The short answer. For most desktop work, PDFgear is the one to try first: it is free, and it covers editing, converting, OCR, form filling and signing in one app. BindPDF is the right answer when the job is only to combine files and you want an open-source tool that does exactly that. Collate is for querying and summarising documents with a model that runs offline. PDF JustFit is a different case worth reading carefully — our record describes it as an on-device toolkit for iPhone and iPad rather than Mac, so choose it for mobile on-device compression, not as your desktop editor.
This guide covers 4 pdf tools 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. Last verified 2026-10-05.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDFgear | PDF tool | Free | proprietary | 2.28 |
| PDF JustFit | PDF tool | Paid | not published | 1.0 |
| bindPDF | PDF tool | Open source | MIT | 1.0.0 |
| Collate | PDF tool | Free | not published | 1.10 |
Disclosure. PDF JustFit is a product published by Nuanyue. This page is a product listing, not an independent review.
What actually decides this
- Local versus uploaded. A PDF is often a contract, a statement or a medical record. Whether the document is processed on your machine or sent to a server is the first question, and it is usually buried under a free-tier offer.
- The specific job. Merging, compressing to a target size, editing text, converting formats and querying a document are five different features that get sold as one. Decide which one you need before paying for a suite.
- What redaction actually does. Drawing a black rectangle over text leaves the text underneath, selectable and copyable. Real redaction removes it from the file. This is the single most consequential difference in the category.
- Where it runs. A desktop app, a mobile app and a web service are not interchangeable. Several tools here target one platform specifically, so check before assuming the Mac is covered.
- What a free tool keeps. A free editor is a business decision. The relevant questions are whether it watermarks the output, whether it needs an account, and what it does with a document you open in it.
Our picks
- PDFgear — It edits text and images, converts to many formats, runs OCR, redacts, fills forms and signs, and our record notes it does this without ads or watermarks. Choose it when you want one free desktop app to cover editing, converting and signing.
- bindPDF — It is an open-source tool that merges multiple PDFs into one through a simple interface, which is the right scope for a single-purpose job. Choose it when the only thing you need is to combine files.
- Collate — It collects, summarises and queries PDFs offline, which keeps a confidential document local while still letting you search it. Choose it when you want to ask questions of a document without it leaving your machine.
- PDF JustFit — Our record describes it as an on-device PDF toolkit for iOS: it compresses to a target size, converts between formats and answers questions about a document locally. Choose it when you are working on an iPhone or iPad and want the processing to stay on the device.
The apps
PDFgear
PDFgear is a PDF tool for macOS. Completely free PDF editor for Mac with a built-in AI assistant: edit text and images, convert to 30+ formats, OCR scanned pages, redact, fill forms and sign, with no ads or watermarks. It is released under proprietary. It is free.
Strengths. Genuinely free: the site states there are no ads, no product promotions, no forced upgrades and no watermarks on saved PDFs. According to the developer, edits PDF text directly without converting the file to Word first, which is unusual in a free editor. According to the developer, redaction permanently removes the selected content rather than covering it, so hidden text cannot be recovered after sharing.
Trade-offs. According to the developer, the AI features, online services, help content and updates all need an internet connection. The vendor’s Mac page and its App Store listing state different minimum macOS versions. Closed source, so there is no way to audit what a tool handling signed documents does with them. The vendor’s own pages disagree on the macOS floor: the Mac product page says macOS 10.14 or later, while the App Store listing for the current build requires macOS 12.0. Nuanyue records the App Store figure. The AI assistant, online services, help content and software updates require an internet connection; most other editing runs locally.
Not for. Anyone who needs a fully offline tool, since the AI features, online services, help content and software updates all require an internet connection. Users on macOS 11 or earlier, where the App Store build requires macOS 12. People who need deep pre-press or print-production features, which are not what this tool is for.
What it does. Edit existing PDF text directly — wording, font, size, colour and spacing — without converting to Word first. Resize or replace images, and add highlights and comments while reviewing. AI assistant that summarises a long PDF, explains difficult passages, translates text and answers questions about it. Convert to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, TXT, JPG, PNG and 30+ other formats, with batch conversion run offline.
PDFgear is listed with current version 2.28.
Full profile and verified facts for PDFgear →
PDF JustFit
PDF JustFit is a PDF tool for macOS. PDF JustFit is an on-device PDF toolkit for iPhone and iPad. It compresses a document to a target file size, converts between PDF, images and text, and answers questions about a document with a private on-device assistant. It is paid.
Strengths. According to the developer, compresses to an exact target size — set 2 MB and a two-stage solver finds the best quality that fits, rather than offering only fixed presets. According to the developer, compression, conversion, OCR and AI chat all run on-device; documents are not uploaded and no account is required. Bundles conversion, OCR, signing, annotation and on-device document chat in one iPhone and iPad app rather than several.
Trade-offs. iOS and iPadOS only — there is no macOS or Windows version, and the developer notes that Mac compatibility is listed by the App Store but not verified for macOS. According to the developer, the on-device AI assistant needs an extra model download of about 1 GB before it works offline. Requires iOS or iPadOS 26.5 or later.
Not for. Mac users — PDF JustFit is an iPhone and iPad app, not a macOS app. Users who need desktop-class page layout or prepress tools.
What it does. Compresses to an exact target size, such as 2 MB, using a two-stage solver. Four quality presets (Light, Balanced, Strong, Extreme) plus Smart and Maximum modes. Converts between PDF, images and text, and runs OCR on scanned pages. Signs and annotates documents with Apple Pencil or a finger.
PDF JustFit is listed with current version 1.0.
Full profile and verified facts for PDF JustFit →
bindPDF
bindPDF is a PDF tool for macOS. Combine multiple PDF files into a single PDF file using a friendly UI. It is released under MIT.
What it does. A friendly UI to combine multiple PDFs into a single PDF.
bindPDF is listed with current version 1.0.0.
Full profile and verified facts for bindPDF →
Collate
Collate is a PDF tool for macOS. Free tool to collect, summarize and query PDFs with AI. All offline and free. It is free.
What it does. Read, chat with, summarize, and organize PDFs in a native Mac app. Use Local AI on your device or explicitly choose a BYOK cloud model.
Collate is listed with current version 1.10.
Full profile and verified facts for Collate →
How to choose
- Free of charge. PDFgear and Collate — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. bindPDF — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Paid. PDF JustFit — a paid product.
Open source: bindPDF (1 of 4).
Common mistakes
- Redacting by covering text with a black box. The text is still in the file and still selectable; real redaction has to remove it.
- Uploading a confidential document to a free online tool without checking where it goes and how long it is kept.
- Assuming a free editor will not stamp its own mark on the output. Check before you send the result to someone else.
- Merging files and losing the bookmarks, form fields or signatures that were in the originals. Check the output, not just the page count.
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.
Verified 2026-10-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these pdf tools?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 4 pdf tools: PDFgear, PDF JustFit, bindPDF and Collate. 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 tools free?
Pricing across this group: free (PDFgear and Collate), paid (PDF JustFit) and open source (bindPDF). 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 tools are open source?
bindPDF (MIT) is open source.
Do these pdf tools 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.
Who should not use these apps?
PDFgear and PDF JustFit each list an audience they are explicitly not aimed at. Those notes come from the same verified records as the rest of this guide, and they are worth reading before you install anything.
When was this data last verified?
The facts in this guide were last confirmed on 2026-10-05. Every app page carries its own verification dates and source list, so you can check any individual claim.
