Adobe Acrobat has been a pioneering software when it came to PDFs. It has been the go-to software for reading PDFs, both for Windows and Mac. However, nowadays there are several Adobe Reader alternatives for Mac. With such software, you can do much more with PDFs than simply converting documents into PDFs and reading them.
In the sections below we explore all that Adobe PDF software has to offer. After that we compare other PDF makers and reader alternatives, focusing on their features, pros, and cons.
This is one of the most comprehensive software on the market when it comes to PDF management. It helps users to create, convert, sign and edit PDF documents easily. It works for Mac and Windows computers. This leading alternative software to Adobe Acrobat even has enterprise-level functionalities. Unlike other subscription-based services, users can purchase a perpetual license for the same, at a nominal price. The software comes in nine different languages and is a comprehensive solution for businesses as well as individual users.
Key Features
Offers several PDF editing features.
Advanced editing options.
Easy-to-use interface.
The free version has a limited trial period.
Occasionally slow.
Overall Score:4.7 out of 5
Looking for Adobe reader alternatives for Mac? Click the link given below and learn about the top 3 PDF editors for Mac.
This is another handy alternative to Adobe Reader for Mac. It is a free PDF reader for Mac. It can be a useful alternative when users feel that Preview in Mac is not adequate. Skim offers more features that make it ideal for viewing PDFs, especially scientific papers.
It is useful to edit and read PDFs.
Offers more features than Preview.
Allows navigation with TOCs, highlighting text.
Integrates easily with PDFSync, LaTeX.
Does not have advanced features as found in Adobe Acrobat X.
Basic features are not evident.
Overall Score:3.5 out of 5
PDF Expert is a software of Readdle Inc. it is a robust, fast tool for Mac users. Besides allowing users to read PDFs it allows them to do other functions as well. Also, it is well adapted to the ecosystem of Apple. Hence, the same software can be on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. As a result, it allows users to transfer documents smoothly between these devices.
Loads and processes documents fast.
Allows securing PDFs with passwords.
Annotation and editing options.
Fast search feature.
Form filling option is present.
Available only for Mac and iOS device users.
Does not support the OCR feature.
Overall Score:4.2 out of 5
This software comes pre-loaded for Mac users. It is a full-featured, capable PDF editor. It can handle most of the personal and common business requirements with PDFs. It offers basic editing tools. This is a fixed software that comes with every version of Mac OS.
Offers PDF markup feature.
Form filling option available.
Protects PDFs with encryption, password.
Only for Mac systems.
Limited sharing options.
Overall Score:3.8 out of 5
This is a PDF reader for Mac that allows users to read PDFs easily. The main advantage that it provides is lightness. It is a lightweight reader which occupies only 3 MB of your local drive space. It is a compact reader software that can be a handy alternative to Adobe Acrobat reader. It offers language support for several different countries. It is also designed for ease of use.
Launches instantly.
Opens all forms of PDFs.
Added security feature.
DRM-X protection.
Does not include any editing feature.
Does not allow markup, annotation, or signing of PDFs.
Overall Score:3.0 out of 5
This software has been a pioneer in helping to distribute and read PDFs on different platforms. It comes as free software and is a trusted tool for signing, printing, viewing, sharing as well as annotating PDFs. It can also handle all kinds of PDF content, including multimedia files. It comes as free software for desktops as well as for mobile apps.
Main Features
These include the following:
Editing functions are easy.
The app allows easy scan and conversion to PDF.
Without administrator access, the software does not offer all functions.
Often product files get corrupt.
Tooexpensive
Adobe offers several versions of software for managing PDFs. While Acrobat Reader is the essential software for basic PDF tasks, the Pro version offers more features.
The main differences between the Reader and Pro software are the following:
Conclusion
There are several alternative software to Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac. Besides this software, there are several other software that allow Mac users to do more. PDFelement and PDF Expert can be handy solutions for editing, signing, annotating, and sharing PDFs. Of course, PDF expert works only for IOS devices whereas PDFelement is compatible with different platforms. As a basic reader and editor Preview for Mac works fine. HaiHaiSoft provides basic software that is lightweight and can be used by anyone.