Top PDF Editors for Mac with Annotation Features (2026)

The best PDF editors for Mac with annotation features include Preview (free, built-in), RaptorPDF (free, browser-based), PDF Expert (paid, excellent for heavy annotation), and Adobe Acrobat (paid, industry standard). This guide compares their annotation tools, pricing, and best use cases to help you choose the right one for macOS.

Top Mac PDF Editors with Annotation Features

1. Preview (Built-in macOS) — Best Free Option

Preview comes pre-installed on every Mac and offers surprisingly powerful annotation tools. It's the go-to choice for most Mac users who need to highlight, comment, and mark up PDFs without installing additional software.

Annotation features: Highlight (multiple colors), underline, strikethrough, sticky notes, text boxes, shapes (arrows, rectangles, ovals), signatures, sketch tool, and magnifier.

• Price: Free (included with macOS)
• Best for: Personal annotation, light academic use, quick markup
• Limitation: No comment management, no collaboration, no cloud sync

2. RaptorPDF — Best Browser-Based Option for Mac

RaptorPDF works directly in Safari or Chrome on Mac — no installation, no account. It's ideal for quick annotation tasks when you're on a shared or restricted Mac, or when you want file privacy (everything processes locally in your browser).

Annotation features: Text boxes, highlighting, freehand drawing, sticky notes, stamps, and signature insertion.

• Price: Free (no sign-up needed)
• Best for: Quick annotation, privacy-conscious users, no-install workflows

3. PDF Expert — Best Paid Mac PDF Annotator

PDF Expert by Readdle is a Mac-native PDF app with a beautiful interface and comprehensive annotation features. It's popular with academics, students, and professionals who annotate heavily and need features like annotation summaries, search within annotations, and link creation.

• Price: $79.99/year or one-time purchase
• Best for: Heavy annotation users, students, researchers
• Standout feature: Annotation summary — export all notes to a separate document

4. Adobe Acrobat Pro — Most Feature-Complete

Adobe Acrobat Pro includes all annotation features plus advanced tools like redaction, form creation, and digital signatures. It's the industry standard but the most expensive option.

• Price: $19.99/month
• Best for: Professional workflows, legal, enterprise environments
• Standout feature: Comment & review tools for team collaboration

5. Skim — Free Open-Source Academic Option

Skim is a free, open-source PDF reader and annotator designed for academic use on Mac. It integrates well with LaTeX workflows and BibTeX, making it popular in research environments.

• Price: Free (open source)
• Best for: Academics, researchers using LaTeX

Feature Comparison Table

Tool	Price	Highlight	Notes	Signatures	Collaboration
Preview	Free	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
RaptorPDF	Free	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
PDF Expert	$79.99/yr	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited
Adobe Acrobat Pro	$19.99/mo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Skim	Free	Yes	Yes	No	No

Using Preview on Mac for PDF Annotation

Here's how to annotate a PDF with macOS Preview:

1. Open your PDF in Preview (double-click or right-click > Open With > Preview)
2. Click the Markup Toolbar button (pen tip icon, top right) or press Shift+Cmd+A
3. Select your annotation tool from the toolbar
4. To highlight: select the Highlight tool (yellow marker), then drag over text
5. To add a note: click the speech bubble icon, click the document, type your note
6. To add a signature: click the Signature tool, create or select a saved signature
7. Save with Cmd+S when done

Browser-Based Annotation on Mac

For Mac users who prefer not to install software, RaptorPDF offers full annotation capabilities directly in your browser:

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources

• RaptorPDF Annotator — Free browser-based annotation for Mac
• PDF Annotation Tools Comparison
• Add Signatures to PDFs