PDF Textfix Download

PDF editors for Mac, compared on one job

Every editor on the same questions, in the vendors’ own words with the date each page was read: does it change existing text, what happens to the font, what it costs, where it runs.

These pages compare PDF editors on one job: changing text that is already on a page of a PDF. Does the editor change existing text at all, or only add new text over it? Which font does the new text use, the one embedded in the document or one installed on your Mac? What does saving do to the old words? What does it cost, and where does it run?

Every statement about another product comes from that vendor’s own pages, quoted word for word with the address and the day it was read, or is marked as not verified when those pages do not say. Nothing here ranks the products: the tables set out what each vendor says next to what PDF Textfix does, so you can choose for your own documents. If a vendor’s page has changed, write to contact@pocketimplementation.com and the row is checked again.

Every editor in one table

One row per editor, from its comparison page: what the vendor says about changing existing text and about fonts, the price, and the Mac requirements. Each cell links the vendor’s page it comes from, with the day it was read; text in gray is a point the vendor’s pages do not settle. The table ranks nothing.

Editor Changing existing textThe font of the new textPriceMac requirements
PDF Textfix Version 1.0.0 Changes the text of existing lines, one line at a time, and checks every edit before it is applied. Writes with the font inside the document, installed on the Mac or not; a character that font lacks comes from a fallback font and is marked. One-time purchase: US$29 direct or US$29.99 in the Mac App Store (US prices). Free to try. Your first 5 line edits save clean. After that, saved files carry a watermark until you buy once. macOS 26 or later on a Mac with Apple silicon.
Preview Apple Apple's guide says you can't edit the text of a PDF in Preview; the markup tools add notes and shapes on top of the page. Source, read A text box takes the font, style and color you choose for it. Source, read Included with macOS: Preview is one of the apps every Mac comes with. Source, read Not covered on its page
Acrobat Adobe To replace text, you click on it and type the new content. Source, read Edits text in a given font only when that font is installed on the computer; with the font only embedded in the PDF, you can change just the text's color or size. Source, read Subscription: for individuals in the United States, Acrobat Standard is US$14.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, US$179.88 a year prepaid, or US$24.99 month to month; Acrobat Pro is US$19.99, US$239.88 or US$29.99. Source, read macOS 13, 14, 15 or 26, on an Intel processor or an M1, M2, M3 or M4 chip. Source, read
PDF Expert Readdle Technologies Limited Edits text by paragraph in Edit mode; Option-click edits a single line. It also adds and moves text blocks. Source, read Readdle's help says the Mac app supports Apple's standard fonts only, and suggests installing a custom font through Font Book. Source, read Not covered on its page macOS 12 or later, per its Mac App Store listing. Source, read
UPDF for Mac Superace Software Technology Co., Ltd. Choose Edit and click the text to change it; it detects the font, size and color of the original. Source, read Keeps the original font only when that font is installed on the computer. Source, read Not covered on its page macOS 11 or later, per its Mac App Store listing. Source, read
PDFelement Wondershare Technology Group Co., Ltd. Edit All makes the text editable; it recognizes the font and types your changes in the matching font. Source, read Not covered on its pageNot covered on its page macOS 11 or later, per its Mac App Store listing. Source, read
Nitro PDF Pro for Mac Nitro Software, Inc. Not covered on its page Not verified: the pages read do not say whether Nitro PDF Pro for Mac keeps a font that is not installed on the Mac. Source, read Not covered on its page macOS 26 or later, per its Mac App Store listing, which names no processor. Source, read
Foxit PDF Editor for Mac Foxit Software Incorporated Not covered on its page Not verified: the Mac manual read does not say what happens when the text's font is not installed on the Mac. Source, read Not covered on its page macOS 10.15 or later, per its Mac App Store listing. Source, read
PDFgear PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD. Edits text block by block, one block at a time. Source, read PDFgear's guide says the original font and styles are kept when you edit text, and that Enter starts a new line in the same font. Source, read Free on the Mac App Store, with no trial watermark or page limit. Source, read macOS 12 or later, per its Mac App Store listing. Source, read
Sejda Sejda BV Click existing text to edit it; it can also make text bold or italic and change its size, font family and color. Source, read Not covered on its pageNot covered on its pageNot covered on its page
Smallpdf Smallpdf AG Direct text editing needs a Pro subscription, which has a 7-day free trial. Source, read Not verified: the pages read do not say which font Smallpdf uses when you change existing text. Source, read Not verified: smallpdf.com's pricing page loads its prices in the browser by the reader's country, and no US price was read. Source, read Not covered on its page
iLovePDF ILOVEPDF S.L. Not covered on its page Not verified: the pages read do not say which font iLovePDF uses when you change existing text. Source, read Not verified: ilovepdf.com showed its Premium prices in the reader's local currency, and no US price was read. Source, read Not covered on its page
PDFescape Avanquest Software Editing existing text is listed among the Premium features of PDFescape Desktop, not the free online editor. Source, read Not verified: the pages read do not say which font new or edited text uses, or whether a document's embedded font is kept. Source, read Not verified: the plan comparison read on this date shows a Get Pricing! button and prints no price. Source, read The online editor runs in a web browser with an internet connection; files are uploaded to it. Source, read
Google Docs Google In Google Drive you right-click the PDF and open it with Google Docs, which converts it. Source, read Not verified: the pages read do not say whether a font embedded in the PDF is used in the Doc or replaced by a font from the Docs font menu. Source, read Anyone with a Google Account; Google says some features are only on Google Workspace plans. Source, read Not covered on its page
Canva Canva Importing a PDF lets you update text, replace images, adjust layouts or turn it into a new design format. Source, read Fonts Canva does not support may be replaced with similar fonts. Source, read Canva Free is available to anyone; Pro, Business and Enterprise are paid plans. Source, read In Canva, with a desktop browser recommended for advanced editing; the PDF is uploaded. Source, read
LibreOffice Draw The Document Foundation The FAQ says editing the snippets mostly makes sense for exchanging single words or letters. Source, read A font that is not available is drawn with a substitution font; a replacement table lets you choose it. Source, read Free to download, and free and open source software. Source, read macOS 11 or newer, on an Intel or Apple silicon processor. Source, read

Several editors side by side

5 pages

Roundups on one question each: which editors keep the font, which are free to use and on what terms, which you buy once, and how the online editors handle your file.

Mac PDF editors, one at a time

8 pages

PDF Textfix next to one other Mac editor, on the same rows every time: editing existing text, fonts, what a save writes, price and requirements, each fact in the vendor’s own words.

  • Apple

    PDF Textfix and Apple Preview

    Preview or PDF Textfix on a Mac: what each one does with a PDF's text, its fonts, saving and redaction, and when each is the right tool, every fact dated.

  • Adobe

    PDF Textfix and Adobe Acrobat

    How Adobe Acrobat and PDF Textfix differ on a Mac when you change a line of text: the font rule, scope, price model and offline use, each fact dated.

  • Readdle Technologies Limited

    PDF Textfix and PDF Expert

    How PDF Expert and PDF Textfix change existing text on a Mac: the font each one writes with, the lifetime and subscription prices, and who each suits.

  • Superace Software Technology Co., Ltd.

    PDF Textfix and UPDF for Mac

    UPDF for Mac keeps a font only when it is installed; PDF Textfix writes with the font in the file. US$79.99 for 4 devices, or US$29.99 once.

  • Wondershare Technology Group Co., Ltd.

    PDF Textfix and Wondershare PDFelement

    PDFelement is a full editor with OCR, forms and plans by the quarter, year or once; PDF Textfix fixes one line in the file's own font, US$29.99 once.

  • Nitro Software, Inc.

    PDF Textfix and Nitro PDF Pro for Mac

    What became of PDFpen, how Nitro PDF Pro for Mac is sold (US$139.99 a year in the Mac App Store), and how it compares with PDF Textfix for line fixes.

  • Foxit Software Incorporated

    PDF Textfix and Foxit PDF Editor for Mac

    Foxit PDF Editor on a Mac or a one-job tool for text fixes: its plans and US$209.99 perpetual licence, its text tools, and why Edit Text can be grayed out.

  • PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD.

    PDF Textfix and PDFgear

    PDFgear is free and edits PDF text block by block, with a font menu. What its guides say about fonts, what PDF Textfix does instead, every source dated.

Which Acrobat edits text

2 pages

Acrobat comes in several editions. These pages set out, from Adobe’s own pages, which of them change the text of a PDF and which only view, comment and sign.

Online editors

4 pages

Editors that run in a browser on a file you upload: what each one does with existing text, what its free use allows, and where your document goes.

  • Sejda BV

    PDF Textfix and Sejda

    Sejda edits PDF text in a browser or its desktop app; PDF Textfix fixes one line on your Mac in the file's font. Limits, prices and file deletion compared.

  • Smallpdf AG

    PDF Textfix and Smallpdf

    Smallpdf edits existing PDF text only on its Pro plan, in the browser; PDF Textfix fixes a line on your Mac in the file's own font, US$29.99 once.

  • ILOVEPDF S.L.

    PDF Textfix and iLovePDF

    iLovePDF edits PDF text online and deletes uploads within two hours; PDF Textfix changes a line on your Mac with no upload. Tools, apps, limits compared.

  • Avanquest Software

    PDF Textfix and PDFescape

    PDFescape's free online editor covers text with whiteout and types new text on top. How that differs from replacing the line itself, each fact sourced.

Other ways to change a PDF

5 pages

Tools that are not PDF editors but are often used as one: a document or design app that imports the PDF, the viewer built into a browser, and command-line tools.

What PDF Textfix does not do

PDF Textfix does one job: it changes text that is already on a page, one line at a time, in the font inside the document, and Save writes the file again without the replaced text on the page. It does not add text boxes, change fonts or sizes, reflow paragraphs, edit scanned pages, fill in forms or redact, and it runs only on macOS 26 or later on a Mac with Apple silicon.