The best PDF editor for Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
If you need to change existing text and images in PDFs, Adobe Acrobat Pro and PDF Expert are the strongest Mac editors, by subscription or one-time purchase. Preview is free for annotating, filling and signing but cannot edit existing text. FileDial suits batch page jobs offline, and LibreOffice Draw is a free, limited fallback.
How we chose: FileDial is our product, so read this list with that in mind. We chose picks for PDF editing from each vendor's own published information (product pages, pricing pages, support docs and privacy statements), checked on 2026-11-09, plus FileDial's own documented behavior. We did not lab-test every tool or run size or speed benchmarks on the others, so we quote no numbers for them. Order reflects fit for this search, not who made the app. Checked 2026-11-09.
1. Adobe Acrobat Pro
Acrobat Pro lets you fix typos, change fonts and swap or crop images, converts PDFs to and from Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and uses OCR to turn scans into searchable, editable PDFs. Adobe describes it as available on desktop, web and mobile. Acrobat Standard costs less (US$14.99/mo on an annual plan billed monthly).
- Edits existing text and images
- OCR and Office conversion built in
- Works across desktop, web and mobile
- Subscription only
- Highest ongoing cost on this list
2. PDF Expert
Readdle's PDF Expert edits PDF text, images and links, fills forms, signs, combines files, converts PDFs to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and recognizes text in scanned documents with OCR. Readdle offers a yearly plan covering Mac, iPhone and iPad, and a lifetime plan for Mac only. It requires macOS 12 or later.
- Edits existing text, images and links
- Lifetime purchase available for Mac
- Same account works on iPhone and iPad
- Readdle notes some new features on the lifetime plan may cost extra
- Apple platforms only
3. Preview (built into macOS)
Preview's Markup toolbar adds text boxes, shapes, highlights, notes, sketches and signatures, and it fills forms and redacts selections. Apple is explicit that you cannot edit the existing text of a PDF in Preview. For many everyday jobs, though, adding text and a signature is all that is needed.
- Already installed
- Signatures via trackpad, camera or iPhone
- Rearranges, adds and deletes pages
- Cannot edit existing text
- No OCR or Office conversion
4. FileDial
FileDial is our app, and it is a toolkit rather than a full editor. Pages › Edit PDF… adds text, images, shapes and drawing to a new copy, and you get batch tools like Pages › Add page numbers, Pages › Add watermark text…, Sign & Lock › Redact text… and Convert › PDF to Word. It does not rewrite existing paragraphs the way Acrobat or PDF Expert do.
- Runs a tool on many PDFs at once
- Every result is a new file with Undo
- Works with Wi-Fi off
- Not a full text-reflow editor
- Not free after the 1-day trial
- Needs macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer)
5. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice is free and runs on macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon. Draw can open PDFs and treat the content as editable objects, but the LibreOffice community describes it as limited: layouts can shift and text does not reflow. Use it for small fixes when nothing else is available.
- Free and open source
- Can move and change individual text pieces
- Exports back to PDF
- Layouts can shift on import
- Not a dedicated PDF editor
What "editing a PDF" means for your choice
PDF editing covers two very different jobs. One is changing what is already on the page: fixing a typo in a paragraph, replacing a logo, changing a font. The other is adding to the page: a signature, a text box, a highlight, a page number or a watermark. Only the first needs a true PDF editor.
Acrobat Pro and PDF Expert are on top because both edit existing text and images and both include OCR and conversion to Office formats. Acrobat suits people who also work on Windows or in the browser; PDF Expert suits Mac and iPhone users who prefer a one-time purchase. If your job is in the second group, Preview or FileDial may be all you need.
Subscription or one-time purchase
Adobe sells Acrobat Pro only as a subscription, at US$19.99 per month on an annual plan billed monthly. Readdle offers PDF Expert as a yearly plan or a lifetime purchase on Mac, and the US Mac App Store lists its in-app purchases at $39.99, $79.99 and $139.99. Preview and LibreOffice cost nothing, and FileDial is $20 once after a 1-day trial.
If you edit PDFs every week for work, the cost of a full editor is easy to justify. If you edit a PDF a few times a year, start with the free options and add a paid tool only when you hit a wall.
Using the free options well
In Preview, open the PDF and show the Markup toolbar to add text, shapes, notes and signatures. Annotations stay editable when you save normally; Apple notes that printing to PDF flattens them. Preview also rearranges, adds and deletes pages from the sidebar.
LibreOffice Draw is worth trying when you must change a few words and have no paid editor. Expect to tidy the layout afterward, and keep the original file.
Where FileDial fits
FileDial is the right pick when the same edit has to happen to many files: numbering pages across a stack of contracts, stamping APPROVED on invoices, redacting a name everywhere it appears or adding a watermark to a batch of handouts. You select the files in Finder, hold the right Option key and choose the tool, and each result is saved as a new file beside the original. For rewriting paragraphs, use Acrobat or PDF Expert.
Questions
Can I edit text in a PDF with Preview on a Mac?
No. Apple's own guide says you cannot edit the text of a PDF in Preview. You can add new text boxes, shapes, highlights, notes and signatures on top of the page, fill in forms and rearrange pages. To change existing words, you need an editor such as Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDF Expert.
Is there a PDF editor for Mac without a subscription?
Yes. Readdle sells a lifetime licence for PDF Expert on Mac, FileDial is a one-time $20 purchase after a 1-day trial, and Preview and LibreOffice Draw are free. Adobe Acrobat Pro is sold only as a subscription.
Which PDF editor works offline on a Mac?
Desktop apps such as Acrobat Pro, PDF Expert, Preview, LibreOffice and FileDial are installed on the Mac rather than run in a browser. FileDial states that every tool runs on the Mac and works with Wi-Fi off. Check each vendor's documentation for features that use cloud services.