Expert rating
Benefits
- Cross-platform solution with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android and web apps.
- Offers monthly and annual plans with a free trial via the web or Apple App Store.
- Includes a built-in library of some commonly needed documents and forms.
Disadvantages
- The Mac app fails to provide all of the advertised features.
- Monthly plans are objectively too expensive.
- The app works poorly and its design is quite outdated.
Our Verdict
pdfFiller can perform some basic tasks, but it lacks the promised features and its operation is not always reliable. You can find PDF editors that are better optimized, have more advanced features, and are much less expensive.
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In an increasingly digital world, the need for PDF editors continues to grow. One of the Mac apps you may come across when looking for a PDF editor is pdfFiller. The software offers a decent set of document manipulation tools, but is it actually useful for everyday use? The short answer is no.
pdfFiller offers apps on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android, and the web. So no matter what device you’re working on, you’ll likely be able to access your documents without a problem. Notably, a single subscription works on all platforms.
The company offers a 30-day free trial if you sign up on the web or 7 days if you opt for Apple App Store billing. Beyond the longer trial and the need to set up a payment method, pdfFiller’s web billing is similar to Apple’s, including pricing.
Find out how pdfFiller compares to other PDF editors in our roundup of the best PDF editors for Mac and the best free PDF editors for Mac.
Plans and Features
pdfFiller’s basic plan costs $8 per month ($96 per year) if you agree to an annual plan. Alternatively, it’s $20 per month if you opt out of the annual commitment. Only US rates are available. It offers basic PDF editing features, such as text manipulation, annotations, electronic signatures, etc.
Meanwhile, the Plus plan costs $12 per month on the annual commitment ($144 per year) or $30 if you choose to opt out of the contract. In addition to the Basic plan features, Plus adds support for rearranging pages, creating templates, publishing fillable forms online, and more.
Finally, the Premium plan increases the annual and monthly fees to $15 per month ($180 per year) and $40 if you want to be able to cancel. Beyond the benefits of previous plans, it integrates a library of more than 85,000 U.S. legal forms, supports data collection and exports, offers faster customer support, and allows users to password protect their documents. pass.
Experience (below average) with pdfFiller
Starting with its user interface, the pdfFiller app on macOS does not follow the operating system’s design language and does not support dark mode. Cosmetics aside, the app also didn’t work reliably on my MacBook Air M2.
For example, when I tried to save a PDF to my device, a processing pop-up appeared for a few seconds, then it kicked me out of the document without actually saving it to local storage.
Likewise, when editing text, the cursor took a few seconds to recognize the characters I was trying to edit, and it replaced unsupported fonts with empty squares, which isn’t great . These inconveniences significantly lengthen workflows related to text editing, which is a core feature of the PDF editor.
Another downside of using pdfFiller on macOS is the limited feature set. Although its App Store listing explicitly states that the software supports image exports, password protection, and blank document creation, the app apparently can’t do any of that. While I was able to spot these features on the web app, those who opt for the native Mac app will be misled by its inaccurate description on the App Store.
Should you buy pdfFiller?
pdfFiller can perform some basic tasks, such as manipulating PDF text and images, inserting signatures and shapes, annotating, rearranging pages, and filling out forms. However, the Mac app lacks some of the promised features and doesn’t always work reliably.
But more importantly, you can find PDF editors that are better optimized, have more advanced features, and are much less expensive. Paying $40/month to unlock password protection only to realize it’s not offered by the native Mac app is absurd. And frankly, beyond the built-in document library that some users may appreciate, I can’t find any reason why anyone would choose pdfFiller over alternatives.
I would only recommend this macOS PDF editor if the company reconsiders its unjustified pricing. Alternatively, it could overhaul the app to improve its performance and implement cool features that would put it on par with similarly priced premium publishers. In the meantime, look elsewhere.
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