely. Let’s get started!

Soda PDF Online

The interface of Soda PDF Online is dominated by red and white, simple and eye-catching. You are also allowed to edit, convert, create forms, comment, protect and sign PDF files with this free PDF editor. With the ability to batch process files and view two files at the same time, it is an excellent tool for office workers to increase efficiency.

Notes: There were times when I used the page to upload or process files and the server experienced delays. In addition, some advanced features such as E-signature and OCR need to be activated.

best free pdf editor mac sodapdf

pdfFiller

pdfFiller is another web-based free PDF Editor for Mac and Windows users to manipulate PDF online. It supports multiple ways to upload PDF files into its server for free editing, such as URL, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. Users are allowed to view, highlight, sign, add images, search PDF for free.

best pdf editor free mac pdffiller

Notes: pdfFiller offers versatile and free editing tools for users, but the free version has the following limitations.

  • Users can only upload PDF file up to 25MB
  • The maximum page can reach 150 pages
  • Watermark will be attached to the signature

Sejda Online

Sejda Web provides almost everything you need to work with PDF files. Features include the ability to edit, add links, annotate, convert, built forms, compress, insert images and signatures, even split and merge PDF files. I like the color scheme of its interface, simple and fresh. The toolbar has a floating window design, always hovering at the top of the page.

best pdf editor free mac sejda

Notes: The maximum file size is 50MB or 200 pages, and only 10 files can be uploaded by every user. Furthermore, the system will remove the first file when you upload the 11th PDF document.

Part 4. Extended: Best PDF Editor for Mac

Of course, when it comes to professional PDF Editor for Mac, the best-known tool is Adobe Acrobat, and no wonder: Adobe Systems created the PDF standard. However, not all of its features needed to be frequently used. But since PDF is an open format, other Adobe alternatives which are considerably cheaper also allow you to edit PDF files.

Cisdem PDFMaster for Mac

Cisdem PDFMaster comes with a full set of tools you need to edit, convert and manage PDF files on Mac and Windows as easy as in a Word processor. It basically meets all your needs to process a PDF on Mac. By simply dragging and dropping PDF files, you can manage single or multiple PDF files at the same time, which makes the PDF editing and management highly efficient and extremely easy.

Reasons to Use Cisdem PDFMaster:

 All-in-one PDF Program: Cisdem PDFMaster contains all the necessary functions to handle PDF documents such as editor, annotator, converter, unlocker, compressor, form creator and more.

 Advanced Functions: OCR technology, add digital signature, decrypt, compare files, etc.

 Intuitive & Streamlined Interface: Every user can easily learn how to use this program with its beginner-friendly interface and almighty tools.

 Support Batch Processing: Are you still dealing with PDF files one by one? Cisdem will not let you waste time like that. With the help of this desktop program, you can process PDFs in batch simply.

 High-security: Cisdem allows you to enhance security by setting password, adding digital signature and redaction.

 Work Offline: Download Cisdem PDFMaster, performing dozens of PDF tasks offline on Mac or Windows, even on the go in breeze.

 Multi-languages: Whether you use English, Japanese, Chinese or other languages, you can find the available languages from the property window.

free editor cisdem

Free Download

Choose Your Best PDF Editor for Mac

  PDF Editor Main Features
1 Cisdem PDFMaster View, edit, convert, create, sign, annotate, highlight, merge, split, compress, encrypt, decrypt, extract image
2 Foxit Reader for Mac View, highlight, add bookmarks & comments, search and protect PDFs
3 LibreOffice View, create, edit, draw, annotate, convert, insert, measure and print
4 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC View, print, sign, annotate, highlight, draw, and share PDF with others
5 Preview Read, split, merge, highlights,annotate, encrypt, compress and export to several editable formats
6 Skim Read, highlight, crop, draw, add text note, rotate, add bookmark
7 pdfFiller View, edit, highlight, sign, add images/note/date, search PDF
8 Soda PDF Online View, edit, convert, comment, manipulate page, merge and protect
9 Sejda Edit, add text, annotate, sign, split, merge, convert, compress, protect

Final Words

Free PDF editor for mac is a real work, but when taking performance and security into consideration, they may disappoint you. If you need some of the additional features that come with the product and/or have a business operation that handles a lot of PDF documents, paid PDF Editor for Mac is the best choice. Try the most trusted and remarkable PDF editor — Cisdem PDFMaster, and you might never download other editors.

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Rosa Reyes
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Rosa has worked in Mac software industry for more than eight years. She believes that the purpose of software is to make life better and work more productively. In addition to writing, Rosa is also an avid runner.

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Comments (6) Leave a Reply

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  • Jennifer

    I tried many free PDF editors to handle my PDF tasks. But as you said, users like me who need to edit files for a long time do need a paid editor. I will try the software you mentioned at the end.

    0 months ago Reply

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  • ITnurtureden

    good

    6 years ago Reply

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  • waqar

    PDFManagerUltimate tops PDFExpert in PDF conversion, that' what I need.

    6 years ago Reply

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  • Brett

    I think this is a real great post.Much thanks again. Will read on...

    6 years ago Reply

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  • Patch

    You've got it in one. Con'udlt have put it better.

    7 years ago Reply

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  • Skevin725

    What the free PDF editor can do is limited, I am more willing to try paid PDF editor. It takes me more function.

    7 years ago Reply

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