2020-09-11 17:49:35 • Filed to: Choose Right Mac Software • Proven solutions
A free PDF compressor for Mac should be able to do three things: adequately reduce the file size, maintain the key data, attributes, and layout of the content, and produce a clean, uncorrupted output file. And it should be able to do all of this for free. PDF compressor on Mac typically comes packaged with downloadable software like PDFelement or Adobe Acrobat DC, but there are also a number of online PDF compression services for Mac users, such as the ones covered in this article. However, only the best will offer advanced size reduction tools for flattening PDF forms, extracting text or images from PDF files, and other features that can help create lighter files while retaining the integrity of the content.
This is our selection of the top 5 PDF compressor on Mac after carefully reviewing feature-richness, advanced options, ease-of-use, and convenience.
5 of the Best PDF Compressor for Mac
PDFelement for Mac: The Best PDF Compressor Software for Mac. A highly capable PDF editor that.
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#1: PDFelement for Mac: The Best PDF Compressor Software for Mac
A highly capable PDF editor that offers the best PDF Compressor for Mac, PDFelement leads the race with highly advanced PDF optimization features. It also includes several other features that can help you gain control over increasingly large PDF files. A lot of files have content that doesn't need to be there, and this software can strip away all those extras with tools like the flatten PDF module, the ability to extract images or text from a document, batch removal of Bates Numbering and watermarks, and a lot more.
A clear categorization of PDFelement's features would look something like this:
Features
- PDF Creation, Editing, Conversion: These three components typically go together in a document workflow - other file types need to be converted to PDF to help maintain their content attributes, such as layout, fonts, etc.; PDFs need to be edited so data, numbers, images, tables, etc. can be changed or updated with new information; and the output is often required in a different file format. This software takes care of all three aspects of PDF management, plus several others listed below.
- Create, Fill, Sign PDF Forms: Comprehensive forms management tools at your fingertips at all times. PDFelement for Mac offers a range of templates, extensive form fields, full editing, and creating fillable PDF forms by converting them from non-interactive formats. Digital signatures can legally validate documents, which is useful in remote work scenarios.
- Protect, Optimize, Share PDFs: The first step to sharing information online is protecting it with a password and strong encryption. It can also optimize PDFs to reduce file size, which is essentially the ‘free PDF compressor on Mac' tool this article refers to. Finally, PDF sharing is made easy via cloud integration with top services like OneDrive and Dropbox.
- Advanced Features: These include batch processing for large queues, form field recognition, optical character recognition, and redaction tools.
Pros
- Affordable alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC and Pro DC.
- Full set of document and PDF management features.
- Clean interface with clear navigation.
- Tools are all well-organized by function type and are easy to find.
- Options for Standard and Professional versions.
- iOS and Android apps available.
- Best PDF compressor download for Mac.
Cons
- Needs to be downloaded to your Mac.
#2: Cisdem PDF Compressor for Mac
Cisdem is a purpose-built PDF compressor for Mac and one of the best in its class. Standard features include preset compression modes and a simple, three-step process to compress PDFs on a Mac. It offers options to remove unwanted elements that make a PDF file heavy, such as metadata and embedded elements that aren't required for the proper visual rendering of content. It also maintains the best possible quality for images, graphs, and other objects, while optimizing the overall file size as much as it can without the output being distorted or garbled.
Pros
- Easy to use - literally no learning curve.
- Simple steps to follow unless you require custom options.
- Renders visual content at the best possible quality level.
- Significantly reduces file size.
Cons
- No additional PDF functionality.
- Can be used as a free PDF compressor on Mac for only 3 files; upgrade required after that.
#3: Lightweight PDF
Lightweight PDF is an excellent free PDF compressor on the Mac App Store that you can download to your computer. It does PDF compression and that's about it. As the name suggests, it's a relatively small program compared to a full-fledged PDF editor, but it claims to be able to reduce a PDF's file size by up to 90% in some cases. Being a downloadable application, Lightweight PDF also promises to 'Keep your confidential documents offline and private.' It's a good utility to have installed on your Mac for emergency purposes, but if you need PDF editing or other features, this can be an enabler.
Pros
- High compression ratio.
- Good quality vs. size balance.
- User-friendly interface with drag-drop option.
Cons
- Automatically overwrites the original so it will be lost unless you have a copy.
- Not compatible with other compressible file types.
#4: PDF Expert
PDF Expert is a third-party Mac PDF editor with all basic functions like reading, editing, annotating, form-filling, and PDF merging. It also has a file size reduction feature that's useful when you want to email PDF documents but the files are too big to go as attachments. It also has a feature allowing you to email someone a PDF document right after compression from within the software. You can also choose the compression quality in order to maintain the visual integrity of the content.
Pros
- The software is built for Mac.
- Lets you control the quality of conversion during compression.
- Saves as a new file.
Cons
- No advanced PDF functions like OCR and Batch Processing.
- No perpetual license for Pro version when you upgrade from free.
#5: Smallpdf
Smallpdf offers a powerful online PDF compression tool that you can use if you don't want to work with a downloadable desktop version. Though not as secure as handling your files natively on your computer, it gives you the convenience of compressing PDFs using a browser on any connected device. The only downside is the upload file size limit. Smallpdf also has other tools in case you need further processing, such as editing, converting, merging/splitting, etc.
Pros
- Online access from any device with an Internet connection and browser.
- Totally free to use, no watermarking.
- Compresses to 144 dpi for easy email sharing and web distribution.
Cons
- Only basic compression (up to 45%) is free.
- Conversion happens on the cloud; confidential information may be at risk during transit (upload/download).
Edit Pdf File For Mac Free File
All of these are great ‘PDF compressor on Mac' utilities and each one is built for a specific purpose. If you want more out of your PDF compression tool, we recommend PDFelement, which gives you basic and advanced features and a pleasing and intelligent interface to work with.
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!
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Oct 15,2019 • Filed to: Mac Tutorials
Most of the tools that are created using the open source license are targeted at Windows users. This may seem to be so when you come to PDF editors. However, there are PDF editors hat have been specifically created for the Mac. The great thing about open source software is that it is free and is still under development. This means that future versions will have more features and they will not cot you any cash. Some of these PDF editors have very powerful features despite being developed on an open source license. Open source PDF editor for Mac can also perform just as well as some of the premium variations. One should not frown upon open source PDF editors, but try out those put in this list and be amazed. Besides, PDFelement Pro is a perfect PDF editor you can try.
Part 1. Top 5 Open Source PDF Editor for Mac
#1. Skim
Skim is primarily a PDF reader for Mac but it allows you to make some edits to PDF files. With the help of the open source PDF editor for Mac, you can add notes and make annotations to PDF files. It is a great tool for making presentations in PDF format. One can also add boxes and circles to a PDF file in order to emphasize something. The box can also be filled with white to create a white space for adding new text to the file.
Pros:
- The tool is easy to use and has quite a number of followers due to this.
- One can highlight and annotate text in order o emphasize a point.
- Can add white space for typing over in case one wants to change an entire paragraph or page.
- It is light and will not use up a lot of your system resources even when you load large PDF files.
Cons:
- The editing features are rather limited and it is not suitable for advanced PDF editing.
#2. Foxit
Foxit is primarily a PDF reader, but it is also an open source PDF editor for Mac that has some editing capability. You can add multimedia levels and make notes on PDF files. You can also run JavaScript on the file and secure the text. You can also select different blocks of text in order to edit. Editing with this tool can be somewhat tedious since every sentence is taken as a text box. You would have to go text box by text box, from the start of the page right to the end. This is a tool that enables you to see how many people read your document thanks to the connected signature feature.
Pros:
- It is easy to use.
- It allows for added multimedia levels.
- It can be used to annotate text.
- It has the ability to secure text.
- It has the ability to open protected PDF documents, which is quite a feat.
Cons:
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- Every sentence is a text box, which makes the editing of a page to be very tedious.
#3. Scribus
Scribus is a cross-platform editing tool that is primarily a text editor. It can be also used as an open source PDF editor on Mac to edit PDF files. You can add text and images, but you cannot edit the original text. You have to create white space so you can write over the original text. Apart from just editing our PDF files, you can now do prepress operations using Scribus. Get your PDF files edited and then print out the color separations ready for the printing press. You can also create a PDF right from the start using this program. Scribus actually has some very powerful editing features locked beneath s very simple exterior. Make sure you give it a try and see how great it can be.
Pros:
- Can create a new PDF document.
- Can do prepress operations.
- Has a simple user interface.
- Gives you more control over the editing functions.
Cons:
- The fact that you cannot edit the existing content but have to write over it.
#4. Inkscape
Although Inkscape is a graphics tool, it is also able to edit PDF files. You can open PDF files and edit the images and text. Each sentence of the text is taken as a text box. This makes it quite challenging when you want to use it for editing large text areas. Editing a paragraph would means clicking on each sentence, changing it, and then moving to the next. This means that text does not flow and the results could be a bit odd. However, when it comes to editing the images in a PDF file, this is perhaps the best that you can get.
Pros:
- It is the best for editing images within a PDF file.
- It opens up any PDF file, even when they are protected.
- Ideal for converting PDF files into images.
Cons:
- Each sentence is a text box and this makes it challenging and awkward when editing paragraphs.
#5. Formulate Pro for Mac
Formulate Pro for Mac has been said to be one of the best open source PDF editors for Mac. It comes with very powerful features. You are able to redact your PDF files and add text on top. It also merges several PDF files into one and rearranges the pages. The tool is able to use OCR to turned scanned documents into editable text. You may create a PDF file from scratch using this tool, and then add special security measures including a digital signature.
Pros:
- It has the ability to create PDF files right from the start, which brings out the creativity in you.
- It can be used to create a digital signature for added protection of your work.
- It is able to convert other files into PDF and maintain the overall look.
- You can easily use the tool thanks to the simple user interface.
- You can edit images, text, and complete pages. This means that you can change the order of pages.
Cons:
- It cannot convert documents to ePub, and that limits its ability to provide all eBooks.
Part 2. The Best PDF Editor for Mac (10.15 Catalina Included)
PDFelement Pro for Mac (macOS 10.15 Catalina included) is a powerful PDF editor for Mac and allows you to edit every part of a PDF file, thanks to some of its wonderful features. Every elements of the PDF file will be editable, giving you full control over how the file will be in the end.
Steps to edit PDF files using PDFelement Pro for Mac (Including macOS 10.15 Catalina)
- Step 1: Download and install PDFelement Pro for Mac on your Mac
- Step 2: Click on 'Open File' button to import PDF files to the program.
- Step 3: Open the 'Edit' menu and choose the editing tools to edit texts, images, links and pages in PDF files with ease.
Why Choose PDFelement Pro to Edit PDF Files on Mac
With the help of PDFelement Pro, you can also change the order of the pages, delete some of them and do a lot more. Place your own digital ID on the PDF and also change the metadata. Scan printed document and turn them into editable text through OCR. Here are some of the other great features that can be found in this tool:
- Starting off with a blank file, you can create your own PDF files. The tool also allows you to get files of other formats and convert them to PDF.
- No more seeking out PDF Form templates on template sites. You simply have to create your own. You can also edit and fill out PDF forms from other sources.
- Add security to your PDF documents with a digital signature. You will get a digital ID which you will use to secure all your PDF files
- The PDF tool has a user interface that is easy to navigate and find editing features. This makes it fast and easy to use.
- The tool allows you to edit scanned documents and turn them into PDF files that can be edited. This is called the OCR process.
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