Below, we delve into ten standout applications, providing a brief PDF annotator app review for each to highlight their strengths.
Often considered the industry standard, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC offers a comprehensive suite of PDF editing and annotation features. Its robust top PDF markup tools allow for detailed comments, highlighting, drawing, and shape insertion. It excels in professional environments with features like shared reviews, version tracking, and seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud. While a premium option, its depth of functionality is unmatched for many.
GoProof is a comprehensive online proofing platform designed for creative teams and marketing workflows, where robust PDF annotation is a key component of a much broader review and approval process. It's important to note that GoProof is about comprehensive proofing, not just annotation for PDFs; it handles various creative file types. Its strength lies in centralized, collaborative review, allowing multiple stakeholders to comment and markup documents. If your need for PDF annotation is part of a larger creative approval cycle requiring version control, clear feedback trails, and formal sign-offs, GoProof offers a powerful, integrated solution beyond standalone software to annotate PDFs.
A popular alternative to Adobe Acrobat, Foxit PDF Editor Pro provides a rich set of annotation tools, including typewriter comments, note tools, drawing markups, and measurement tools. It's known for being relatively lightweight yet powerful, offering a good balance of features for both individual and enterprise use. Its collaborative review options also make it one of the top PDF markup tools.
PDFelement offers a user-friendly interface coupled with a wide array of annotation options like sticky notes, text boxes, highlighting, strikethrough, underlining, and various shapes. It also supports creating and filling forms, and its OCR capabilities are noteworthy. It's often cited in discussions about the best PDF annotation software for its blend of functionality and ease of use.
Xodo is a versatile and free PDF annotator app review favorite, available on multiple platforms (Web, Android, iOS, Windows). It allows users to write directly on PDFs, highlight and underline text, add sticky notes, and even fill out forms. Its real-time collaboration feature, Xodo Connect, allows multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, making it a strong choice for team-based annotations.
Primarily known as an educational tool, Kami is a fantastic web-based PDF and document annotation app that excels in collaborative learning and work environments. It offers a wide range of markup tools, including text commenting, drawing, shapes, and rich media embedding (like voice and video comments). Its integration with Google Drive, Schoology, and Canvas makes it highly accessible.
For Windows users, particularly those with touch-screen devices and styluses, Drawboard PDF is a powerful option. It's designed for intuitive markup with pen-based tools, offering a natural feel for highlighting, writing notes, and drawing. Its radial menu is a standout feature, providing quick access to commonly used tools, solidifying its place among the top PDF markup tools.
A staple for Mac and iOS users, PDF Expert is known for its speed, reliability, and clean interface. Annotation features are comprehensive, including highlighting, underlining, strikethrough, shapes, text notes, and pen tools that work seamlessly with Apple Pencil. It's frequently listed among the best PDF commenting tools 2025 for the Apple ecosystem.
Smallpdf is a popular suite of online PDF tools, and its PDF editor includes useful annotation features. Users can highlight text, add text boxes, draw, and add images to their PDFs. Its strength lies in its simplicity and accessibility directly from a web browser, making it a quick solution for basic annotation needs without requiring software installation.
While primarily a note-taking app for Apple devices, Notability offers robust PDF annotation capabilities. Users can import PDFs and mark them up extensively with handwriting, highlighting, typing, and audio notes. It's particularly favored by students and professionals who need to combine note-taking with document review.
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