PDF Expert
Readdle's fast, polished PDF reader and editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About PDF Expert
PDF Expert, made by Readdle, is the PDF app many Apple users switch to when Preview is not enough and Acrobat feels heavy. It opens large files quickly and makes reading, highlighting and annotating pleasant, with tabs, a clean sidebar and good Apple Pencil support on iPad. The paid Premium tier adds editing of text and images, converting to and from Office formats, OCR, redaction, page organising, forms and signatures, plus an AI assistant for asking questions about a document. Reading and annotating are free; Premium is a subscription that covers Mac, iPhone and iPad together, with a money-back guarantee and education discounts. There is no Windows or Android version, which makes it awkward for mixed teams, and its editing tools, while good, do not match Acrobat on complex prepress or accessibility work. For people who live on Apple devices and want something fast and well designed, it is one of the best choices.
Best for: Mac, iPhone and iPad users who want a fast, well-designed PDF editor.
Pros and cons
What works
- Fast with large files and pleasant to read in
- One subscription covers Mac, iPhone and iPad
- Excellent Apple Pencil annotation on iPad
Why people leave
- Apple platforms only
- Editing and conversion need a subscription
- Fewer advanced prepress tools than Acrobat
Top PDF Expert alternatives
See all 5- 1
PDFelement66.5Similar editing on Mac and iPad but also on Windows and Android for mixed teams.
- 2
Adobe Acrobat62.6For complex documents and the broadest compatibility, on every platform.
- 3
PDFgear59.6A free Mac and iPad editor covering the basics without a subscription.
- 4
Highlights57.2A cheaper Apple app focused on annotating and exporting notes from papers.
- 5SkSkim55.3
Free open-source Mac reader if you mainly read and annotate.
Why people left PDF Expert
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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PDF Expert: common questions
Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert has a free plan and paid plans.
Is PDF Expert open source?
No, PDF Expert is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Skim.
What platforms does PDF Expert run on?
PDF Expert is available for macOS and iOS.
What are the best alternatives to PDF Expert?
The highest-ranked PDF Expert alternatives right now are PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat and PDFgear. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.