PDF has become a very important part of everybody’s life, from documents for office work to students notes, it is used almost everywhere. PDF stands for Portable Document Format. The pdf format is a great way to read ebooks, protect important documents and files. Initially, it was created so that users are not given the authority to edit the document but can only read them. PDF’s are pretty important in some companies. For sending and receiving important documents, PDF is more secure and looks professional than other documents. PDF is more of images of the documents and less of editable text files. Only the creator can edit the PDF, or someone who has the password for the pdf is allowed to edit the PDF.
- Skim is a Mac exclusive open source PDF editor that can help you modify your PDF in the desired manner. Using this tool, you can check your PDF files and review the comments for future edits. Also, Skim enables you to take snapshots for real-time references, highlight the most essential sections and easily navigate across various pages.
- So, let’s find out the 13 best PDF file editors for Mac computers in 2021. Image Source: Neowin. Adobe Acrobat is one of the most well-renowned PDF file editor software that offers the best desktop PDF solution including a mobile version to fill, sign, and share PDFs from any device.
- Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. It is designed to help you read and annotate scientific papers in PDF, but is also great for viewing any PDF file. Stop printing and start skimming. Explore the links to the left to investigate Skim and consider helping out with the project. Features: Viewing PDFs; Adding and editing notes.
- Open source PDF editor for Mac can also perform just as well as some of the premium variations. One should not frown upon open source PDF editors, but try out those put in this list and be amazed. Besides, PDFelement Pro is a perfect PDF editor you can try. Top 5 Open Source PDF Editor for Mac #1.
Online PDF editors are most importantly used for editing scans and PDF files. The best free PDF editor and paid ones for Windows 10,7,8 & others also help with transforming PDFs into Excel, PowerPoint and more. These best PDF editor for Windows 10 and other versions further provide commenting tools for making PDFs and defining signature workflows.
Why are PDF editors really required?
Open Source Pdf Editor Mac Freeware
For years whenever we hear the word PDF, only Adobe Acrobat used to come to our mind. The free version of Adobe Acrobat can be used for only reading a document; it does not allow any editing or modification whereas the paid version allows the user to create a pdf and edit it. PDF was propriety of Adobe till 2008, after that it was released as an open standard for all. It is not easy to find a free PDF editor that lets you not only edit the text and add images but also create an entire new PDF document. There are some best open source pdf editors, which does the job easily.
Usually, you only need to create a pdf not on a regular basis and hence you don’t feel like investing in buying PDF software. That’s where free pdf editor comes in. Free pdf editors are usually delicate which can be used on your web browser without downloading anything. These free pdf editors are developed through open source license. Some people believe that open source tools for creating PDF are not great, but that is not true, they perform as good as premium versions.
There is much software available to get the best free pdf editor, and all the software have their own advantages and disadvantages. But you can always use multiple open source pdf editor and do tasks which software is good at on that software, and something which it lacks on another software. Let us see the best open source pdf editor which you can use for your work.
Here is the best list of Open Source PDF Editor for Windows and Mac so you can try one for yourself for free, forever.
1. PDFsam
PDFsam is An open source pdf editor with a suite of two free PDF tools. PDFsam visual is a tool that allows you to visualize the document in the form of pages. PDFsam allows you to rotate, edit, move, cut and delete pages. PDFsam also has features like merging pages, extracting pages and mixing your pdf files. PDFsam is a professional and customizable solution which also allows you to sign and secure your pdf’s. It is free to view and create PDF’s from 300+ file formats. PDFsam allows you to organize your pages, change the order, save single or multiple pages. PDFsam requires Java to run. It can be a bit confusing at the start.
Platforms:Windows, MAC
2. LibreOffice
One of the most powerful and free office suite, LibreOffice is a complete office suite that consists of all type of document reading, editing, and creating tools. LibreOffice is free, simple and its community is great. LibreOffice allows you to edit PDF files easily. LibreOffice allows you to import, export, add or remove pages, texts, and pictures and also gives you the option to digitally sign the document. LibreOffice has all the features that you expect from a best open source editor. LibreOffice has one tool which is known as Draw that basically is a diagram creator but also a strong ability to create and edit PDF files. LibreOffice is compatible with a wide range of documents formats such as Microsoft word, excel, powerpoint. It also supports a modern and open standard k the Open Document Format. LibreOffice is easily one of the best free pdf editor for windows 10.
Platforms:Windows, MAC, Linux
3. Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice Draw is actually a drawing and graphics tool but can also be used for editing pdf files. Apache OpenOffice allows you to sketch complex plans, add, edit, delete and rotate images and vector graphics. It also gives you the option to add styles and formatting the files. Apache OpenOffice is easy to use and has a simple user interface. Apache OpenOffice is available in many languages. Apache OpenOffice has a built-in spell checker and more other features. Apache OpenOffice gives control to the user over images and graphics. One of the drawbacks of Apache OpenOffice is that it is bit slow compared to other open source options.
Platforms:Windows, MAC
Edit Pdf For Mac
4. Inkscape
Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor, especially for windows. Inkscape can be used to edit high graphics PDF files. Inkscape is mainly known for its powerful and free design tool. Inkscape can be used as a basic PDF reader and open source PDF editor for removing and adding images or text to the document. Inkscape is a portable software, which means you can just plug in a pen drive and use it anywhere on any device. The highlight of Inkscape is creating sketches and also allows exporting it in PNG format. The user interface of Inkscape is user-friendly. The drawback of Inkscape pdf editor is that it does not have all required tools.
Platforms:Windows, MAC, Linux
5. Sedja
One of the simplest yet versatile pdf editors, Sedja is best to open source pdf editor which works without any problems. Sedja offers a wide range of editing tools like inserting image, texts, links, shapes, graphs, and annotations. Sedja is available as an add-on for Google Drive. Sedja lets you load pdf from other websites. Sedja is pretty easy to use. Sedja allows you to enter hyperlinks and signatures too. You can also add blank pages in Sedja. Adding a new page and deleting a page is simple in Sedja. One thing to remember when you are using Sedja is that its session expires in 3 hours. So before the season expires, make sure that you save the work you are doing.
Platforms:Windows, MAC
6. PDFescape
PDFescape offers tonnes of options for free to edit your pdf document online. PDFescape lets you add images, texts, forms which are rare for a free pdf editor. PDFescape uses the concept of drag and drops user interface which makes all the operations to be performed very simple. PDFescape is free as well as paid. The free version does all the basic work a pdf editor should do such as editing, filling forms, password protection and sharing documents online. PDFescape is one of the best open source pdf editors.
Platforms: Windows
7. Scribus
Scribus is an open source PDF software that is GPL licensed free PDF software. Scribus can be used for both animated and interactive pdf presentation and forms. Scribus is one of the most powerful and useful open source projects out there. Scribus has a friendly interface which is easy to understand. Scribus supports professional publishing features. Scribus has a powerful vector drawing tool, support for a huge number of file types and so on. Scribus can recover damage files and documents.
Platforms:Windows, MAC, Linux, Haiku
8. Foxit
Foxit Reader is one of the best free editors for MAC. Foxit is fast and lightweight. Foxit reader allows the user to read, highlight, add bookmarks, comments, search. foxit also allows the user to protect the pdf document for free. One of the features of Foxit is that it allows the users to customize the document, ie allows the user to add header and footers, add texts, edit texts. Foxit can be said to be one of the best free pdf editors for MAC.
Platforms: MAC
9. Smallpdf
Smallpdf is a completely free software which lets you add more text to the PDF, allows you to add white space in the areas which you want to erase. Smallpdf can load different shapes by importing them. It can also load and save PDF’s from various sources. Smallpdf allows the user to merge, split, rotate, digital signing the document as well as giving protection to the pdf file. The user can change the main color and line color and also the thickness of the edge in Smallpdf. One of the drawbacks of Smallpdf is that only two PDF’s can be edited every hour.
Platforms:Windows, MAC, Linux
10. FormSwift
The free PDF editor by FormSwift is a very simple online PDF editor that can be used without even making a user account. You just have to upload PDF files on the website and by using the menus at the top of the page which lets you perform some basic PDF editing functions before you download it back in your computer. FormSwift does not leave a watermark when used. FormSwift can erase or remove existing text and images with white or black space. one of the unique features of FormSwift is that it lets you add your own custom text to PDF. It is easy to type, draw and sign the document.
Platforms:Windows, MAC, Linux
Conclusion
In Conclusion, we would like to say that PDF’s can play an important part in making your business more professional. With the mentioned free pdf editors, you can create professional looking documents which can be protected and only the authorized people can be given the right to edit it.
If you require pdf editor for basic necessities, then there are many free editors other than the mentioned in this article which you can opt for, but if you want something professional, you can always go for premium versions. All the software and open source have some or the other limitations but will do your work of editing the documents.
• Filed to: Mac Tutorials
Most of the tools that are created using the open source license are targeted at Windows users. This may seem to be so when you come to PDF editors. However, there are PDF editors hat have been specifically created for the Mac. The great thing about open source software is that it is free and is still under development. This means that future versions will have more features and they will not cot you any cash. Some of these PDF editors have very powerful features despite being developed on an open source license. Open source PDF editor for Mac can also perform just as well as some of the premium variations. One should not frown upon open source PDF editors, but try out those put in this list and be amazed. Besides, PDFelement Pro is a perfect PDF editor you can try.
Part 1. Top 5 Open Source PDF Editor for Mac
#1. Skim
Skim is primarily a PDF reader for Mac but it allows you to make some edits to PDF files. With the help of the open source PDF editor for Mac, you can add notes and make annotations to PDF files. It is a great tool for making presentations in PDF format. One can also add boxes and circles to a PDF file in order to emphasize something. The box can also be filled with white to create a white space for adding new text to the file.
Pros:
- The tool is easy to use and has quite a number of followers due to this.
- One can highlight and annotate text in order o emphasize a point.
- Can add white space for typing over in case one wants to change an entire paragraph or page.
- It is light and will not use up a lot of your system resources even when you load large PDF files.
Cons:
- The editing features are rather limited and it is not suitable for advanced PDF editing.
#2. Foxit
Foxit is primarily a PDF reader, but it is also an open source PDF editor for Mac that has some editing capability. You can add multimedia levels and make notes on PDF files. You can also run JavaScript on the file and secure the text. You can also select different blocks of text in order to edit. Editing with this tool can be somewhat tedious since every sentence is taken as a text box. You would have to go text box by text box, from the start of the page right to the end. This is a tool that enables you to see how many people read your document thanks to the connected signature feature.
Pros:
- It is easy to use.
- It allows for added multimedia levels.
- It can be used to annotate text.
- It has the ability to secure text.
- It has the ability to open protected PDF documents, which is quite a feat.
Cons:
- Every sentence is a text box, which makes the editing of a page to be very tedious.
#3. Scribus
Scribus is a cross-platform editing tool that is primarily a text editor. It can be also used as an open source PDF editor on Mac to edit PDF files. You can add text and images, but you cannot edit the original text. You have to create white space so you can write over the original text. Apart from just editing our PDF files, you can now do prepress operations using Scribus. Get your PDF files edited and then print out the color separations ready for the printing press. You can also create a PDF right from the start using this program. Scribus actually has some very powerful editing features locked beneath s very simple exterior. Make sure you give it a try and see how great it can be.
Pros:
- Can create a new PDF document.
- Can do prepress operations.
- Has a simple user interface.
- Gives you more control over the editing functions.
Cons:
- The fact that you cannot edit the existing content but have to write over it.
#4. Inkscape
Although Inkscape is a graphics tool, it is also able to edit PDF files. You can open PDF files and edit the images and text. Each sentence of the text is taken as a text box. This makes it quite challenging when you want to use it for editing large text areas. Editing a paragraph would means clicking on each sentence, changing it, and then moving to the next. This means that text does not flow and the results could be a bit odd. However, when it comes to editing the images in a PDF file, this is perhaps the best that you can get.
Pros:
- It is the best for editing images within a PDF file.
- It opens up any PDF file, even when they are protected.
- Ideal for converting PDF files into images.
Cons:
- Each sentence is a text box and this makes it challenging and awkward when editing paragraphs.
#5. Formulate Pro for Mac
Formulate Pro for Mac has been said to be one of the best open source PDF editors for Mac. It comes with very powerful features. You are able to redact your PDF files and add text on top. It also merges several PDF files into one and rearranges the pages. The tool is able to use OCR to turned scanned documents into editable text. You may create a PDF file from scratch using this tool, and then add special security measures including a digital signature.
Pros:
- It has the ability to create PDF files right from the start, which brings out the creativity in you.
- It can be used to create a digital signature for added protection of your work.
- It is able to convert other files into PDF and maintain the overall look.
- You can easily use the tool thanks to the simple user interface.
- You can edit images, text, and complete pages. This means that you can change the order of pages.
Cons:
- It cannot convert documents to ePub, and that limits its ability to provide all eBooks.
Part 2. The Best PDF Editor for Mac (10.15 Catalina Included)
PDFelement Pro for Mac (macOS 10.15 Catalina included) is a powerful PDF editor for Mac and allows you to edit every part of a PDF file, thanks to some of its wonderful features. Every elements of the PDF file will be editable, giving you full control over how the file will be in the end.
Steps to edit PDF files using PDFelement Pro for Mac (Including macOS 10.15 Catalina)
- Step 1: Download and install PDFelement Pro for Mac on your Mac
- Step 2: Click on 'Open File' button to import PDF files to the program.
- Step 3: Open the 'Edit' menu and choose the editing tools to edit texts, images, links and pages in PDF files with ease.
Why Choose PDFelement Pro to Edit PDF Files on Mac
With the help of PDFelement Pro, you can also change the order of the pages, delete some of them and do a lot more. Place your own digital ID on the PDF and also change the metadata. Scan printed document and turn them into editable text through OCR. Here are some of the other great features that can be found in this tool:
- Starting off with a blank file, you can create your own PDF files. The tool also allows you to get files of other formats and convert them to PDF.
- No more seeking out PDF Form templates on template sites. You simply have to create your own. You can also edit and fill out PDF forms from other sources.
- Add security to your PDF documents with a digital signature. You will get a digital ID which you will use to secure all your PDF files
- The PDF tool has a user interface that is easy to navigate and find editing features. This makes it fast and easy to use.
- The tool allows you to edit scanned documents and turn them into PDF files that can be edited. This is called the OCR process.