PDF Expert review

PDF Expert is the editor we would point most Mac owners to when ease of use matters more than price. Readdle's Mac App Store listing describes editing of original PDF text, where the font, size and opacity are detected automatically, so changes blend in. You can add and replace images, convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, JPG or PNG, recognize text in scans with OCR built on Apple's Vision framework, redact sensitive details and add password protection. Signatures sync between Mac, iPhone and iPad. The pricing page offers a yearly Premium plan covering iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a lifetime purchase for the Mac version only, both with a 30-day money back guarantee, though it showed prices in Polish zloty from our location, so the US price is pending. The limits are clear: there is no Windows or Android version, and the lifetime option skips mobile. Readdle says over 30 million people use its PDF Expert apps.

Who it is for

Mac and iPad owners who want an easy editor that feels native to Apple devices.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Edit original PDF text with automatic font, size and opacity detection
• Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, JPG or PNG
• OCR based on the Apple Vision framework
• Redact sensitive data and password-protect files
• Signatures that sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: The easiest editor to learn on a Mac
• Strength: Yearly plan or a Mac-only lifetime purchase
• Strength: 30-day money back guarantee on its web plans
• Weakness: Apple devices only, with no Windows or Android app
• Weakness: The website showed prices in Polish zloty from our location, so we could not confirm US pricing
• Weakness: The lifetime purchase covers the Mac version only

Key facts

• Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad
• Plans: Premium yearly, or lifetime for Mac only
• Users: Over 30 million, per Readdle
• Refund: 30-day money back guarantee
• OCR: Based on the Apple Vision framework

Where it ranks

PDF Expert is No. 5 in our Best PDF Editors verdict.