Ebooks are a great way to enjoy literature – they’re cheaper than print books due to the lack of print and distribution costs (and completely free if the work is in the public domain), and you start reading seconds after buying one.

You don’t need a specialist device like a Kindle either thanks to the many free ebook readers available for your desktop. These are particularly good for students who want to reference texts in their work, add annotations, or refer to online resources.

So what makes a good ebook reader? For general use, a clear layout and the ability to sync your bookshelf across multiple devices are essential; for students, note-taking and bookmarks are essential; and for anyone who sometimes struggles with their eyesight, text-to-speech and one-click font customization are welcome additions.

2/ PDFescape Online (free for small files, $2.99/mo otherwise) This is not really a “Mac” app, but since PDFescape also works online, Mac users can go for it.It’s an online web editor that lets people create and edit PDF files.

1. The reader itself is similar to the Kindle app in appearance, with one-click (or tap) buttons for changing font size, color theme (day, night, or sepia), and viewing the table of contents.
2. In our 2016 review of the top free non-adobe PDF reader, we found 5 we could recommend with the best of these as good as any commercial product. Introduction This category includes desktop programs that can be used for reading and annotating PDF documents, other than the slow and bloated Adobe Reader.

• Thinking of buying a Kindle? Find the right one for you

1. Kindle for PC

The best free ebook reader, whether you use Amazon or not

Amazon’s official Kindle app for Windows (as well as Mac and mobile devices) is smart and stylish, and although it tempts you with reading suggestions from the Kindle store, the sales pitch isn’t too in-your-face.

There’s no setup necessary if you already have an Amazon account. Just log in with your usual username and password and your virtual shelves will be populated automatically (though you’ll have to click a book’s cover to download it, so bear this in mind if you’re planning some offline reading). Notes and bookmarks are synced across devices automatically, as are flashcards – an extremely useful addition for students using digital textbooks for revision.

Kindle for Windows also includes text-to-speech function, and changing font sizes and color schemes is as simple as clicking or tapping a button.

2. Freda

Premium features for free – Freda is a real rival to Amazon’s crown

Freda (from the delightfully-named Turnipsoft) is a superb ebook reader that integrates with Project Gutenberg, giving you access to thousands of free ebooks, and Smashwords, where you can find works from independent authors and publishers. Importing your own ebooks is a piece of cake too, with support for all the most popular formats. You can even connect Freda to your Dropbox account enabling you to access books from multiple devices.

Freda supports bookmarks, annotations and highlighting, making it a good choice for students. There’s also text-to-speech for anyone who has trouble with text on screens, as well as auto-scroll and speed-read – a tool that works much like Spritz, displaying words in quick succession so you can read without moving your eyes.

Freda is funded by ads, but these are discreet and are only visible on the bookshelf screen; they won’t interrupt your reading.

3. Calibre

An open source ebook reader that’s a great choice for students

Calibre is an open source ebook reader and manager that’s lightweight and lightning-fast. Unlike many free ebook readers, Calibre supports Amazon’s AWZ format (though it won’t open DRM-protected files) as well as all the other popular ebook file types, and if any metadata is missing (such as genre or cover art), you can add it yourself using the bookshelf’s options menu.

One of Calibre’s best features is Reference Mode, which displays the current chapter and paragraph number in the top left – ideal if you need to cite references in an essay. We also like Flow Mode, where text is shown as a continuous scrolling stream without page breaks; not as pleasant as simulated page-turning for recreational reading, but a handy time-saver to avoid flicking backwards and forwards through a textbook.

4. Sumatra PDF

A PDF, ebook and comic reader that's ideal for multiple PCs

Despite its name, Sumatra PDF is a great little ebook reader, capable of displaying books in EPUB and MOBI format, as well as comic books in CBZ and CBR comic books.

Sumatra PDF is a portable app, so you can save it to a USB stick or cloud storage service and use it on any PC. You can save your ebooks in the same place too, eliminating the need to sync your library.

It’s easy to adjust basic settings like font size, but Sumatra PDF’s advanced options can only be edited by opening a text file and typing in new values. If you want to change the page color, for example, you’ll need to find the hex code for your preferred shade and enter it on the appropriate line. It’s not difficult, but we’d prefer a graphical interface.

There’s no way to add notes or highlights, but the convenience of carrying your ebook library and reader anywhere might outweigh those drawbacks for you.

5. Icecream Ebook Reader

A stylish free ebook reader, but lacking advanced features

Icecream specializes in smart, no-frills software, and Icecream Ebook Reader is no exception. It supports EPUB, MOBI, PDF and FB2 ebook formats, and once you’ve imported your books they’re arranged in a neat bookshelf with a choice of viewing options. One particularly handy feature is the ability to archive and export your ebooks; ideal if you use more than one PC and don’t want the hassle of importing your books twice. There’s no cloud syncing though.

The reader itself is similar to the Kindle app in appearance, with one-click (or tap) buttons for changing font size, color theme (day, night, or sepia), and viewing the table of contents.

Unfortunately, some of the options you can see in the menus are only available if you hand over US$19.95 (about £15, AU$25) for the Pro version. Premium features include importing multiple ebooks simultaneously, adding notes, editing metadata, and copying text.

The free version of Icecream Ebook Reader is quick and very easy to use, but only really suitable for recreational reading. Students will find the lack of note-taking and copying frustrating.

• Want to write your own ebook? Check out the best free software for writers

Aug 28,2019 • Filed to: Choose Right Mac Software • Proven solutions

Wondering how to access a free Mac PDF editor, or how to choose the right PDF editor for Mac? Below, we'll cover 10 commonly used PDF editor for Mac, all of which are compatible with macOS 10.14 Mojave. By reading this list, you will be able to determine the most cost-effective Mac PDF editing software that also best meets your business needs.

Top 10 PDF Editor for Mac

1. PDFelement

PDFelement is a PDF solution integrate with a variety of convenient and practical features for editing, conversion, annotation, OCR, form processing and digital signatures.

This well-rounded PDF editing software is popular among users and has a step up above the competition due its excellent form field recognition and data extraction technology.

Unique Features:

• Fully compatible with macOS 10.14 Mojave.
• Powerful PDF editing and annotation tools that allow for a smooth editing experience.
• Robust PDF creation and conversion features.
• The ability to fill and sign PDF forms easily.

Pros:

Pros of this program include clear function classification, a complete set of PDF tools, OCR and batch processing, high compatibility with all operating systems, a simple user experience and interface, and the ability for document conversions.

Cons:

Because of its focus on simplicity, it has less advanced features than programs like Adobe Acrobat.

Supported Systems: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Other Benefits:

• A smooth and simple interface design
  The full functionalities can be enjoyed by both Windows and Mac users.
• Better experience with PDF forms
  The automatic form recognition feature enables you to create an editable form with just one click.
• PDF editing tools
  You can export data from paper or electronic forms into an editable Excel form.
• Intelligent and smooth editing features.
  A better PDF editing experience lets you keep the fonts and formatting of your original file while converting it.
• It can convert standard PDF file format to longer-lasting PDF / A format for purpose of a longer archiving period.

2. Acrobat for Mac

Acrobat is also a powerful tool. As the world's best desktop PDF solution, the brand new look of Acrobat will blow your mind. It also includes a mobile version that lets you fill in, sign and share PDFs on any device at any location. However, Adobe Acrobat XI has ended support, meaning you might need to turn to an Acrobat alternative if you are looking for dedicated support. Click here to discover the best Acrobat alternative options.

Unique Features:

• Fast document comparison.
• Supports operational procedures for review and approval.
• Automatic form field recognition.
• Create a PDF from Office formats quickly and easily.

Pros:

Stable functionalities, high efficiency, and high compatibility.

Cons:

It has a lot of advanced features that are complicated and difficult to use for beginners. Plus, the bloated features mean it comes at a higher cost.

Supported Systems: Windows, Mac, iOS

Price: $179.88 / Year

More Introduction:

• An attractive user interface that supports touch functionality
  Fully compatible with mobile devices and supports touch functionality, with a user-friendly interface.
• Work anytime, anywhere
  Acrobat has all the tools needed for converting, editing and signing a PDF anytime and anywhere. You can start a document at work, modify it during the transit ride home, and then send it for approval from the comfort of your living room.
• Edit any file any time
  You won't need to spend your valuable time re-creating new documents. Simply export or convert your file into an easily editable format.

3. PDF Expert

PDF Expert is one of Readdle's premium Apps. It has been the leading product of PDF processing software on iOS platform for quite some time. Since the launch of PDF Expert on the Mac platform in 2015, it has become the best application on Mac App Store in 2015 and has been recommended by Apple editors.

Unique Features:

• Fast speed for page organization and functionalities
• Fluent in adding annotations and editing
• Simple text and image editing functions

Pros:

Good reading experience, simple operation and easy to use. Plus it has a nice user interface.

Cons:

It has less features than other PDF editors, and the PDF compatibility could be improved.

Supported Systems: Mac, iOS

Price: $59.99

More Introduction:

• Professional reading experience
  Smooth scrolling and a quick search function. Choose your favorite layout and complete any task quickly and easily.
• Editing PDFs is seamless
  PDF Expert for Mac helps you format text and paragraphs easily. It will automatically detect fonts, and editing a PDF document is as easy as using any other program to edit a document.
• Fill in and sign PDF forms effortlessly
  Fill PDF forms easily, such as application forms, tax reports, shopping lists, you name it. You can sign a contract by using a legally valid personal e-signature in just a few clicks.
• Integration, sharing, and collaboration
  Add notes or comments to easily collaborate with colleagues. You can also use a password to protect your sensitive files and documents.
• Compatibility with iPhone, iPad, and more
  PDF Expert is compatible with all Apple platform products: Mac, iPad and iPhone. It allows you to transfer documents across these devices seamlessly. Your work can be done anytime and anywhere.

Get the best PDF Expert alternative now - PDFelement.

4. PDFpenPro

PDFpenPro is a professional program heavily influenced by Preview. It is fully compatible with macOS X for PDF documents. It keeps the original operation processing feature of Preview, which fits more user's operating habits and is more convenient for a beginner user. There are also functional enhancements. You can add signatures, text and images, as well as make changes, correct typos, and perform OCR on scanned documents. It allows you to fill and create fillable forms, as well as convert PDF to Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats.

Unique Features:

• Simple form field creation
• Intuitive annotation properties

Pros:

It meets basic PDF editing needs and the operating experience is similar to that of Preview.

Cons:

Not all languages are supported, such as Chinese. It also has weak text and page editing capabilities compared to other programs.

Unique Features: Mac, iOS

Price: $124.95

More Introduction:

• Generic PDF editing tools
  You can use PDFpenPro to add text and signatures, amend text, and use OCR for scanned documents.
• Make interactive PDF forms for Mac and Windows
  You may create an interactive form by using check boxes, text boxes, radio buttons, and interactive signature fields.
• Exports MS Office formats to PDF
  It allows you to export a PDF to Excel, Word, PowerPoint and save as a PDF/A format.
• Store your PDF in the cloud
  You can edit your PDF at any time, and can use the PDFpen on an iPad or iPhone to edit a PDF seamlessly over iCloud or Dropbox.

5. Preview

As a built-in PDF software on Mac, Preview allows for the limited ability to read and browse PDF formats, as well as make simple annotations. It can meet your primary requirement of reading and editing PDFs. But if you have more advanced PDF editing needs, Preview will not be suitable.

Pros:

Build-in system, more preview formats, and read files fluently.

Cons:

Poor compatibility, lack of professional functions and PDF content can only be edited in the most basic ways.

Supported Systems: Mac

Price: Free

More Introduction:

• Quick annotation
• You can quickly arrange pages by dragging and dropping thumbnails
• The camera is able to recognize handwritten signatures quickly.

Learn more about Preview here >>

6. Skim

Skim is a free Mac PDF editor. It functions like Preview, offering markup tools that help highlight important PDF content. You can also add and edit notes, crop PDF files, and more.

• View PDF files.
• Add and edit notes.
• Highlight text.
• Take snapshots of PDF files.
• Give presentations with built-in transitions.

7. PDF Nomad

PDF Nomad is unique editing software that provides a number of editing tools. The software supports the editing of images and texts in PDFs. It also allows you to arrange, split, and merge PDF pages in a document. Some of the tools in this software also make it easier for you to rotate, scale, and crop PDF files.

Pros:

• It can be used to edit all aspects of PDF files including images.
• It comes with an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature that makes editing scanned PDFs very easy.
• You can use it to annotate a PDF document.

Cons:

• The free version lacks many features and at $75 the pro version is somewhat expensive compared to others.

8. Master PDF Editor for Mac

Master PDF Editor is PDF editing software for Mac that comes with loads of features allowing you to convert PDF to numerous other file types and edit just about any aspect of your PDF document.

Pros:

• It can be used to edit both text and images.
• You can convert PDFs to other formats including Word and Excel.
• Works with Linux.

Cons:

• The complex interface makes it difficult to use for beginners.
• The free version has limited capabilities.

9. Scribus for Mac

Scribus is a free PDF editing software for Mac that can be used to open PDFs and even edit certain aspects of the PDF document. It is one of the easiest programs to use because the user interface is simple and clean. You can also use it to annotate PDF documents if you want to highlight and edit sections of the document you consider important.

Pros:

• It is very easy to use.
• It can be used to edit both text and images.

Cons:

• It can't be used to convert PDFs.

10. PDF Buddy

This is another online tool that can be very useful when you want to edit PDF documents. This PDF editing software for Mac comes with a lot of features that can be used to manipulate a PDF document in many ways. You can add text, add and remove images and even split and merge PDF files. It can also be used to add signatures to your PDF document.

Pros:

• It is free to use.
• It lets you make numerous edits to your PDF files.
• There is no limit to the size of PDF file you can work with.

Cons:

• It sometimes fails to download the file after editing.

Pdf Form Reader Mac

There you have it - the 10 Best Free PDF Editor Tools for Mac. Now that you've had time to research the best PDF editor for Mac, don't hesitate to try out PDFelement now to see if it's right for you!

Pdf Reader For Mac Free Download

Free DownloadFree Download or Buy PDFelementBuy PDFelement right now!

Free Pdf Reader For Mac Os X