Top 11 PDF Readers for Mac and Macbook

Looking for the best PDF reader for your Mac? PDFs have become a standard file format, renowned for their cross-platform formatting compatibility. If you frequently handle PDFs on your Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, or Macbook, optimizing your PDF viewing experience can significantly boost your productivity.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the top PDF reader applications for Mac, providing you with a range of options to suit your needs.

Whether you prefer a free or paid solution, our team has meticulously researched and reviewed these 11 PDF readers, ensuring that you’ll find one that meets your requirements.  Read on to discover the perfect one for you.

The 11 Best PDF Readers for Mac: Compared

PDF Reader	Key Features	Pricing	Compatibility	Editor’s Rating
PDFgear Desktop	A completely free, sophisticated and customizable solution for managing and editing PDF files.	Free	Requires macOS 10.14 or later.	4.9/5
KDan PDF Reader	An excellent reader for common users, professionals and corporations.	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 10.13 or later.	4.6/5
PDF Reader Pro	Offers every fundamental feature in a simple, user-friendly design for most of the daily needs.	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 10.13 or later.	4.7/5
pdfFiller	The perfect solution for both organizations and individuals that require quick and effective digital document management with its user-friendly design.	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.	4.8/5
PDFelement	A fantastic deal for Mac users who want sophisticated editing.	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 10.14 or later.	4.7/5
LibreOffice	A free office program that can completely replace the office suite for even seasoned users	$8.99	Requires macOS 11.0.0 or later.	4.5/5
ABBYY FineReader PDF	One of the best OCR programs available for Mac users who need to convert PDFs, pictures, or any other documents into something that can be searched or edited.	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 11.0 or later.	4.7/5
Nitro PDF Pro	A multi-platform editor that is simple for even beginners to use while being replete with sophisticated tools and business-ready functions.	$139.99	Requires macOS 10.14 or later.	4.7/5
Foxit PDF Reader	A fantastic choice if you usually create PDFs for work and need collaboration.	Free	Requires macOS 10.12 or later.	4.5/5
Readdle PDF Expert	PDF Expert lives up to its name by offering all the capabilities required for an all-encompassing PDF experience.	$139.99 Offers in-app purchases	Requires macOS 10.13 or later.	4.6/5
PDF Professional Suite	A full-featured PDF tool that is dedicated to turning your Mac into a sophisticated one.	$29.99	Requires macOS 10.13 or later.	4.5/5

1. PDFgear Desktop

PDFgear is the best free pdf reader for Mac. It offers a wide range of features and tools that cater to the needs of both online and desktop users, making it one of the most productive PDF tools available, streamlining your PDF workflow.

The interface of PDFgear utilizes office-style tabs, which are clear, uncomplicated, and accompanied by large, well-labeled buttons for each function. While it provides advanced PDF functions for offline use, PDFgear’s online tools also allow you to convert, edit, fill, and sign PDF files directly in your browser, anytime and anywhere. It also provides convenient options to highlight specific parts of the text. Additionally, you can easily add annotations, and customizable stamps, and even express your ideas by drawing on your files. The tool also offers document management and compression capabilities.

Currently, PDFgear is completely free to use, and although developers may consider adding advanced paid functions in the future, you can enjoy its full functionality without any cost.

Pros:

• Completely free for use
• For offline use
• No restrictions on the number of conversions per day

Cons:

• Less customization for font and font size

Free Download PDFgear for Mac

2. KDan PDF Reader

KDan PDF Reader, available for free download on Mac, is a feature-rich PDF reader that enhances productivity for professionals. With KDan, you can effortlessly view, annotate, combine, organize, and sign PDFs, benefiting from its extensive range of document functions. The inclusion of an OCR converter allows for seamless sharing, file backup, and text extraction from photos.

Immerse yourself in various reading modes offered by KDan for a truly enjoyable reading experience. Furthermore, this PDF reader provides a convenient solution to digitally store all your PDF files within the program, streamlining organization and boosting efficiency when working on group projects.

KDan also empowers you to electronically sign, modify, and complete PDF forms, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and saving valuable time. Enhance the functionality of your files by effortlessly adding bookmarks, shapes, time stamps, and hyperlinks, taking your PDF experience to new heights.

Pros:

• Immediate synchronization
• Easy to use
• Accurate OCR

Cons:

• The interface should be updated
• Uniformity of the functions in different versions

Free Download KDan PDF Reader for Mac

3. PDF Reader Pro

PDF Reader Pro is a widely used PDF application installed on numerous personal, academic, and professional computers worldwide. It is available for macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows, allowing users to annotate, extract text, fill out forms, modify pages, sign, convert, and encrypt PDF files.

On Mac devices, PDF Reader Pro simplifies the process of editing PDF files. You can insert text, highlight it, strikethrough it, and create freehand markups like headers, footers, and notes. PDF files can be distributed through various apps such as Dropbox, Email, Skype, and Twitter.

In summary, while there may be other options available for editors with more advanced skills, PDF Reader Pro covers the essential features needed for daily use, offering a simple and user-friendly design.

Pros:

• Straightforward interface
• Encrypt PDF files
• Customizations

Cons:

• Can’t add or delete pages

Free Download PDF Reader Pro for Mac

4. pdfFiller

pdfFiller is a cloud-based form automation tool suitable for individuals as well as small to medium enterprises looking to utilize electronic forms. It offers a wide range of features, including a library of 25 million fillable papers and an online PDF editor. You can submit documents in various formats, including PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, and PPT.

With pdfFiller, users can create fillable PDF forms from scratch or convert existing forms. The tool allows you to search for specific words or phrases in a PDF, make comments, and highlight the most interesting parts of a document. You can also insert logos, text fields, images, reviews, and video lectures into PDFs.

pdfFiller complies with both US and EU security and privacy requirements, including GDPR and HIPAA. This makes it a suitable choice for businesses serving both US and European customers.

Pros:

• Money back guarantee
• User-friendly and easy to navigate
• Support for multiple data sources

Cons:

• Limited form templates
• The editing feature is not easy to handle

Free Download pdfFiller for Mac

5. PDFelement

Companies seeking a robust, user-friendly solution that can be standardized across both Windows and Mac platforms can turn to PDFelement. This cost-effective option optimizes document operations while accommodating limited software budgets.

PDFelement, developed by Wondershare Software in China, is a complete PDF solution available internationally in nine languages. It is compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Serving as a PDF editor and document management program, PDFelement simplifies the creation, editing, annotation, and conversion of PDF files. It supports features like comments, teamwork, and OCR. The program offers various viewing backgrounds, including Day, Eye Protection, Night, and Parchment. Users can also customize page orientation and document layout according to their preferences.

Pros:

• Batch processing
• Cost-effective
• Easy to learn

Cons:

• More options are needed to change the color/theme
• It sometimes rearranges the documents

Free Download PDFelement for Mac

6. LibreOffice

For Mac users in search of the best free PDF reader, LibreOffice stands out as an exceptional office program offering versatile functionalities. While it may not be a specialized PDF editor or creator, LibreOffice provides various options to modify basic PDFs.

Within the LibreOffice suite, Mac users can utilize LibreOffice Draw to edit PDF files. Furthermore, users can convert LibreOffice documents to PDF and add images and text. However, adding a signature is not supported directly. If you already have the signature as an image file, adding it becomes a simple task. Collaborative creation and editing of spreadsheet material, including backdrops, borders, and other features, is also possible with LibreOffice. Documents can be saved or exported in the ODS, Microsoft Excel, or PDF formats.

Given that LibreOffice is a free office program capable of fully replacing other office suites, it is highly recommended, especially for experienced users. Its open-source nature is an additional advantage.

 

Pros:

• Free
• Open-source
• Able to import and convert any document

Cons:

• Cannot add signature
• Less stable on Macs than other devices

Download LibreOffice for Mac

7. ABBYY FineReader PDF

ABBYY FineReader PDF, known as the best PDF reader for macOS, delivers unmatched accuracy, speed, and layout preservation in the realm of OCR programs. It excels at swiftly and precisely converting PDFs, images, and diverse documents into searchable or editable formats.

With ABBYY FineReader PDF, you can expect the utmost accuracy as it effortlessly transforms recognized text blocks from scanned documents into editable text, accommodating multiple languages. The resulting document can be exported while faithfully preserving the original formatting and style, available in widely used file formats like PDF and Microsoft Word. Even when dealing with older or lower-quality documents, ABBYY FineReader PDF ensures an exceptional OCR accuracy of up to 99.8%. Additionally, the program offers an array of supplementary features, including document comparisons, PDF splitting, document protection and signing, form filling, markup and annotation capabilities, commenting functionalities, and more.

Pros:

• Quick and simple for users
• A large selection of ePub and document export choices
• Character recognition and page layout analysis that is extremely accurate

Cons:

• Lacks the capacity to collaborate and edit text
• Ineffective for recognizing handwriting

Free Download ABBYY FineReader PDF for Mac

8. Nitro PDF Pro

Nitro Reader serves as the best pdf viewer for Mac and also offers a whole bunch of features for editing PDFs. While being accessible to beginners, it offers a wealth of sophisticated tools and business-ready functions. Nitro Reader allows zooming in and out, manual or finger flick page turning, saving pages for later reading, and converting text to graphics. The program also includes distinctive editing features for annotating, highlighting, and taking notes directly on PDF files.

Although not the most affordable option for Mac users, Nitro Reader provides a comprehensive suite of editing tools, including capabilities for reviewing, filling out and signing forms, and various security options for sensitive documents, such as permissions, password protection, and data redaction. Interactive components like links, photos, and document files can easily be added to PDFs.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Excellent document conversion
• High-quality output with format retention
• Batch processing

Cons:

• Expensive

Download Nitro PDF Pro for Mac

9. Foxit PDF Reader

Users from various backgrounds, including individuals, firms, government agencies, and educational institutions, can seamlessly read, generate, sign, annotate, and fill out PDFs. Foxit PDF Reader, a compact, blazing-fast, and feature-rich PDF reader, empowers users to produce, open, read, sign, and print any PDF file. It offers an array of features, such as text highlighting, note-taking, comments, and seamless integration with DocuSign.

For those seeking collaborative PDF workflows, Foxit Reader allows users to grant and revoke document access permissions. Additionally, it enables tracking of document activities, providing insights into who accessed the document and their actions.

To ensure document security and confidentiality, Foxit Reader provides several robust measures, including password protection, signature addition, and encryption. If you frequently create PDFs for work and require a collaborative environment, Foxit Reader emerges as an excellent choice.

Pros:

• Available in 8 languages
• Free for use
• Fast and lightweight

Cons:

• Sometimes buggy

Free Download Foxit PDF Reader for Mac

10. Readdle PDF Expert

Readdle’s PDF Expert is a remarkable PDF editor, packed with a plethora of useful features, even catering to novice users with its incredibly user-friendly interface. As its name implies, PDF Expert delivers a comprehensive PDF experience, enabling quick annotation, editing, OCR scanning, and exporting on your Mac. In addition to these functions, the tool excels at PDF reading, merging, and form filling. You can effortlessly add text, comments, customized forms, and highlight important content, while also rearranging, deleting, rotating pages, and merging multiple PDF documents.

Moreover, PDF Expert seamlessly synchronizes your documents across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, enhancing productivity and accessibility. In summary, PDF Expert stands as one of the finest PDF utilities available for Mac users.

Pros:

• Synchronizing data on all devices
• Simple interface
• Touch bar support

Cons:

• Requires annual payment

Download Readdle PDF Expert for Mac

11. PDF Professional Suite

PDF Professional Suite, a feature-rich PDF tool, transforms your Mac into a sophisticated PDF powerhouse. This application offers a wide range of capabilities, including annotation, reading, bookmarking, sharing, splitting, combining, compressing, and converting PDF files into TXT, Word, or HTM formats. The annotation tool further allows for customization, facilitating the addition of icons, symbols, freehand writing, and remarks. To prevent any confusion amidst your files, PDF Professional Suite conveniently saves the history of annotations.

Additionally, the program features a presentation mode that swiftly converts any PDF file into a captivating slideshow presentation. This tool proves invaluable for individuals who frequently engage with PDF files.

Pros:

• Easy to use interface
• Presentation mode
• Able to record the annotations

Cons:

• Sharing function is complicated

Download PDF Professional Suite for Mac

How Do We Pick the Best PDF Readers for Mac

There are a large number of PDF readers available for Mac users to select from. The ideal option for a user will mostly rely on their daily demands.

My team and I first did a survey of users’ daily needs: The majority of users use PDF readers for daily reading needs; a smaller percentage use them for work-related needs, in which case the majority of the requirements are for basic office functions; other users have advanced business requirements, so they require extremely professional PDF readers, which they normally have to pay to download.

We have come up with a list of 11 apps with thorough descriptions and comparisons based on these requirements. After reading this post, users can pick one based on their requirements.

FAQs

What is the best free PDF reader for MacBook?

PDF Reader Pro is the best free PDF reader for MacBook as its user interface is well-designed and easy to navigate, which can meet most users’ daily reading needs.

Does macOS come with a PDF editor?

Sure, every Mac computer has a tool that helps you fill out and sign PDF. Which tool it uses depends on what version of macOS your Mac is running. Some Macs might use Quick Look, but most of them use the Preview app.

What is the best PDF editor and reader for Mac?

According to the editor who has done a lot of research, PDFgear Desktop is the best free PDF editor and reader for Mac.

What is the best free PDF editor for MacBook?

Readdle’s PDF Expert is the best PDF editor with a ton of handy features for people who frequently use PDF files.