These solutions come in two varieties: Mac-based CRMs and Web-based CRMs. In this guide, we’ll profile the options available to help you better understand the differences between these two models. Mac-Based CRM Solutions. Several vendors in the market have developed Mac-based CRM solutions, which are built to run natively on the Mac operating system. Fortunately, there are plenty of writing tools around to help you do all of the above. In this post, I’ll share some of the most powerful writing tools for bloggers. I’ll also cover Mac, Windows, mobile apps and web apps.
While all-in-one PDF suites that can do everything exist, they can cost quite a bit. For example, Nitro Pro is $160, PDF Studio is $90, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC will set you back $15 per month. If you’d rather not pay a single cent, then we have some good and bad news for you.
The good news? Free PDF tools aboundThe 6 Best PDF Readers for Windows in 2019The 6 Best PDF Readers for Windows in 2019The best PDF readers don't cost any money. Read our roundup of feature-rich PDF viewers that out perform even Adobe Reader.Read More and many of them deliver acceptable results. The bad news? You’ll have to collect several different tools and assemble your own “PDF suite” a la carte (if you want the very best results).
In this article, you’ll find Windows and Mac recommendations for the best tool to use for the following specific PDF use-cases: viewing, annotating/editing, signing, merging, and splitting.
For Viewing PDFs
Windows: SumatraPDF
I switched to SumatraPDF years ago and have never looked back, and for one main reason: it’s the fastest and most lightweight PDF viewer I’ve ever used. Even on an ancient laptop that’s breathing its last breaths, SumatraPDF is blazing fast while providing accurate PDF rendering.
But it’s only a PDF viewer. It does not have capabilities for editing, signing, annotating, or otherwise changing PDF documents. In addition to PDF, SumatraPDF can view EPUB, MOBI, XPS, CBR, and several other formats.
Not happy with SumatraPDF? Check out these other lightweight PDF viewers for Windows4 Very Light Alternatives to Adobe Reader4 Very Light Alternatives to Adobe ReaderAre you still using Adobe Reader for PDF documents? It's time to move on to an alternative PDF reader that is lightweight, launches quickly, and yet keeps your documents save.Read More.
Mac: Skim
Preview is the PDF viewer of choice for most Mac users, and to be fair, Preview certainly can get the job done — and the fact that you don’t have to install anything to use it is a bonus. But if you want a faster PDF viewer with better usability, consider using Skim.
Skim was originally designed for viewing scientific papers in PDF form, but it has since evolved into a general purpose viewer. It’s extremely fast, lightweight, and easy to navigate (even for huge documents with many pages and images). Note that the site looks outdated, but the app is still being updated.
Don’t like Skim or Preview? Check out these alternative Mac apps for reading PDFs4 Best Free Mac Preview Alternatives for Reading PDFs4 Best Free Mac Preview Alternatives for Reading PDFsIf you're looking for a free Preview replacement for your PDF reading habit, here are the best free options out there.Read More.
For Annotating/Editing PDFs
Windows: PDF-XChange Editor
PDF-XChange Editor is one of the only free tools that allows true editing of text in PDF documents. However, you can only edit text. Editing any other content type (e.g. lines, shapes, images, etc.) is a paid feature.
Indeed, PDF-XChange Editor isn’t completely free. If you utilize any of the paid features, which are marked with an [x] icon in the menus, your PDF will be stamped with a non-revertable watermark as soon as you save! Removing the watermark requires a paid license, which costs $43.50.
Paid features include inserting or deleting pages, replacing pages, editing forms, headers and footers, anything involving bookmarks, and more. However, other notable free features include text box notes, highlighting, sticky notes, and drawing lines and shapes.
Mac: Preview
Unfortunately, we did not find any reputable free tools that can truly edit PDFs on Mac — only tools that can annotate and fill out documents. The best free tool we found is Mac’s default app, Preview.
Preview’s annotation options include highlighting, text box notes, drawn shapes, and embedded document notes (only viewable when the PDF is opened using Preview). It can also fill out most PDF forms, including text fields and checkboxes. But if it can’t, you can just use a text box note instead.
For Signing PDFs
Windows and Mac: Foxit Reader
Foxit Reader is a free PDF app that offers five ways to protect a PDF document:
- PDF Sign: Hand-drawn signatures to verify authenticity.
- DocuSign: Electronic signatures using DocuSign eSignatures.
- Sign & Certify: Digital text signatures embedded on document pages.
In addition, Foxit Reader also offers a Validation feature (which checks if a PDF document adheres to ISO standards, thus ensuring it will be usable at any point in the future) and a Time Stamp feature (which uses a third-party service to verify that signatures were signed at a particular time).
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Foxit Reader is seen as bloated by some, but we recommend keeping it around just for these signature and security features. Still don’t want to use it? Check out these other methods for signing PDF documents8 Ways To Sign A PDF From Windows, Mac & Mobile Platforms8 Ways To Sign A PDF From Windows, Mac & Mobile PlatformsWhen you get that contract via email, what do you do? You have to print the last page, sign it, scan it, and email it back — surely MakeUseOf, there must be a better way?Read More.
For Merging PDFs
Windows and Mac: PDFsam
Formerly known as PDF Split and Merge, PDFsam is the best way to merge multiple PDF documents into one. It’s open source and completely free for personal use, and it works on any platform that supports the Java Runtime Environment — that means Windows, Mac, Linux, and more.
You can select any number of input PDFs, and you can designate which pages you want to merge for each PDF. If the PDFs have bookmarks or outlines, you can decide to keep, merge, or discard them. You can also create a Table of Contents for the resulting PDF. It’s all quite easy.
Other nifty features include mixing PDFs (combining documents by alternating pages), rotating PDFs (applied to all pages), extracting PDFs (creating a new document using only certain pages from a source PDF), and splitting PDFs (but we recommend using the method below for this).
For Splitting PDFs
Windows and Mac: Web Browser
These days, you do NOT need a dedicated tool for splitting PDFs. Your web browser, as long as you’re using one of the mainstream ones, is equipped with a simple feature that can handle this for you with full flexibility.
On Windows 10, open any PDF in any web browser:
- Print the PDF document (keyboard shortcut Ctrl + P).
- Change the destination to Microsoft Print to PDF.
- Select which pages you want to keep. Want to split a 10-page document in half? Go with 1-5 or 6-10, for example. Want only certain pages? You might go with 3,6,8. You can also combine them, like 1-3,6-8,10.
- Click Print.
On Mac, open any PDF in any web browser:
- Print the PDF document (keyboard shortcut Command + P).
- Change Pages to Range and input which pages you want to split off.
- In the lower-left corner, click the PDF menu and select Save as PDF.
- Give a name to the resulting PDF and click Save.
Unfortunately, Mac’s print-to-PDF option isn’t as flexible as Windows 10, but it’s good enough for simple splitting. If you need more complex functionality, consider using PDFsam (mentioned above).
A Few More PDF Tips
We’ve covered several other PDF-related tips in the past, including how to extract images from PDFsHow to Extract Images From a PDF and Use Them AnywhereHow to Extract Images From a PDF and Use Them AnywherePDF files can be containers for embedded images. We show you how to extract images from a PDF file and save them to your desktop.Read More, all the cool things you can do with PDFs on Google Drive10 Tips to Do More With Your PDF Files on Google Drive10 Tips to Do More With Your PDF Files on Google DriveGoogle Drive is a full-featured office suite. Some of its key features include the PDF capabilities built into the cloud app.Read More, and ways to convert PDF documents (into images6 Ways to Convert a PDF to a JPG Image6 Ways to Convert a PDF to a JPG ImageRead More and into Word documentsHow to Convert PDF to Word for FreeHow to Convert PDF to Word for FreePDF to Word converters are a dime a dozen. We have compiled the 5 best ones you can get for free, for both on- and more secure offline use.Read More).
If you’re making PDFs of your own, be sure to keep these tips for reader-friendly PDFsMake Your PDF Files More Accessible & Reader Friendly with these TipsMake Your PDF Files More Accessible & Reader Friendly with these TipsAny good PDF needs to be accessible to communicate ideas — follow these tips to make sure your document hits the target.Read More in mind. Nothing worse than trying to read a poorly-formatted document!
What are your favorite PDF tools? Are there any we missed? Share them with us in the comments below!
Explore more about: PDF, PDF Editor, Preview App.
Why not mention Master PDF. It is free for personal use only on linux but it is a full pdf editing app. For windows it ads watermark on save.
I am looking for a PDF app that can delete pages from a scanned document. I clip articles out of old car magazines to digitize via scanner. I frequently end up with an 8 page clipping with 2 pages of ads in the middle. I would like to find a tool that can open the resulting PDF and remove the useless pages. Any suggestions?
Try the free PDF24. You can add, delete, rearrange pages either within the same file or combining different files. Also, very easy to use as pages are displayed graphically.
Every Mac comes with a free email application, appropriately named Mail. Using the native Mail application is fine for most people, especially for those who only use iCloud, but things get trickier when you’re dealing with multiple email accounts.
For Gmail users in particular, more thorough solutions are available, many which are free. Here’s a look at five Mail alternatives and why they might work for you.
AirMail ($10)
Marketed as being a “lighting-fast email client for Mac,” AirMail is also the most beautiful application on the list. Offering Split Screen support for OS X El Capitan, the application looks and feels like it’s an Apple creation. It also features some options not available on the native Mac application, which consistently makes AirMail one of the best overall apps for OS XThe Best Mac Apps to Install on Your MacBook or iMacThe Best Mac Apps to Install on Your MacBook or iMacLooking for the best apps for your MacBook or iMac? Here's our comprehensive list of the best apps for macOS.Read More.
Chief among this is the ability to compose in Markdown or HTML. As you type on the left, the result is shown on the right side of the screen. Being able to view the formats side-by-side means you can make sure to remove broken links or weird-looking text before sending.
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In AirMail, received messages may be organized by task. You can mark each email as To Do, Memo, or Done. The first are for items that require some action or a follow-up. A Memo is for items you need to memorize or store for later, and you can mark completed emails as Done. You can also Snooze messages, allowing you to move them to the side for viewing at a later time or date.
The application offers support for Google, iCloud, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, IMAP, and POP. It also works with many third-party integrations, including Dropbox, Google Drive, OmniFocus, Things, and many more.
AirMail is available in the Mac App Store. You can also download a beta version for free from the developer’s website. An AirMail for iPhone app is coming soon.
Mail Pilot 2 ($20)
Like AirMail, Mail Pilot 2 turns mail into a to-do list, allowing you to focus on what’s most important. Unique to Mail Pilot 2 is a relatively new feature called Dash.
With Dash, your daily life is summarized on a dashboard to help you become more productive. It includes the number of messages that you have received in the past 24 hours, plus those that are completed, set aside, due, and late. Dash also summarizes the average time it takes for you to reply to emails and more. Another handy feature provides links to files that you’ve recently sent or received, which is very nice.
The application supports all standard IMAP accounts, including Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Rackspace, Outlook.com, and Google Apps. Mail Pilot 2 is available in the Mac App Store. A $9.99 iOS version is available from the App Store.
Do you want to learn more about Mail Pilot? Be sure to take a look at our original reviewTask-Oriented Email App Mail Pilot Arrives On Mac OS XTask-Oriented Email App Mail Pilot Arrives On Mac OS XLike the mobile version of the app, Mail Pilot for Mac is very useful for managing important email like a to-do list.Read More.
Postbox ($10)
Postbox is one of the oldest email clientsPostbox: An Alternative Email Client For MacPostbox: An Alternative Email Client For MacPostbox is an email management application for Windows and Mac powered by the Mozilla platform.Read More on our list, but it’s also a very stable product. Postbox’s goal is to remove some of the chaos associated with mail, by offering robust tools to make the process more efficient.
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One of Postbox’s nicest features is the ability to group messages by topic. This allows you to break work into smaller, more manageable chunks. Grouping by subject is particularly useful when you have more than one email account. Postbox also enables you to create Pre-Made Responses, which you can reuse as often as needed.
Postbox works with most email providers including Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, and iCloud. It also supports POP3, IMAP, and SMTP protocols. It is available from the Postbox website. A 30-day free trial is also available, so you can try before you buy.
CloudMagic (free)
This mail client only recently arrived on OS X after finding success on iOS and AndroidTask-Oriented Email App Mail Pilot Arrives On Mac OS XTask-Oriented Email App Mail Pilot Arrives On Mac OS XLike the mobile version of the app, Mail Pilot for Mac is very useful for managing important email like a to-do list.Read More. Dubbed “simple, beautiful & blazing fast” by its creators, the application features a transparent user interface, free of fancy buttons or slides.
This approach works well, especially if you have to go through a lot of emails each day or have multiple accounts. We especially like the application’s shortcut buttons, which allow you to move quickly to the next or previous email.
CloudMagic offers support for Gmail, Exchange, Google Apps, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, and all IMAP accounts. It’s available in the Mac App Store. CloudMagic for iOS and CloudMagic for Android are also available. Both are free.
Nylas N1 (free)
Two of most popular third-party mail clients in recent years were Sparrow and Mailbox. After each was purchased by Google and Dropbox respectively, both were eventually shutdown, leaving millions of users in the lurch. By contrast, Nylas N1 is open-source and published on GitHub, meaning it will never be bought and axed.
Nylas N1 is the closest thing you’ll see to a next-generation mail program. It features a clean user interface, supports Gmail keyboard shortcuts, and best of all, because it is open-source, has a community to back it up. However, because it’s so new, you may run into some problems, at least in the short-run. For example, N1 doesn’t currently offer a unified inbox and the formatting isn’t quite right.
Why is N1 on our list? Because it’s been designed for easy modification. Best of all, it can run on multiple platforms including OS X, Windows, and Linux. Better still — it’s free. N1 is compatible with many providers, including Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Microsoft Exchange, and more. Currently, there is no N1 app for iOS.
You’ve Got Mail Options
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If you’re happy with Apple’s default email client, keep it. For those looking for different ways to organize your mail or rather use something that plays nicer with Gmail, consider one of our alternatives. The most feature-rich solutions on the list are AirMail and Mail Pilot 2. The ones most likely to push mail into new areas in the next year are CloudMagic and Nylas N1. Looking for a reliable, stable solution? Consider Postmate.
Are you looking for more ways to customize your email experience on a Mac? Check out these hidden El Capitan features you probably don’t know about11 Hidden OS X El Capitan Features You Might Not Know About11 Hidden OS X El Capitan Features You Might Not Know AboutThink you've found all the new features in El Capitan? Think again! There is a bounty of handy features that haven't gotten a lot of press.Read More, or take your email writing to the next level with these tools5 Tools That Can Help You Write Better Emails5 Tools That Can Help You Write Better EmailsEveryone is still trying to solve the email problem. So, let's also talk about the most basic habit of all – the art of writing better emails. With the help of some cool tools.Read More.
Which email client for Mac do you use? Let us know in the comments below.
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Explore more about: Apple Mail, Desktop Email Client, OS X El Capitan.
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Hi! The article's great, although I think you should have put free email clients first.
I would also like to suggest Hiri (www.hiri.com), an email client that helps you master the art of email. It's an innovation like no other client, and as a standalone app for Windows, OS X, and Linux, Hiri works perfectly!
It's also free for personal use!
Nylas N1 is not free anymore despite marketing shit they spread
CloudMagic costs $19.99 to download. What do you people think 'free' means?
The answer is not 'approximately twenty dollars,' despite what you may have heard.
I really like Spark but for the love of god I wish they would go ahead and release a mac version already!!! Their iPhone and iPad version is good but I'm struggling to find an email client for the mac until further notice....
Jessica, I hope you may have found out that there is now a Mac version for Spark. It only supports IMAP though. I'm using Spark for iCloud since Apple Mail has become a complete hot mess on the computer (still works on iOS) and Apple Mail for my POP email accounts.
Does Pegasus Mail work on a Mac?
I might be wrong about this but CloudMagic keeps your user credentials in the cloud on their servers.
Can anyone confirm this either way please?
Yes they do.
Airmail is a disaster as of March 2016. Unstable and unfit for purpose.
Whats wrong with Airmail as of March 2016?
I agree. It seems to be more and more unstable. I had really high hopes for AirMail, but I'm out!
Airmail works perfectly fine. Still the best OSX email client. I wonder what issues you had with it.
The search is awful... and doesn´t have an undo send option.
No MailMate mentioned? Really?
I second this, it is quite good...
Thunderbird ain't bad but its getting old. Anyone know which other client supports multiple identities (besides Postbox that is)?
For those using gmail with one of these native apps, what are you finding that missing compared to the gmail website client? I've tried various real clients over the years but gmails's search is awesome as is and haven't really found something lacking from the web client.
Have you tried http://mailplaneapp.com? Its a wrapper but pretty good if you're running OSX.
Came to say the same thing as Peter, above. Cloudmagic is twenty dollars!
What about Mozilla Thunderbird. It's also free and good.
+1
+1
Airmail is absolutely the best OS X mail client out there. I am also beta testing Airmail's iOS app and that is going to beat the pants off everything else.
Cloudmagic is nice, bit it's not free.