Expert's Rating
Pros
- Packs an extensive set of PDF editing tools
- Offers multiple subscription plans catering to different needs
- Cross-platform solution with native macOS, iOS, and iPadOS apps
Cons
- Only offers annual subscription plans
- Mobile app access is excluded from the base plan
- User interface may overwhelm casual users
Our Verdict
The Foxit PDF Editor app gives users access to a comprehensive set of features and is designed for serious users rather than those seeking to edit documents casually. As a result, the user interface may seem overwhelming to users who don’t need all of those tools.
When hunting for a reliable PDF editor, you may encounter Foxit’s products. The company offers multiple PDF-centric solutions across the common operating systems, catering to different document needs. PDF Reader and PDF Editor are two of Foxit’s most popular Mac apps, and they both excel at performing their relevant tasks.
See how Foxit PDF Editor compares to other PDF tools in our round-up of the Best PDF editor for Mac.
Despite being two separate apps, Foxit’s PDF Reader and PDF Editor feel like two tiers of the same product. The PDF Reader edition is available on macOS for free, allowing users to view, annotate, sign, and have AI analyze their documents.
On the other hand, Foxit PDF Editor unlocks the complete editing toolbox for an annual fee. The base plan currently costs $129.99/£110.05 when paid annually upfront, there is also the option to pay monthly. Similarly, the Plus (+) plan, which includes more features, is offered for $159.99/£135.45 per year based on your billing preferences. Before committing to the purchase, you can claim a free 14-day trial to test Foxit PDF Editor’s features.
Do note that choosing monthly billing still signs you up for an entire year, but the fee is split accordingly. Foxit seemingly doesn’t offer its PDF Editor app for a single month, so unfortunately you can’t just sign up for a month and cancel. Additionally, the aforementioned values apply to individual licenses. Opting for the editions with an admin console for managing licenses would cost you an extra $20 per year.
Foxit PDF Reader features
Foxit PDF Reader is a free document viewer that supports advanced annotation tools. This lets you control the size, color, and style of inserted text or shapes. The app also packs some handy customization features, such as support for changing the document’s background shade, reversing and rotating pages, signing forms, and more.
Beyond tweaking the PDF file, this Mac app can read the text aloud, measure distances, calculate areas, magnify selected spots, and have AI analyze your document. It’s certainly more capable than Apple’s Preview app and most free PDF readers I’ve used.
We round up other free PDF editors here: Best free PDF editors for Mac.
Foxit PDF Editor features
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Foxit PDF Editor supports all of PDF Reader’s features and enables editing functionalities. With support for file conversion, you can export PDFs as Microsoft Office documents, images, HTML files, and more. The app also bundles an optical character recognition (OCR) feature, which lets you select text detected on images.
Like most PDF editors, Foxit’s app allows you to fully manipulate a particular document’s bundled text and images through addition, deletion, or tweaking. You can search and replace text, check for language errors, change the font, fill forms, insert URLs, etc. You also get to reorganize the pages as needed, as you’d expect.
Foxit PDF Editor caters to power users, too, with advanced features like document sanitization. These options can remove sensitive information that may be hidden in images or other elements, such as metadata. You can also choose between redaction styles and add different security layers. That’s not to mention support for JavaScript and accessibility checks.
Perhaps what stood out to me the most in Foxit PDF Editor is its ChatGPT integration. Not only can this AI Assistant analyze and summarize the document, but it can also perform actions on your behalf. So, for example, you could ask it to insert a new page or extract an existing one using natural language. Plus, you get the typical text-related AI tools, such as translation, error detection, tone enhancement, etc.
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The base plan should suffice for most users, as it bundles pretty much all of the relevant PDF editing features they’d expect. Some Plus plan exclusives include mobile app access, tracking other parties’ signatures, smart redaction, 130GB of cloud storage instead of 20GB, and template support. So, if you plan to edit PDFs on your Mac exclusively, the base plan will likely be enough. Otherwise, if you often edit from your iPhone or iPad or collect e-signatures from other people, the Plus plan would be better suited for your needs.
Should you buy Foxit PDF Editor?
Since Foxit doesn’t offer a monthly subscription, PDF Editor is aimed at professionals with long-term document editing workflows. Through PDF Editor+, you can access a comprehensive set of features that can adjust compatible documents as needed. While the app is generally swift, the user interface may seem too packed to certain users—especially those who don’t need all of the offered tools. Ultimately, Foxit PDF Editor is designed for serious users rather than those seeking to edit documents casually. If the UI overwhelms you, then this app is likely an overkill for your particular case.