The best free PDF editor for Mac: 6 apps, ranked

What critics praise. Zapier says that if you don't need to change the original text, "Acrobat Reader is a great alternative that you can use for free." TechRadar wrote in March 2025 that "the fill and sign tool, with its automatic detection feature, worked flawlessly every time we ran a test document." Toolradar calls it "the safe fallback" when a PDF must look right.

What users say. Acrobat Reader has 10,549 reviews on Capterra, far more than any other app here, and a 4.6 rating. The common complaints: the best tools sit behind a paid plan, the app is heavy and slow on older computers, and it keeps pushing you to upgrade. Some reviewers also find the screen cluttered with buttons.

What it asks of you. Adobe's Reader page says it is "free to download and use, with no subscription required." Reading, filling, signing and comments are free. Changing text or images needs a paid Acrobat plan. Adobe's pricing page sells Acrobat as monthly or yearly plans. Its one upfront purchase, Acrobat Pro 2024, gives three years of access, so you do not keep it, and the pay-once pin is off. The Reader page says "No login is needed to view or comment," but that line is about people you share a file with, so the login pin stays "?". It does not say whether the app shares your data or works offline.

What critics praise. Dupple says "PDFgear is the closest thing to a free Acrobat I found." Toolradar says "for practical, free, everyday editing, PDFgear is the closest thing to a real all-rounder on this list." Zapier adds that "PDFgear is also available on Mac, iOS, and Android if you want a free editor across devices."

What users say. All 18 Capterra reviewers gave PDFgear five stars, and many said they left a paid app for it. The few complaints were mild. Some said the interface is plain and takes some getting used to. Others mentioned slowdowns on large files and wanted some editing tools to be more refined.

What it asks of you. It asks less than any other app here. The Mac App Store page lists no in-app purchases. PDFgear's Mac page says you can "begin working without registering or signing in," and that "Most editing tools within PDFgear work locally on the Mac." It adds that the AI features need an internet connection. Its privacy label lists only usage data that is not linked to you. That is not "Data Not Collected," so the data pin is "?".

What critics praise. Dupple says "Sejda is the rare web tool that edits the original text in a PDF, not just overlays." Zapier and TechRadar agree it is a good free option, though all three are talking about the web version. Toolradar, writing about the Mac app, says "Sejda PDF Desktop is for occasional heavy lifting."

What users say. Sejda has 47 reviews on Capterra and a 4.7 rating. The main complaint is the free limit of three tasks a day. Others said the screen has too many popups, that matching the original font when you edit text takes work, and that empty text boxes can stay behind after you save. The newest of these reviews is from March 2025.

What it asks of you. The free plan gives you three tasks a day, with files up to 50MB and 200 pages. Sejda's pricing page says the free plan needs "No signup required." Paid use is a $7.95 pass that ends after 7 days or $63 a year, and Sejda says it no longer sells a license you keep. Its desktop page says files are processed on your computer, but it does not say the app works offline.

What critics say. MacStories reviewed the iPhone and iPad version in 2020. It noted that "Highlights is a PDF annotation app that’s been available on the Mac for a long time but is brand new on iOS and iPadOS." I found no recent roundup of free Mac editors that names it.

What users say. Highlights has 1,672 ratings on the Mac App Store and a rating of about 4.6. The reviews shown first came from researchers. One said exporting highlighted lines made notes from many papers easy to find. A professor praised the Mac version but wanted freehand drawing and more highlight colours. Another wished the Markdown export kept images. These reviews are from 2020 and 2021.

What it asks of you. Its listing says free users can read and annotate, with "NO ADS, time limits or tracking." Exporting notes to other apps and formats is part of Pro. Its maker's Pro page sells Pro as a subscription, $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. The store also lists "Highlights Pro" and "Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade" at $29.99 each, and nobody says whether those are one-time, so the pay-once pin is "?". Its privacy label says "Data Not Collected." Its privacy page says "we do not require any personal information to use the app." It does not say whether the app works offline.

What critics praise. Toolradar says "Foxit PDF Reader for Mac sits in a useful middle ground." In its list of free readers, it adds that "Foxit PDF Reader is free and covers viewing, annotating, form filling and signing across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web."

What users say. Foxit PDF Reader has 946 reviews on Capterra and a 4.5 rating. People like that it is quick and light. The complaints: the useful extras are in a paid plan, the look is plain next to newer apps, and the installer adds trial software you did not ask for.

What it asks of you. The reader is free, and editing text is in the paid Foxit PDF Editor. Foxit's pricing page lists yearly plans and a one-time license, but does not say if the one-time license covers the Mac, so the pay-once pin is "?". Foxit's reader page lists Mac support for "macOS 10.15 through macOS 14." Check your version first. The page does not say whether you need an account or whether the app shares your data.

What critics praise. Dupple says of LibreOffice Draw: "It's completely free with no limits and no watermark." Toolradar calls it "one of the most useful workarounds in the whole free Mac PDF world." Both warn that complex layouts can shift when Draw opens a PDF.

What users say. The 2,244 Capterra reviews rate LibreOffice as a whole office suite, not Draw as a PDF editor, so read its 4.3 with that in mind. The common complaints were slow handling of large files, crashes, trouble with Microsoft Office files, and menus that feel dated.

What it asks of you. The download from libreoffice.org is free. Its maker says it gives you its tools "at no cost to you." The Mac App Store version costs $8.99 once. Its home page does not say whether you need an account, whether it shares data, or whether it works offline.