StillpageThe best PDF editor for Mac in 2027
The right PDF app depends on the job. For occasional signing, Preview (free, built in) is enough. To edit existing text or convert to Word, pay for PDF Expert ($79.99 a year or $139.99 once) or Acrobat Pro (US$19.99 a month on an annual plan). For paperwork such as signing, forms and searchable scans, done offline for one payment, Stillpage costs $29. Prices checked 2 November 2026.
At a glance
| Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
| Preview | Free, built into macOS | Occasional signing, simple forms, merging |
| PDFgear | Free | Free editing and converting, if you're comfortable with its online and AI features (check its privacy policy) |
| Stillpage | $29 once | Signing, forms that keep working, batch OCR of scans; offline, nothing uploaded |
| PDF Expert | $79.99/year or $139.99 once (Mac only) | Editing text, annotating, converting to Office, iPhone and iPad |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | US$19.99/month, annual plan | Full editing, redaction, e-signature workflows, XFA forms, team use |
By job
| Job | Preview | Stillpage | PDF Expert | Acrobat Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fill forms without breaking them | Can rewrite form fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Make scans searchable (OCR) | No | Yes, whole folders at once | Yes | Yes |
| Edit existing text | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Convert to Word | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Redact | Yes (Tools ▸ Redact) | No | Yes | Yes |
Our picks
- Free and good enough: Preview. Start here; it's already on your Mac.
- Paperwork, privately, one payment: Stillpage, at $29 with a 14-day free trial.
- Serious editing on Mac, iPhone and iPad: PDF Expert.
- Everything, including XFA forms and redaction at work: Acrobat Pro.
How we compared
Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page on 2 November 2026, in US dollars before tax. Features come from the vendors' published feature lists and, for Preview and Stillpage, our own testing on macOS. Where we're not sure how a feature works for another product, we've said so instead of guessing.
More detail: Stillpage vs Acrobat · Stillpage vs PDF Expert.
Prices checked 2 November 2026 on adobe.com, pdfexpert.com and pdfgear.com; in US dollars, before tax. Acrobat is a trademark of Adobe; PDF Expert is a trademark of Readdle; PDFgear is a trademark of its owner. Stillpage is not affiliated with any of them.
Try Stillpage free for 14 days
Every feature, nothing uploaded. Then $29 once if you keep it.
Download free trial on Gumroad Buy for $29 Mac App Store