The short answer. PDF Expert is the one built for reading and marking up: fast rendering, annotation, and text and image editing without a conversion step. UPDF is the free-to-start editor with the same shape and a broader feature list behind a licence. PDF Reader Pro and PDFsail are the all-in-one tools — view, create, sign, convert, compress, OCR — which is the right choice when the PDF is one of several formats in a workflow. SwifDoo is the one that also handles password protection. OffPDF is the open-source offline toolbox: merge, split, convert, compress and OCR locally, with no upload. The dividing question is whether you are editing a document or processing a file, because annotation and redaction are editorial work and merging and compressing are batch operations.
This guide covers 6 pdf editors for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OffPDF | productivity app | Open source | MIT | 0.3.2 |
| PDF Expert | productivity app | not published | not published | 3.13.4 |
| PDF Reader Pro | productivity app | not published | not published | 5.3.0 |
| PDFsail | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| SwifDoo PDF | productivity app | not published | not published | 2.0.5.1 |
| UPDF | productivity app | Free | not published | 2.5.7 |
What actually decides this
- Edit or process. Editing changes the content: text, images, annotations, signatures. Processing changes the file: merge, split, compress, OCR, convert. A tool that does both is convenient and usually better at one.
- Whether OCR is included. A scanned PDF is an image until OCR runs. Without it, search and text selection do nothing. The OCR engine and its language support are the hidden variable in any “all-in-one” claim.
- Where the processing happens. A local tool keeps the document on the machine. A service uploads it. For a contract or a medical record, the second is a decision about someone else’s server, and it is rarely stated plainly.
- What the editing can actually change. Adding an annotation is easy. Replacing a word in a paragraph requires font matching and reflow. Changing a scanned page requires OCR and reconstruction. These are three levels of editing sold under one word.
- Whether the output stays a PDF. A tool that converts to DOCX and back is a round trip with a layout risk. One that edits the PDF directly is safer for a final document, and it is the only option for a signed file.
- What the signature story is. A drawn signature is an image. A digital signature is a certificate with a validity check. Both are called signing, and only one of them means anything to a counterparty.
Our picks
- PDF Expert — Its record describes reading, annotating and editing PDFs including text and images, which is the editing case. Choose it when you read, annotate and edit PDFs and want it to be fast.
- UPDF — Its record describes a free PDF editor for reading, annotating and editing, which is the free-start case. Choose it when you want to start free and edit PDFs directly.
- PDF Reader Pro — Its record describes viewing, creating, signing, converting and compressing PDFs, which is the all-in-one case. Choose it when you need view, create, sign, convert and compress in one tool.
- PDFsail — Its record describes editing, converting, merging, compressing and OCR, which is the processing case. Choose it when the workflow includes OCR and merging as well as editing.
- OffPDF — Its record describes an offline toolbox that merges, splits, converts, compresses and OCRs files locally, which is the local case. Choose it when the document cannot leave the machine.
The apps
OffPDF
OffPDF is a productivity app for macOS. Open-source offline PDF toolbox for Apple silicon Macs that merges, splits, converts, compresses, and OCRs files locally. It is released under MIT.
What it does. OffPDF is a free, open-source desktop app to merge, split, compress, organize, OCR, convert, protect and repair PDF files — entirely on your computer. No uploads, no cloud, no account.
OffPDF is listed with current version 0.3.2.
Full profile and verified facts for OffPDF →
PDF Expert
PDF Expert is a productivity app for macOS. Read, annotate and edit PDFs, change text and images. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Download a free trial of PDF Expert – the best PDF software for your Mac. Enjoy advanced reading layouts, powerful PDF editing and classical annotation tools.
PDF Expert is listed with current version 3.13.4.
Full profile and verified facts for PDF Expert →
PDF Reader Pro
PDF Reader Pro is a productivity app for macOS. You Can view, create, sign, convert and compress any PDF documents. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. PDF Reader Pro is premium PDF software for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Praised by users for its functions like viewing, annotating, and editing PDFs.
PDF Reader Pro is listed with current version 5.3.0.
Full profile and verified facts for PDF Reader Pro →
PDFsail
PDFsail is a productivity app for macOS. All-in-one PDF tool for editing, converting, merging, compressing, and OCR. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. PDFSail offers free online PDF tools for editing, converting, merging, compressing, and OCR. No download required.
Full profile and verified facts for PDFsail →
SwifDoo PDF
SwifDoo PDF is a productivity app for macOS. PDF editor/converter for editing, compressing, and password-protecting PDFs. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Need to create, edit, convert, annotate, OCR, protect, and translate PDFs? SwifDoo PDF matches your needs and handles PDF files with ease.
SwifDoo PDF is listed with current version 2.0.5.1.
Full profile and verified facts for SwifDoo PDF →
UPDF
UPDF is a productivity app for macOS. Free PDF editor for reading, annotating, and editing PDFs. It is free.
UPDF is listed with current version 2.5.7.
Full profile and verified facts for UPDF →
How to choose
- Free of charge. UPDF — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. OffPDF — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. PDF Expert, PDF Reader Pro, PDFsail and SwifDoo PDF — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: OffPDF (1 of 6).
Common mistakes
- Editing a scanned PDF without OCR and wondering why the text is not selectable.
- Uploading a confidential document to a converter that does not say where it goes.
- Converting to DOCX to change one word and losing the layout.
- Calling a drawn signature a digital signature.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these pdf editors?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 6 pdf editors: OffPDF, PDF Expert, PDF Reader Pro, PDFsail, SwifDoo PDF and UPDF. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these pdf editors free?
Pricing across this group: open source (OffPDF), not published (PDF Expert, PDF Reader Pro, PDFsail and SwifDoo PDF) and free (UPDF). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these pdf editors are open source?
OffPDF (MIT) is open source.
Do these pdf editors support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
