Highlights
An Apple PDF annotator for researchers that exports highlights as Markdown, HTML or notes.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 4
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Highlights
Highlights is a PDF reader and annotation app for Mac, iPhone and iPad built around one job: marking up documents and getting your notes back out. You highlight, underline and comment as you read, and Highlights collects everything into a notes panel that can be exported as Markdown, HTML, TextBundle or a PDF summary, or sent directly to other apps. For academic reading it can look up citation metadata, integrate with reference managers, handle math formulas and scan documents with OCR. The core reader is free; a Pro subscription unlocks export formats, OCR and research tools across all your Apple devices, and it can be shared with family via iCloud. It is not a general PDF editor: there is no conversion, form building or text editing beyond metadata. It also runs only on Apple platforms. Students and researchers who read many papers and keep notes in Markdown tend to love it.
Best for: Researchers and students who annotate papers and keep notes in Markdown apps.
Pros and cons
What works
- Exports annotations as Markdown, HTML and more
- Citation lookup and reference manager support
- One subscription across Mac, iPhone and iPad
Why people leave
- Apple platforms only
- Not a general PDF editor
- Key export features need Pro
Top Highlights alternatives
See all 4- 1SkSkim66.5
Free open-source Mac annotator with a notes panel and LaTeX support.
- 2
PDF Expert62.6A full Apple-platform editor if you also need to edit and sign.
- 3
Okular59.6Free open-source annotator for Linux and Windows users.
- 4
Adobe Acrobat Reader57.2Free cross-platform annotation without Markdown export.
Why people left Highlights
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Highlights: common questions
Is Highlights free?
Highlights has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Highlights open source?
No, Highlights is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Skim and Okular.
What platforms does Highlights run on?
Highlights is available for macOS and iOS.
What are the best alternatives to Highlights?
The highest-ranked Highlights alternatives right now are Skim, PDF Expert and Okular. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.