Best PDF Editors for Mac 2026 — Free and Paid Options Tested

Updated February 20, 2026 • 10 min read

Macs come with Preview, which is surprisingly decent for basic PDF tasks. But when you need real editing — changing text, restructuring pages, adding watermarks — you'll want something more powerful. Here's what actually works in 2026.

The Free Options

1. Apple Preview (Built-in)

Let's start with what you already have. Preview handles a surprising amount:

  • Fill in forms
  • Sign documents with your trackpad or iPhone
  • Annotate with highlights and text notes
  • Rotate, crop, and rearrange pages
  • Basic image editing

What's missing: Actual text editing. You can't change words in the document — only add stuff on top. No form creation, no password protection (beyond basic locking), no batch processing.

Verdict: Perfect for casual use. If you just need to sign forms and add a few notes, don't bother installing anything else.

2. PDF Expert (Free Version)

PDF Expert got popular for a reason — it's clean, fast, and Mac-native. The free version lets you:

  • View and annotate PDFs
  • Fill forms
  • Basic text editing (limited)

The pro version unlocks full editing, redaction, and batch tools. Worth the $80 one-time purchase if you edit PDFs regularly.

3. LibreOffice Draw

Part of the free LibreOffice suite. It's clunky as hell but opens and exports PDFs with editable text. Takes some learning, but it's genuinely free and handles complex layouts better than you'd expect.

The Paid Options

1. Adobe Acrobat Pro ($12.99/month)

The industry standard. If you need enterprise-grade PDF tools, this is it:

  • Full text editing
  • Create interactive forms
  • Compare documents
  • Redaction (permanently remove content)
  • Extensive security features

The catch: It's expensive, and the subscription model grinds my gears. Also, it feels bloated compared to Mac-native apps.

Best for: Enterprise users, legal professionals, anyone who needs every PDF feature under the sun.

2. PDF Expert ($79 one-time)

My personal pick for Mac. Clean interface, fast performance, does everything most people need:

  • Full text editing
  • Annotate and highlight
  • Create and edit forms
  • Password protection
  • Cloud integration

Why I like it: One-time purchase, Mac-native feel, doesn't try to be Adobe. The latest version added solid redaction tools too.

3. Affinity Publisher 2 ($69 one-time)

Not a dedicated PDF editor, but if you're doing heavy document layout work, it's amazing. Exports clean PDFs, handles complex designs, and the price is right.

Not for: Quick edits. This is for serious design work.

Our Online Tools (Always Free)

For quick tasks without installing anything:

What About iPad?

If you're on iPad, the game changes. Good options:

  • PDF Expert — same as Mac, works great with Apple Pencil
  • Notability — amazing for annotation
  • GoodNotes — best for handwriting and organization

The Bottom Line

Most Mac users don't need to pay anything. Preview handles basics. For occasional editing, PDF Expert's free version is enough. Only fork out for Pro if you're editing PDFs daily.

Our online tools fill the gaps for things Preview can't do — compression, merging, metadata removal, and more. They're free, work in Safari on Mac, and handle most one-off tasks.