PDFgear vs Skim (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick PDFgear: it is first in our ranking of PDF editors, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PDFgear grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick PDFgear if
- Fits if you want an editor that changes existing text without paying or signing up
- Works for Windows and Mac users dropping a paid editor for everyday edits
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Linux, as there's no version for it
- Not for you if files must never leave your computer, as some conversions upload to its Amazon cloud servers
- Tight if you're building your work around it, as some advanced features may become paid
- Watch out: it's a young product, first out in 2022, and paid for by investment rather than sales
- Too light for sending documents to sign inside the app, as that's on eSignGear, a separate site
Pick Skim if
- Fits if you read and mark up papers on a Mac, especially with LaTeX or BibDesk
- Works for anyone who wants a free annotator and not an editor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows, Linux or a phone, as it runs on Mac only
- Too light for editing text or filling in forms, since neither is listed
- Watch out: support is a wiki, mailing lists and bug trackers, not a help desk
- Tight if your Mac is old, because the current version needs macOS 10.13
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAPDFgearVery good | 2.8GPASkimGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ANothing to pay, and it edits existing text, converts, OCRs and has AI. The maker says investment pays for it, not ads or selling data. Some advanced features may become paid later. | AFree to download and use, with no paid tier, so it sits well under the cheapest quarter of PDF tools. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature on every platform, with no signup, no ads and no caps on record. The maker says some advanced options may become paid. | AThe whole app is free, with nothing held back. |
| Features | BEdits text, images and form fields like a word processor, batch-converts to Office, OCRs in 30-plus languages, annotates and has an AI copilot. It covers the whole job. Sending for signature is on eSignGear, its separate site. | CNotes, highlights, snapshots, a reading bar and AppleScript. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller one: the listing shows no text editing or form filling. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. No account to make and nothing to set up: install it and start editing. | BNo store rating is on record, but it is a program you install and open, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, the web and a browser extension. That's everywhere bar Linux, but integrations stop at ChatGPT and its own eSignGear, so no top grade. | DmacOS only, version 1.7.19 needing macOS 10.13 or higher. There is no Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | a PDF editor that costs nothing | reading and annotating papers on a Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: PDFgear and Skim. How we grade
Price against what you get
PDFgear has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Skim has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
PDFgear scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other PDF editors on the chart, none scores higher than PDFgear for less, and none scores higher than Skim for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Skim is open source, according to its own site.
- PDFgear also covers forms.
- Skim also covers notes and highlights.
In commonFree planmacOSPDF editing
At a glance
| PDFgear | Skim | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Every feature is free on every platform with no signup; the maker says it shows no ads, does not sell data and covers its costs with investment. | Everything: the whole app is free to download and use. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | PDF Gear Tech Pte. Ltd. | Skim project (SourceForge) |
| Price read from | pdfgear.com | skim-app.sourceforge.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PDFgear
- PDFgear says most features will stay free but some advanced options, such as cloud AI tools and special conversions, may become paid.
- Some advanced conversions upload files to its Amazon cloud servers; the maker says they are deleted straight after processing.
- There is no Linux version; the apps cover Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android.
- It is a young product: the first version came out in 2022.
Skim
- Mac only; current version 1.7.19 needs macOS 10.13 or higher, with older versions listed for older systems.
- It is a reader and annotator, with no listed tools for editing existing text or filling in forms.
- Support runs through a wiki, mailing lists and bug trackers rather than a company help desk.
Key features
PDFgear
- Text and image editing
- Edits existing text, images, shapes, links, signatures and fillable form fields in a PDF, much like a word processor.
- Batch conversion
- Converts between PDF and Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text and images, with a batch mode for many files at once.
- OCR
- Pulls text out of scanned pages and turns scans into editable Word or text files, in more than 30 languages.
- AI copilot
- Answers questions about a document and summarizes it; the maker says it pays for the ChatGPT API behind it from its own funding.
- Annotation
- Highlight, underline and strike through text, and add notes, comments, stamps, shapes and text boxes.
- Online tools and eSignGear
- Browser tools for editing, merging, splitting, compressing and signing, plus eSignGear, a separate site for sending documents for e-signature.
Skim
- Notes and highlights
- Add and edit notes, highlight text with one-swipe modes, and view all notes and highlights in one list.
- Snapshots and reading bar
- Keep snapshots of other parts of a document for reference and focus a line at a time with a reading bar.
- Navigation
- Move around with the table of contents or thumbnails, with a visual history and previews of internal links.
- Presentations
- Present a PDF full screen with built-in transitions, and crop pages with the smart cropping tools.
- Export and scripting
- Export notes as text and automate with extensive AppleScript support.
- LaTeX and reference tools
- Works with LaTeX through SyncTeX and PDFSync, and integrates with BibDesk and other third-party apps.
Plans
PDFgear
PDFgear$0
Editing, conversion, OCR, signing and the AI copilot on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web, with no account needed.
Skim
Skim$0
Free to download; the site lists no paid plans or licence fees.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PDFgear or Skim?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both PDFgear and Skim are free to use.
Which has a free plan, PDFgear or Skim?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both PDFgear and Skim have a free plan.
Which platforms do PDFgear and Skim run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only PDFgear lists a web app, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.