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PDFs have become the standard format for sharing documents digitally. They maintain formatting across devices, are easy to view and annotate, and can even include fillable forms and e-signatures. Whether you‘re a student, business professional, or casual computer user, knowing how to work with PDFs is essential.
On Windows, one of the most popular tools for creating and editing PDFs is Nitro PDF. It has a robust set of features at a more affordable price than Adobe Acrobat. But unfortunately for Mac users, there is no version of Nitro PDF for macOS.
Don‘t worry though – there are plenty of excellent alternatives to Nitro PDF on the Mac! After testing over a dozen different options, I‘ve compiled a list of the top 10 PDF editors for macOS. These tools have many of the same capabilities as Nitro PDF, including:
- Creating new PDFs from scratch or by combining other files
- Converting PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and image formats
- Editing text and images within a PDF
- Annotating PDFs with highlighter, comments, shapes, and drawings
- Filling out and signing PDF forms
- Redacting (blacking out) sensitive information
- Protecting PDFs with passwords and permissions
- Recognizing text in scanned documents
- Compressing PDFs to smaller file sizes
So while you can‘t get Nitro PDF for your Mac, one of these alternatives is sure to fit your needs and budget. I‘ll start by giving an overview of each tool, and then share some insights from my hands-on testing. Finally, I‘ll make recommendations on which PDF editor is best depending on your specific use case.
Let‘s dive in! Here are the top 10 alternatives to Nitro PDF on Mac, starting with my overall favorite:
1. PDFelement
PDFelement is a full-featured PDF editor for Mac that can handle pretty much any PDF-related task you throw at it. The interface is well-designed and easy to navigate, with tools organized into logical categories.
PDFelement has excellent PDF creation capabilities. You can generate a PDF from any file type, either individually or in batches. Scanned documents can be turned into PDFs with accurate OCR. PDFs can also be converted to all popular formats, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, and images.
When it comes to editing, PDFelement lets you modify text, images, links and more. Typos can be fixed and entire paragraphs rewritten. Images can be resized, replaced, or removed entirely. Watermarks can be applied to one or all pages.
Annotating PDFs is also a breeze. Highlight key information, add comments, draw shapes and freehand sketches, and embed stamps and signatures. Collaborate with others via sticky notes and @mentions.
For filling out forms, PDFelement automatically detects fillable fields. You can add text, check boxes, radio buttons, dropdown menus, and digital signatures.
Redaction tools let you permanently remove sensitive data. You can search for keywords and redact all instances in one go. Redacted pages can be flattened so the blacked out parts can‘t be uncovered.
PDFelement has enterprise-grade security too. Restrict who can open, copy, edit, or print a document. Add passwords and permissions, sign with DocuSign, and validate and request signatures from others.
PDFelement also compresses PDFs to reduce file size while preserving quality. You can optimize a PDF for the web, email, or print.
Pricing is reasonable with PDFelement, especially compared to Adobe Acrobat. A perpetual Standard license is $79, while the Pro version is $129. Both are frequently on sale too. There‘s also a $69/year Pro subscription.
Overall, PDFelement is one of the most robust, well-rounded PDF editors available on Mac. It has all the tools most users need in an intuitive, affordable package. You can try it free for 7 days to see if it meets your needs.
2. PDF Expert
If you value speed and simplicity, PDF Expert is an excellent choice. It‘s not as feature-rich as PDFelement, but it makes up for it with a highly intuitive interface and fast performance.
PDF Expert excels at annotation. Add notes, comments, and highlights to collaborate on a document. Draw shapes, lines, and freehand sketches. Fill out PDF forms, adding text and signatures.
You can also make basic edits to text and images within PDFs. Fix typos, adjust or replace photos, and rearrange pages. Redaction tools allow blacking out private info.
Unique PDF Expert features include reading mode to remove distracting menus, tabs to keep multiple PDFs open, and iOS/iPadOS apps for working across Apple devices. The latest version 3 runs natively on Apple Silicon for optimal speed.
PDF Expert costs $79.99/year for all features. If you don‘t need OCR, you can buy version 2 for a one-time $139.99 fee.
For the average Mac user who mainly views and annotates PDFs, PDF Expert is an excellent pick. It‘s fast, easy to use, and more affordable than most competitors. Give the free 7-day trial a spin.
3. PDFpen
PDFpen has been a popular Mac PDF editor for over a decade. It has a solid set of PDF editing and annotation tools, plus some unique features not found in competitors.
With PDFpen, you get full editing capabilities including modifying text, replacing fonts, and updating images. The app automatically detects image resolution to maintain print quality.
Annotation tools include sticky notes, comments, highlighting, freehand drawing, and custom stamps. You can overlay proofreading marks and export them for use in other documents.
PDFpen offers several scanning and OCR features too. Scan directly from your iPhone or iPad, perform OCR on existing scans, and edit recognized text. Documents can be scanned at up to 600dpi for pristine quality.
One of PDFpen‘s most unique tools is precision edit mode. This lets you edit a PDF in an object-oriented interface, moving and adjusting individual elements. There‘s also a unique imposition layout mode to arrange multiple pages onto a single sheet.
Pricing for PDFpen is in the mid-range at $129.95 for the standard version and $179.95 for Pro. You can also subscribe for $79/year (standard) or $124.95/year (Pro).
For Mac users who want a balance of features and usability, PDFpen is a great choice. It‘s not quite as fast or pretty as PDF Expert, but it has a broader toolset. The Pro version, with its scanning and form capabilities, is especially compelling. Take advantage of the demo to see it in action.
4. ABBYY FineReader PDF
ABBYY FineReader is a heavyweight PDF editor with best-in-class OCR capabilities. If your main use case is extracting text and tables from scanned documents, it‘s the tool for you.
The app‘s OCR supports a whopping 192 languages, from Afrikaans to Zulu. ABBYY has been developing OCR tech since 1989, and it really shows. Documents are converted quickly and accurately, with impressive reconstruction of complex layouts.
FineReader doesn‘t skimp on editing tools either. It offers the full slate of PDF modification features, including editing text/images/links, updating fonts, adjusting colors, and redacting content.
Annotation options are robust as well, with everything from sticky notes to Bates numbering. Audio comments can even be recorded and embedded.
Unique features in FineReader include editing scanned PDFs as if they‘re native documents, comparing two versions of a document to spot changes, and creating interactive PDF forms from scans.
All this power doesn‘t come cheap. A perpetual FineReader license is $199, with the upgrade to each new version running $99. Subscription pricing recently became available, starting at $13.99/month or $149/year.
FineReader is overkill for the average user, but if OCR and advanced PDF editing are make-or-break features for you, the high price is justified. Download the free trial to give it a test drive.
5. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
As the pioneer of the PDF format, no list of PDF editors is complete without Adobe Acrobat. The latest Pro DC version remains an industry standard, with an unparalleled feature set… and a price tag to match.
Acrobat Pro DC lets you create PDFs from any file type, combine PDFs, and export to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats. Scanned PDFs are converted with Adobe‘s Sensei AI tech.
Editing is comprehensive, allowing modification of text, images, backgrounds, and objects. Typos can be fixed, fonts replaced, and colors adjusted. Unwanted elements can be removed entirely.
Collaboration tools include all the usual annotation options – sticky notes, @mentions, highlighting, drawing tools, and so on. You can also mark up PDFs with proofreading symbols.
Acrobat has a full suite of security features too. Restrict editing and copying, redact permanently, add passwords, and get real-time alerts when a PDF is viewed or signed.
Adobe‘s e-signature solution, Fill & Sign, is integrated. Send documents to be signed with a single click, and automatically archive the signed copies.
All these capabilities don‘t come cheap. Acrobat Pro DC is $239.88/year if you pay annually, or $24.99/month on a month-to-month basis.
For most Mac users, the high price doesn‘t justify the extra features compared to more affordable options. But if you‘re already paying for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you likely have access to Pro DC already. For enterprise users, the electronic signature features alone may be worth the price.
Hands-on Testing
To gauge real-world performance, I put each of the PDF editors listed above through a series of tests. I evaluated speed, accuracy, user interface, and unique features.
In terms of overall ease of use, PDF Expert was the clear winner. The app launched quickly, and the tools were laid out logically. I was able to perform common tasks like annotations intuitively, with minimal hunting through menus.
PDFelement and PDFpen also had clean, well-organized interfaces. The learning curve was a bit steeper, with more advanced tools to wrap my head around, but everything was still fairly straightforward. One edge PDFelement had was the ability to customize the toolbar with my most-used tools.
FineReader and Acrobat both felt a bit clunky and dated by comparison. The sheer number of features meant more time spent digging through menus. Performance also felt a bit sluggish, even on my M1 MacBook Pro.
When it came to editing text and images, PDFelement was the most accurate. Complex layouts were preserved properly, and replaced images blended in seamlessly. PDFpen and Acrobat were no slouches either. FineReader struggled a bit with text reflow and image positioning.
For OCR, ABBYY FineReader was unmatched. It blew through a 50-page document in multiple languages nearly flawlessly. Acrobat‘s OCR was also solid, albeit slower. The other apps were a mixed bag when it came to scan quality and reconstruction of complex formatting like tables.
PDF Expert, PDFelement, and PDFpen were my favorites for annotation. The tools were intuitive, with support for Apple Pencil. Acrobat was also feature-rich but felt sluggish. FineReader‘s annotation tools were a bit outdated.
Ultimately, my top pick was PDFelement thanks to its combination of usability, accuracy, and breadth of features. PDF Expert is a close second, especially for users who prioritize speed and simplicity. ABBYY FineReader remains the gold standard for OCR, while Adobe Acrobat is the most powerful overall PDF editor, albeit at a steep price.
Which PDF Editor Is Right for You?
With all the capable alternatives available, which should you choose to replace Nitro PDF on your Mac? Here are my recommendations for common use cases:
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For all-around PDF editing, annotation, and form filling, go with PDFelement. It has the best balance of features and affordability.
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For users who mostly read and annotate PDFs, PDF Expert is the fastest and most intuitive option. PDFpen is a solid choice too.
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If your main use case is OCR, ABBYY FineReader is unrivaled. Its text recognition is both speedy and accurate, especially with complex layouts.
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For enterprises with large teams collaborating on documents, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the most secure option, with robust access controls and integration with other business systems.
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On a tight budget, Smallpdf and online editors like Sejda offer basic editing features without the high price tag.
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For only quick viewing and annotations, macOS‘s built-in Preview app is surprisingly capable.
Conclusion
Not having access to Nitro PDF on the Mac may seem like a bummer at first, but as you can see, there are plenty of full-featured alternatives for every need and budget. Whether you opt for an all-in-one solution like PDFelement, a streamlined editor like PDF Expert, or a heavyweight like Adobe Acrobat, you‘ll be well on your way to becoming a PDF guru.
Before settling on an editor, be sure to take advantage of the free trials that most of them offer. Experiment with different tools and see which ones fit into your workflow the best. With the knowledge from this guide and some hands-on experience, you‘ll find the perfect Nitro PDF replacement in no time.
Now go forth and conquer those PDFs with your Mac! As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments with any questions.