Top 10 PDF Annotator to Annotate and Markup PDF Files

PDF annotation feature makes it easy for us to highlight and edit important text or ideas within a PDF document. You are also able to write comments on a PDF page without affecting the layout. This article will review 10 PDF annotator tools, which enables you to easily annotate PDF files on Mac and Windows. Most of them have rich features and annotation tools such as highlighters, notes, text boxes, underlines, shapes, stamps, and signatures. One of the best PDF annotators is PDFelement ProPDFelement Pro.

• 1 PDFelement Pro (Windows & Mac)
• 2. PDF Reader Pro (Windows & Mac)
• 3 Microsoft OneNote (Windows & Mac)
• 4 Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows & Mac)
• 5 Foxit Reader (Windows & Mac)
• 6 Nitro Reader (Windows & Mac)
• 7 Expert PDF (Windows & Mac)
• 8 PDF-XChange Viewer (Windows)
• 9 PDF Annotator（Windows)
• 10 PDF Max (Mac)

1. PDFelement Pro (Windows & Mac)

A top-of-the-line PDF editor also works as an excellent PDF annotator for PDF documents. It has a similar style to Microsoft Word, which makes it even easier for those who are more familiar with Microsoft Office programs. You can annotate your PDFs with a wide range of tools like highlight, underline, strikethrough, wave line, shapes, sticky note, text fields, and hand drawings to leave comments on a PDF to collaborate with your colleagues.

Pros:

• Annotate PDF files with sticky notes, text boxes, and freehand drawing tools.
• Add highlights, underline text, or strikethrough text using the vast amount of annotation tools.
• You can modify PDF text, links, images, and pages.
• Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, EPUB, images, and vice versa.
• Supports Password protection to keep the document from unwanted and unauthorized changes.
• OCR scanned PDFs and combine, split, and compress PDF files.

Cons:

• The free trial will add a watermark to the PDF.

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2. PDF Reader Pro (Windows & Mac)

PDF Reader Pro works as a good PDF annotator for Windows and Mac devices. This powerful PDF annotator tool lets users add highlight, strikeout, underline, text box and anchored notes on a PDF page. Moreover, it provides freehand which helps you draw anything on PDF pages.

Pros:

• It offers free services for users which easy to access many valuable tools.
• Users can edit documents in different formats, like JPEG, Word, and Excel.
• Easy to use, flexible and compatible with all devices.

Cons:

• Customer support sometimes responds late.
• Sometimes the app crashes because of a lot of pop up or ads.

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3. Microsoft OneNote (Windows & Mac)

Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook, which is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the web. You can use it to annotate PDF files, and it provides flexible and powerful annotating tools, such as sketches, lists, clippings, photos, tables, and more. It is one of the most user-friendly PDF annotator tools on the market.

Pros:

• Supports voice and video functions.
• Provides cloud storage services and syncing notes across your devices.
• Share works on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler.
• Interactive web browser feature.

Cons:

• No private encryption.

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4. Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows & Mac)

There aren't many PDF annotation software that can match the level of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is a system-based program that is completely free to download and install. There is a wide range of PDF annotation tools that can be used easily. From adding notes to rotating your file, this program has it all. Signatures can be added and modified PDFs can be easily stored in the system. It also allows the users to easily print the documents as well.

Pros:

• It is good for viewing, signing, managing, and creating PDF documents.
• It provides a text-to-speech feature in case you don't want to read the text.

Cons:

• Some features are premium and the paid version is a bit expensive.
• The program runs a little slow with larger files.

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5. Foxit Reader (Windows & Mac)

This is another PDF annotator that has all the functions you need. It includes the typewrite tool, note highlighter, strikethrough, double strikethrough, underlines, and pencil. The interface is easy to use and therefore it is rated highly by users. Digital stamps, scales, and area highlighters are some of the other functions available as well. The annotations can easily be printed separately and social media sharing has been embedded.

Pros:

• The user interface and design of the toolbars are user-friendly.
• It provides a night mode that is great for reading documents late at night.

Cons:

• When reading multiple PDFs, it is difficult to see which PDF is active.
• Some time is relatively slow, taking more time than usual.

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6. Nitro Reader (Windows & Mac)

Nitro Reader does not have a ton of advanced tools but is still a very useful PDF annotator for Mac and Windows. There is a limit on available tools, and it doesn't include more advanced annotation tools. The bookmarks, already added annotations and social media sharing are possible, however, and standard annotation can be performed, ensuring that the PDF appears clean and professional. PDF files can also be converted to text and vice versa using this program.

Pros:

• You can customize the top toolbar for quick access to the options you use most often.
• Relatively small download.

Cons:

• Sometimes crashed and restart slowly.

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7. Expert PDF (Windows & Mac)

Sticky notes, text highlighting, and strikethroughs are some of the features which are added to this PDF annotator for Windows. This application is thought to be one of the most user-friendly PDF annotators. The PDF bookmarking and comment addition is also very valuable with this program. It also has several tools that can be used to easily create separate sets of PDF annotations. You can easily review annotations before submitting them for the ultimate convenience.

Pros:

• Collaboration via comments is very helpful.
• The interface for Expert PDF is robust yet not hard to learn.

Cons:

• It is difficult to edit the order of the pages in the PDF document.
• The converted documents do not adjust to the software interface, which generates a reading inconvenience, losing time in the displacement.

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8. PDF-XChange Viewer (Windows)

PDF-XChange Viewer is the best PDF annotator for users who are used to Microsoft Word. Since the layout is similar to MS Office, the interface is very easy to learn for beginners. There are many annotation tools available in the PDF annotation software. This program includes the following features: highlight tool, strikethrough, note tools, and drawing tools. You will get a pleasant viewing experience with full optimization features.

Pros:

• An intuitive interface helps users get familiar with the tool quickly.
• It provides a wide range of tools.

Cons:

• It is not possible to remove evaluation watermarks unless you have a user license.
• Does not allow PDF creation.

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9. PDF Annotator（Windows)

A simple yet powerful annotator for PDF documents, PDF annotator allows users to highlight, underline, or make notes and drawings on a PDF page. One great feature of the software is the ability to restore the document to its original page in one click, effectively removing the annotations without damaging the file or its layout.

Pros:

• Align annotation function available for an easy to view and organized layout.
• Add stamps including date stamps, customized stamps are also available with virtually limitless options.
• Add images to an existing PDF file.
• Group and lock annotation.
• Take a snapshot of the work you are doing.

Cons:

• Could not handle large PDF files without sacrificing performance, making it impossible to edit and annotate files with several pages like eBooks.
• The app is just specialized for annotation purposes.

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10. PDF Max (Mac)

Annotating and commenting on PDF documents on a mobile device is easy with this PDF annotator for Mac. It can help you annotate PDF documents with highlights and handwriting, insert PDF texts and stamps, and more. This PDF annotation software is designed for desktop and mobile users and provides a cross-platform program for synchronizing documents.

Pros:

• You can use your finger to take handwritten notes or highlight text on PDF pages.
• You can Mark important things in books, journals, or documents using Highlight, Underline, and Cross-out tools.

Cons:

• It may sometimes not open files or show “File does not exist.”
• It may sometimes get crashed when opening files.

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Thanks to PDF annotators, students and professionals can annotate PDF documents much more easily. Transform your work productivity with handy online tools like the ones mentioned above. With some programs to choose from, it is best to choose the one which is packed with important and useful features that best suit your needs. Collaborate seamlessly with other users with the tools we have outlined above.

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