Whether you are a student or a business professional, there’s always a need to edit PDFs, and for this, apps for PDF annotation may just do the trick.
However, with so many options available, choosing the one that is super easy to use and comes with additional features can be a bit hectic.
To help you out with this, we are going to list the 8 top PDF annotation apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices to transform your digital documents into insightful pages.
Part 1. 3 Best PDF Annotation Apps for Windows
If you are a Windows user, you might be on the hunt for the best app for taking notes on PDF files. Below are the 3 best options for your reviewing tasks:
1. Afirstsoft PDF
When it comes to ease of use and better document management in Windows, Afirstsoft PDF is the first choice for many users to edit and annotate PDFs without much effort.
After installing, open this best PDF annotation app for Windows and drag and drop the document you want to annotate. Then, click Comment, and a drop-down menu with 5 annotation options will appear.
Here, click Highlight, select a color, highlight the text, and right-click on it. Next, select Open Pop-Up Note and write your text comments.
You can also underline any part of the file, strikethrough the lines, or use a tilde in front of a number.
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Atfirstsoft PDF costs $7.99/month, $44.99/year, and also comes with a 3-year plan at $55.99.
Features:
- Different stickers to mark up content for better collaboration.
- Cross out and underline text with different color options.
- Save your work directly to the Afirstsoft PDF cloud.
- Convert annotated PDFs to Excel, PowerPoint, Word, or image.
Pros
- User-centric interface
- AI assistance to get the most out of the app.
- Lightweight and works with most systems that don’t have higher specifications.
Cons
- Not many other than the limited annotation features in the free version.
2. WPS PDF Editor
WPS Office is an affordable option for those who switch across PDFs, spreadsheets, and word-processing apps frequently, and its PDF annotation features do not disappoint.
To start annotating, install the WPS Office, go to Menu, and open your PDF file. Click Comment at the top bar, select an annotation, like underlining/highlighting text or adding a sticky note, and share the document with your team members after saving it.
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WPS PDF Editor comes with a free standard package. It also has a Pro version that costs $23.99 for 3 months and $35.00/year.
Features:
- Create free-form text annotations.
- Insert images while marking the PDF.
- Annotate PDFs offline.
- Convert PDFs to other file formats after adding annotations.
Pros
- Clean and easy UI.
- Manage all annotations in one place.
- Supports integration to multiple cloud storage services.
Cons
- Only basic annotation features are available in the free trial.
3. PDF-XChange
PDF-XChange offers many annotation tools beyond highlighting text and adding text boxes. You can mark up your PDFs using different shapes, use freehand drawing, and even record your audio annotations.
To view all these annotation options, open the PDF on PDF-XChange and click Commentin the toolbar. Here, you may add comments using Text Box or Typewriter options to add text with or without a box, respectively. The Calloutoption is beneficial for pointing to a specific sentence while adding comments.
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PDF-XChange Editor has many subscription models based on the type of license. For example, the single-user license costs $56 with 1 year of maintenance included. You have to pay $11.20 more for 2 years and $16.80 for 3 years maintenance.
Features:
- Edit the style or text color of comments using the Format tab.
- Rearrange toolbars and panels according to user preference.
- Underline or cross out text.
Pros
- Fast rendering speed when annotating larger PDFs.
- Easily edit or reset the style or size of any comment on the document with Comment Style Palette.
- Competitive price compared to other PDF annotation apps for Windows.
Cons
- Only support Windows OS.
Part 2. 3 Best PDF Annotation Apps for Mac
You can find many free and paid PDF annotation apps for Mac. Choosing one, well, can be a headache. Afirstsoft PDF, as mentioned above, works great with macOS, too, and can cater to all of your file handling needs. Let’s discuss some other alternatives below:
1. PDF Nomad
PDF Nomad is specially designed for macOS, offers a simple annotation tool for quickly adding notes to your PDFs.
Open the PDF file on this best PDF annotation app for Mac, and click the Markup option. Now, you can highlight the text in the file, underline it, or use strikethroughs text for annotations.
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There is only a one-time fee of $39.99 for using PDF Nomad.
Features:
- Watermark your annotated PDF pages.
- Use shapes and drawings in the annotated text sections for easy sharing.
- Reorder, resize, and rotate pages with drag-and-drop functionality.
Pros
- Strong security and permission access settings.
- Rearrange, split, or merge the annotated PDFs.
Cons
- Basic annotation tools that are easily present in other apps.
- No sharing option.
2. PDF Expert
PDF Expert is another alternative for PDF document management because of its covenant annotation tools.
Simply launch the app on your Mac, open your PDF file, go to the toolbar, and select Annotate. Now click the comment icon and use different colors to highlight the text. Finally, right-click that specific part, click Note, and type in your reviews in the form of sticky notes.
You can also underline or strike out the text or draw with the pen tool on your PDF to be more specific in your suggestions.
PDF Expert has a Best Balue package priced at $6.67/month and also has a one-time payment of $139.99.
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Features:
- All annotations are on the left sidebar for easy access.
- Shapes (arrows, circles, and rectangles) for diagrams.
- Night mode to handle review work in the dim light.
Pros
- Fast performance while annotating large PDF files.
- Cloud integration.
- New features and improvements are added after each update.
Cons
- A bit difficult to learn for beginners.
- Costs a bit more than other macOS annotators.
3. Preview
Good news for Mac users. The OS has a default Preview PDF app, which is completely free to use, with all the tools to review your PDF files.
You can quickly annotate by highlighting the text for comments and adding different shapes, text boxes, or drawings with a single stroke.
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Features:
- Arrows, circles, rectangles, and text boxes to let others know what needs changing.
- Zoom in or out of the text for easy accessibility.
- Single/two-page or continuous scroll modes.
Pros
- Built for macOS, so there are no compatibility issues.
- Quick sharing options.
- iCloud drive support.
Cons
- Lacks advanced features.
Part 3. 2 Best PDF Annotation Apps for Android
Do you own an Android tablet? If yes, guess what. With so many choices, we’ve got the 2 best apps for annotating PDFs:
1. Xodo PDF
Xodo PDF is probably the best PDF annotation app for Android tablet users who want to review their files on the go.
First, download the app on your device. Then, select from one of these options:
- New PDF
- PDF from Image
- PDF from Documents
- PDF from webpage
After opening your PDF, you can see more than 10 annotation tools on the top bar.
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Now, use a pen or touch to highlight the text, underline it, strike it out, add notes to it, or erase the annotations. You can even draw the markups with different shapes and sizes. The best part? It costs only $9.99/month with a 7-day free trial.
Features:
- Choose the color, boldness, and opacity of the highlighted text.
- Change the position of the annotated text.
- Call Out tool for adding comments in the empty section of the PDF.
- Customizable Pen tool.
Pros
- Zoom out and Zoom in with ease.
- Saves annotated PDF copy in a password-protected format for increased security.
- Crop pages to include only relevant sections of the document.
- Xodo Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive support.
Cons
- Occasional lags with batch file processing.
2. Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit PDF Editor is yet another best app for annotating PDFs Android users would love. It is free to use for a trial period and then costs $129 every year. This PDF editor has all the necessary tools like Xodo that make the whole process of annotations a breeze for beginners.
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Features:
- Bookmark management.
- Cloud integration for sharing PDFs.
- Night mode support.
Pros
- Simple UI for anyone who doesn’t like complexities with annotation.
- Supreme encryption.
- Complete commenting toolset.
Cons
- Hard to judge which PDF window is active.
Part 4. 2 Best PDF Annotation Apps for iOS
There are a couple of best iPad apps for PDF annotation that stand out from the rest. Let’s explore them below:
1. PDF Element
PDFelement is a free app that can boost your productivity with markups. It allows you to use many annotation tools, like highlight, underline, and cross out.
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At only $6.99, you can add, crop, rename, and move your pages on your iPad or iPhone.
Features:
- Different colors for highlighter.
- Pen tool for easy annotation.
- Various color options for shapes.
- Note tool for quick comments.
Pros
- Easy to learn.
- Support iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
- Approve or unapproved the PDFs with stamps.
Cons
- Potential bugs and glitches.
2. Notability
Notability is another great choice for annotations because it has the essential tools like text, highlighter, and pen to add comments directly, highlight existing passages, attach handwritten content, or underline text in your PDFs.
This best PDF annotation app for iPad also allows you to record and link audio to your notes.
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Most basic features are free in Notability. Advanced features cost $4.99/month and $9.99/3-month. There’s an annual subscription of $14.99-$19.99 and a family subscription of $49.99.
Features:
- Multiple colors for text, highlighter, and pen tool.
- Record audio lectures or discussions while taking notes on the PDF.
- Presentation mode with a laser pointer.
- Powerful search function to find keywords within your handwritten notes and typed text in PDFs.
Pros
- Auto-backup for annotated PDFs.
- Convert scanned text in annotated PDFs to searchable and editable text.
- iCloud sync and backup across Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Cons
- No built-in feature to link notes across pages or jump to specific sections within a large PDF.
Part 5. FAQs Related to Best PDF Annotation Software for Mac
What is the best app to annotate PDF?
Afirstsoft PDF, Notability, Xodo PDF, and Preview highlight your texts, add comments and notes, and underline or tilde typos or misspellings. Some of them also have the capability to link audio to the file or add handwritten text to it.
Can I annotate a PDF without Adobe?
Afirstsoft PDF has a full suite of annotation tools like highlight, text, underline, strikethrough, and tilde to mark up text in your PDF file and pop-up notes to them. It also has a library of stickers for annotating a PDF document with different shapes and illustrations.
What is the best way to annotate a PDF?
Install and open Afirstsoft PDF on your PC, and import the PDF you want to annotate. Then, go to the Comment section, click Highlight, and select the text to mark up. Next, right-click the highlighted passage, choose Open Pop-up Note, and add your comments or explanation. You can also underline, tilde, or cross out text at any part of the PDF page.
Part 6. Conclusion
As we conclude, you’ve learned about the top PDF annotation apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. Each tool has a few common and unique features to markup your PDFs, and they come with different price structures.
If you are a Windows or Mac user, Afirstsoft PDF is a lightweight app that can help you review your PDFs in a jiffy. Install it now and get the most out of your inner credibility.
