Skim vs Xodo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Skim grades higher than Xodo: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Skim grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. Xodo grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Xodo
PDF tools on web, desktop and mobile, sold separately or as a suite
Which one is for you
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
Pick Xodo if
- Fits if you're on Linux and need a desktop PDF editor
- Works for people who only need browser tools, at $7.99 a month on a yearly plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want web, desktop and phone without paying $14.99 a month for the full Suite
- Not for you if you want a refund safety net, as Xodo doesn't give them
- Tight if you're on the free plan, at 1 action a day, and the 3-day trial needs a payment method
- Watch out: the $240 perpetual license covers two devices and only 12 months of version upgrades
- Too light for building forms, as no form builder is on record, and the only integration is Xodo Sign
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASkimGood | 2.2GPAXodoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use, with no paid tier, so it sits well under the cheapest quarter of PDF tools. | CXodo Web is $7.99 a month on a yearly plan and the desktop editor $9.99, both normal for PDF editors. The full Suite is $14.99, or $8.99 for new yearly subscribers until Dec 31, 2026. The $240 perpetual license, spread over three years, is middling too. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free, with nothing held back. | CThere's a free plan, but it's 1 action a day on the web tools, barely a taste. The 3-day trial needs a payment method, and Xodo doesn't give refunds. |
| Features | 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. | CEdits, compresses, redacts, OCRs, converts, compares two PDFs, checks PDF/A and even edits Word files, with AskPDF AI. But no form builder is on record, and the web plan has no desktop app. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating is on record, but it is a program you install and open, with nothing to set up. | C4.35 from 1,703 App Store ratings, below most PDF apps here. And working out which of the separate products you need takes some reading first. |
| Platforms and integrations | DmacOS only, version 1.7.19 needing macOS 10.13 or higher. There is no Windows, phone or web version. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, six platforms. But the only integration on record is Xodo Sign, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | reading and annotating papers on a Mac | a desktop PDF editor that also runs on Linux |
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: Skim and Xodo. How we grade
Price against what you get
Skim has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Xodo starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.3.
Xodo scores higher, and starts $7.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other PDF editors on the chart, none scores higher than Skim for less, and 10 score higher than Xodo 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.
- Xodo can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Skim also covers notes and highlights.
At a glance
| Skim | Xodo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $7.99 per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Everything: the whole app is free to download and use. | 1 action a day with limited Xodo Web tools and 1GB of Xodo Drive; the Xodo PDF Reader and mobile apps can be installed free. |
| Free trial | None listed | 3-day free trial of Xodo Web or PDF Studio, payment method required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Skim project (SourceForge) | Apryse Software Inc. |
| Price read from | skim-app.sourceforge.io | xodo.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Xodo
- Each product is sold separately: the Web plan has no desktop app, and only the Document Suite covers web, desktop and mobile.
- The free plan allows only 1 action a day, and the free trial needs a payment method.
- Xodo does not give refunds; a cancelled plan runs to the end of the paid period.
- The perpetual license includes only 12 months of version upgrades and covers two devices.
Key features
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.
Xodo
- Edit, redact and organize
- Edit, compress, annotate and redact PDFs, merge, split and reorder pages, and add passwords or strip hidden data.
- Convert and OCR
- Converts to and from PDF and between image formats, runs OCR on scans, and validates PDF/A on the web.
- Compare and edit DOCX
- Shows two PDFs side by side to compare them, and edits Word files without Microsoft Word.
- AskPDF AI
- Summarizes PDFs and answers questions about them, as one of the web tools on paid plans.
- Offline desktop editor
- PDF Studio runs on Windows, macOS and Linux without an internet connection and automates repetitive PDF tasks.
- Mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps for editing, annotating, signing and sharing documents, included in the Document Suite.
Plans
Skim
Skim$0
Free to download; the site lists no paid plans or licence fees.
Xodo
Free$0
One action a day on the web tools, no premium tools and 1GB of Xodo Drive.
Xodo Web$7.99
per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly)
40+ online tools with unlimited use and downloads, including AskPDF AI, strong compression and PDF/A; no desktop app.
Xodo PDF Studio Desktop$9.99
per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly)
Offline desktop editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with 60+ tools.
Xodo Document Suite$14.99
per month, billed annually ($24.99 billed monthly)
Web, desktop and mobile in one subscription with priority support; $8.99 a month for new annual subscriptions through Dec 31, 2026.
PDF Studio Perpetual License$240
one-time purchase per user
PDF Studio Desktop without a subscription, on up to two devices, with 12 months of free version upgrades.
Ways to pay less
Skim
No public discounts listed.
Xodo
- Other savings
40% off Document Suite for life, until Dec 31, 2026
New annual Document Suite subscriptions started by Dec 31, 2026 cost $8.99 a month ($107.93 a year), a discount that stays on every renewal while the plan is active.
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Xodo lists Web at $7.99 a month billed yearly against $10.99 monthly, PDF Studio at $9.99 against $19.99, and the Suite at $14.99 against $24.99.
- Other savings
Volume discounts for teams
Xodo discounts team licenses by seat count, starting at 2 seats for the Web and Document Suite plans and growing with volume for PDF Studio.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Skim or Xodo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Skim is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7.99 a month for Xodo. Skim is free, and Xodo starts at $7.99 per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Skim or Xodo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Skim and Xodo have a free plan.
Which platforms do Skim and Xodo run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Xodo lists a web app and Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. 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.