PEP is an acronym for PDF Editing Program (for Mac). It's a free and open source PDF editor for Mac. It is a lightweight alternative to Adobe Acrobat. For now, PEP is work-in-progress and it's constantly updated everyday. Currently working on the core, a PDF engine called Gene from scratch. I put a lot of free time into improving PEP (PDF Editing Program) for Mac, the free and open source PDF editor for Mac. PEP is under development and alpha releases are sent out frequently. Official website: https://macpep.org. Skim (Open Source PDF Editor for Mac) This free note taker and PDF editor are made for macOS. It functions similarly to Preview. This program lets you review PDFs with comment features allowing you to make snapshots for easy reference, highlight important text, and navigate pages easily using a table of contents with a visual history.
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.
PDF files are the most popular type to publish some document in read-only mode both offline and online. Most of the software available online is only for reading the PDF documents called PDF reader. And people on internet aggressively looking for some Open source PDF editor solution which they can use without paying any penny. The PDF open source editors are bit different from PDF readers because they allow us to edit them. The best free PDF editor does not only let us edit the PDF files but also allow to add our own text, images, graphics, fill out form fields and more.
Some online PDF editors those use the web-based technology means they work in a web browser. To edit PDF online first you need to upload them to their website and then one can edit them which can be a privacy issue. But the best thing about such PDF online editors is you can use them from anywhere without installing any software locally on the computer. And once you have done the online PDF editing of our PDFs, you can save them back to our computer. Coming to the point, the best open source PDF editors we have mentioned in this article are available online, free of cost and active projects.
Top and Best Open Source PDF Editors for Windows, Mac, and Linux
LibreOffice draw pdf editor
LibreOffice is a complete office suite that consists all type of document reading, editing and creating tools such as Writer a Microsoft Word alternative, Calc alternative of Excel, Base for Database and so on. It also has one tool that known as Draw which is basically a diagram creator but also has strong ability to create and edit PDF files. It is one of the best open source PDF editor and a strong competitor in the world of PDF editing.
It is free and open source software and can be a good alternative for those don’t want to pay for proprietary software like Acrobat. It has all basic features you can expect from a free PDF editor open source, yes it is not a complete bundle of PDF editing tools but a good option in the open source word. Also, don’t forget that the LibreOffice is a whole office package and best alternative to Microsoft Office.
This open source PDF editor allows editing text, images, creating PDF files or delete PDF pages from pre-exist PDFs. It supports file conversion, export, import and can also Digitally sign the PDF files. The LibreOffice is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating system.
Apache OpenOffice Draw
Apache OpenOffice Draw is like LibreOffice Draw and can act as PDF reader and editor. It provides a couple of tools to edit PDF pages and allow them to save or import in different file formats. One can insert text, images, forms field and more using this open source PDF editor.
The interface of OpenOffice looks a bit old in comparison to LibreOffice Draw. If you talk about platform compatibility it supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.
PDFedit
PDFedit is still in a beta stage and falls under free and open source PDF editor software category. It can use as a PDF reader, PDF editor and also can extract information from a PDF file.
PdfEdit includes pdf editor which based on QT3.x that provides it a graphical interface. A person with a coding knowledge can modify the behavior of the editor using script and plugins. It can use to add text and images to the PDF files, moreover, a user can find change or delete any particular section, word or information. It is multiplatform supported PDF open source software that can work on Unix systems, Windows32/64 and also Windows CE and others.
InkScape
Inkscape is other open source software that can use to edit high graphics PDF files. It is not standalone PDF editor and majorly known for its powerful and free design tool but can act as open source editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. To edit PDF files created somewhere else it uses the Vector Graphics tool. It can use as basic PDF reader and open source PDF editor for removing and adding Images or Text to the file. The Inkscape is a portable software which means you not need to install it, moreover, you can carry it in a pen drive and use anywhere you want.
The main ability of this open source PDF editor software is creating sketches but it also allows exporting the files in PNG format. But remember it just a basic PDF editor.
PDFsam–PDF Split and Merge
PDFsam Basic is a free and open source pdf editor solution that can do basic editing tasks such as PDF split, merge, mix, extract pages and rotate PDF files. It available for Windows, Mac, Linux and any other operating system that supports Java Runtime Environment (with JavaFX) version 8 or above. It is free PDF reader and can create PDF file from 300+ file formats.
It also offers a premium version that allows the user to create PDF forms from scratch, add actions to print the document, send it by email and other. The paid version can feature 256 bits AES encryption, set permissions and the digital signature on a PDF file. Furthermore, the great thing is that it has OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support to extract text from images.
Scribus
Scribus is another open source PDF editor software that also a desktop publishing (DTP) application. It is GPL licensed free PDF software. It available all for leading system platforms such as for Unix, Linux, BSD, macOS, Haiku, Microsoft Windows, OS/2 and eComStation operating systems. Scribus is based on the free Qt toolkit.
This open source PDF editing software can use to create both animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms. It supports PDF/X-3 specification, JS forms, and offers a wide range of export options including PDF.
Instrument downloads for garageband. Also See: 5 Free & Best Open Source Office Suite Software
If you know any other open source PDF editor which works best in your case, please let us know…
PDF is a great format for distribution and sharing of files, you can open it, print it, even copy text from it, but the major downside, of course, is that you can't edit PDF files easily and freely once it’s been created. In this case, a free PDF Editor for Mac is extremely useful as it allows you to edit and re-master PDF documents. Here we have rounded up several best free PDF Editor for mac that everyone should try, you can choose the one fits your needs from the list according to information covered in the following parts.
All-in-One Mac PDF Editor and Manager
- Edit PDFs: crop, add text/shape, sign, comment, annotate, underline, strikethrough, etc
- Convert native PDF to 13 formats (Word, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, ePub, etc.)
- Create PDF from Word, PowerPoint, ePub, CHM, etc.
- Merge and split PDFs
- Encrypt and decrypt PDFs
- Compress PDFs
- Extract image from PDFs
Edit Pdf For Mac
Part 1. Best Free PDF Editor for Mac---Desktop Freeware
Foxit Reader for Mac
Foxit Reader for Mac is a free PDF editor for mac, fast and lightweight. PDF users may be quite familiar with Foxit, the leading PDF software developer to offer PDF solutions. With Foxit PDF Reader for mac, users can view, highlight, add bookmarks & comments,search and protect PDFs for free. Even, you can convert PDF to cPDF with this free PDF Editor for mac.
Preview
Your Mac comes with Preview, which is adequate for reading and managing PDF files, even doing some editing: It’s basically a limited PDF editor on mac for free, and there’s no download required! But if you've run the gamut (no pun intended) with what you can do with Preview, you're probably in need of something a bit more sophisticated.
With Preview, you can zoom, split, merge PDFs, add highlights and notes, rotate, add bookmark, protect PDF, and export to other editable formats.
Skim
Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. Most of the major features you need are covered by Skim including: adding and editing notes, highlighting important text, making snapshots for easy reference and navigation using table of contents or thumbnails, with visual history.
Part 2. Best Free PDF Editor for Mac---Web-based Service
PDFescape
PDFescape is an online PDF reader and editor. You are also allowed to create fillable pdf forms, protect pdf files with this free service. All you need to use is a JavaScript enabled web browser.
PDF Filler
PDF Filler is another web-based free PDF Editor for mac and Windows users to manipulate PDF online. It supports multiple ways to upload PDF files into its server for free editing, such as URL, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. Users are allowed to view, highlight, sign, add images, search PDF for free.
PDF Buddy
PDF Buddy is another online site that allows users to edit and manipulate PDF files. Features include the ability to add text, to annotate, to insert images and signatures, even split and merge PDF files.
Notes: Also, you can use Jotform to edit PDF online if you need extra recommendation. Online PDF Editor is easy to use, just follow the user-friendly interface to edit your PDFs. You are not recommended to upload complicate and confidential PDFs for editing.
Part 3. Things You Need to Know about Free PDF Editor for Mac
Although we have listed the best free PDF editors for Mac, they may fall short of PDF users' expectation in one way or another. Free PDF editor for Mac is able to finish the basic work and costs free, but it has some nonnegligible drawbacks. Check the following reasons that why you should ditch the free PDF editor for Mac and seek out a new solution on how to edit pdf.
- Some free PDF editors for Mac are not powerful enough, so you have no ways to open the PDF files in big size.
- When you try to handle the PDF files in some free tools, you may find the handwriting is blur and bewildering.
- Some free Mac PDF editors are not fluid, thus the screen might get stuck.
- For all I know, free online PDF editors are not particularly safe, you may have the opportunity to encounter the virus and receive junk mails.
Part 4. Extended: Best PDF Editor for Mac
Of course, when it comes to professional Mac PDF Editor for mac, the best-known tool is Adobe Acrobat, and no wonder: Adobe Systems created the PDF standard. However, Acrobat is not so affordable for many PDF users, and not all of its features needed to be frequently used. But since PDF is an open format, other Adobe alternatives which are considerably cheaper also allow you to edit PDF files.
Open Source Pdf Editor Mac Free Downloads
Cisdem PDFMaster for Mac
Cisdem PDFMaster comes with a full set of tools you need to edit, convert and manage PDF files on Mac as easy as in a Word processor. It basically meets all your needs to process a PDF on mac. By simply dragging and dropping PDF files, you can manage single or multiple PDF files at the same time, which makes the PDF editing and management highly efficient and extremely easy.
Main Features of Cisdem PDFMaster
- Basic PDF Editing features: crop, add text or shape; annotate, comment, highlight, sign, etc.;
- Convert PDF to 13 formats: Word, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, ePub, HTML, RTFD, Text and Image;
- Create PDF from Word, PowerPoint, ePub, HTML, CHM, Image and so on;
- Merge and split PDFs;
- Compress PDFs;
- Encrypt PDFs;
- Decrypt PDFs;
- Extract image from PDFs;
- Support batch process PDFs;
Free Download
Choose Your Best PDF Editor for Mac
| Ranking | PDF Editor | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisdem PDFMaster | View, edit, convert, create, sign, annotate, highlight, merge, split, compress, encrypt, decrypt, extract image; |
| 2 | Foxit Reader for Mac | View, highlight, add bookmarks & comments,search and protect PDFs |
| 3 | Preview | Read, split, merge, highlights,annotate, encrypt, compress and export to several editable formats |
| 4 | Skim | Read, highlight, edit note |
| 5 | PDFFiller | View, highlight, sign, add images/note/date, search PDF |
| 6 | PDFescape | Read, edit, encrypte, fill out forms |
| 7 | PDFBuddy | Edit,add text, annotate, sign, split, merge |
Final Words
Formulate Pro For Mac
Free PDF editor for mac is a real work, but when taking performance and security into consideration, they may disappoint you. If you need some of the additional features that come with the product and/or have a business operation that handles a lot of PDF documents, paid PDF Editor for Mac is the best choice. What did you go with? Let me know in the comments.