The best PDF Expert alternatives

App	Price	How you pay	Mac	iPhone	iPad	App Store	Developer	Rating
PDF Expert	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades						4.7
Skim	Free, open source	Free						Too few ratings
Notability	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades						4.8
OwlOCR	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades						Too few ratings

Swipe the table sideways to see more

1. 1

   Skim

   Free, open sourceBest alternative

   Pick this if you read long papers or textbooks on a Mac and want your highlights in 1 list.

   A free PDF reader for long papers that collects every highlight and note in one list you can export.

   Prices and full verdictDeveloper's siteCompare
2. 2

   Notability

   Free to startBest free4.8

   Pick it if you annotate PDFs by hand with an Apple Pencil, often during lectures you're recording.

   Handwritten notes with the lecture audio synced to what you wrote, plus PDF markup, on iPad, iPhone and Mac.

   Prices and full verdictApp StoreCompare
   
3. 3

   OwlOCR

   Free to start

   Pick it if you pull text out of screenshots, scans or PDFs and want it done on your Mac without uploading anything.

   A Mac OCR app that copies text out of screenshots, scans and PDFs on-device, free for everyday use.

   Prices and full verdictDeveloper's siteCompare
   

• PDF Expert vs SkimPick this if you read long papers or textbooks on a Mac and want your highlights in 1 list.
• PDF Expert vs NotabilityPick it if you annotate PDFs by hand with an Apple Pencil, often during lectures you're recording.