8 PDF Annotators for Smooth Markups Experience [2024]

Transform the way you amend your PDF documents with PDF annotation tools.

The PDF annotator offers a broad set of objects that are used to provide clarification to content. PDF annotators’ purpose ranges from marking page content to adding insightful features like forms.

You can add suggestions in the comment form, such as – sticky notes. Annotation refers to offering contextual feedback in the PDF document. You can leave comments anywhere in the document.

Also Read: Best Online Sticky Notes for Easy Team Collaboration

Your teammates can see comments/ feedback in real-time. This will cut the time of sending emails for proofreading.

Best PDF Annotators

Below you will see some of the finest annotation tools you can use while reviewing any PDF file. At the end of the list, we’ll also discuss some of the use cases and advantages of PDF annotators, in case you haven’t used any of these tools before.

Let’s begin with the list!

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat simplifies the whole process with easy-to-use commenting and markup tools and one place to manage all at once. You can easily annotate PDFs without email attachments or file versions.

This annotation tool offers different features that you can use easily. It offers:

• Annotate files by using Acrobat PDF tools. Add text boxes, insert sticky notes, format text, or freehand drawings by pencil tool. Acrobat PDF also offers highlighters, strikethroughs, underlines, and many more.
• You can use the share with others Icon on desktop, mobile, or online to collect and combine comments from multiple reviewers in a shared PDF hosted in the cloud.
• Users don’t need to be tech-savvy or need any skill for annotating in PDF. With the Adobe Acrobat annotation tool, you can easily comment from any device. Every user can engage easily and can add their comments effortlessly.
• Simplify the review process by acquiring and handling all your feedback in a single place. Multiple reviewers can sort comments with @. You don’t need to worry about different email attachments.
• You will get real-time notifications when reviewers open files or add comments. You can also manage your project to send reminders, update deadlines, answer questions, or close workflows. All from the home view of Adobe Acrobat.

With all these magnificent features, Adobe Acrobat is usually the go-to tool for any PDF-related issues you might have.

Try Adobe Acrobat

Wondershare PDFelement

Wondershare PDFelement is designed for all types of PDF functions. Apart from PDF annotation, it offers plenty of basic to advanced PDF tools.

Wondershare PDFelement has a lot more to offer.

• You will get all the annotation features from a PDF tool. It includes comments, attachments, notes, signatures, drawings, text markups, and corrections.
• It is an all-in-one PDF editor. Besides annotation, there are many other PDF features, including editing links and adding watermarks, images, texts, OCR, and bates numbering.
• Wondershare PDFelement offers a free trial version with tons of features. It also offers numerous affordable premium packages starting at $79.99.
• This software is compatible with all types of OS like – Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Apart from all these features, the tool is a delight to use, thanks to its intuitive user interface.

Try Wondershare PDFelement

Pastel

Pastel is a cloud-based SaaS tool designed to assist in the collaborative submission and collection of feedback. Leaving feedback is as simple as leaving a sticky note on a meeting board or environment surface.

This product works by using “canvasses”, where the PDF file under review is uploaded and available via normal web links to all collaborators.

Let’s have a close look at what Pastel offers:

• Pastel is an online subscription-based tool designed to support the collaborative review of live websites, inviting teams of designers and developers to leave comments.
• Pastel’s concept revolves around leaving sticky note comments that support centralized feedback sessions in a way that reduces reliance on coordinated meetings or email chains.
• All the entered feedback is collected and handled in one single environment in real-time, complete with any screenshots and tagged with any web browser metadata. Comments are exported for different resolution purposes.
• One single monthly package includes unlimited canvases, export to Trello, and unlimited collaborators.

Pastel offers an unlimited number of collaborators without any kind of login or software installation.

Try Pastel

Annotate

The Annotate tool is designed for your team’s needs to boost collaboration and productivity and also maintain the security and compliance of the documents.

This tool provides a lot more:

• Annotate offers a single platform that supports every stage of the document collaboration process. It has everything you need, from the first draft to the final sign-off and even the one-to-one basis of a larger team.
• Have a quick conversation or organize your documents into workspaces and folders, and invite your team from inside or outside your organization.
• You will get a live chat option to confirm or resolve a change in a document. You can resolve or change your documents quickly and effectively streamline your teammates.
• Using document chat and workspace chat with your teammates can initialize a discussion around a specific subject, review documents, and in addition, you can do much more.

For all your business and organizational PDF needs, Annotate can be an excellent alternative to the more well-known tools like Wondershare PDFelement and Adobe Acrobat.

Try Annotate

Ruttl

Ruttl PDF annotation tool allows users to add additional text, objects, graphics, or comments to a PDF document. Teammates can easily point out the design asset that they’re talking about in the PDF.

Ruttl annotation software allows you to do much more. Below are some advantages.

• Instead of sharing long emails most of the time, the Ruttl PDF annotation tool allows leaving comments, enabling readers to reach the exact location of the change.
• This annotation tool keeps track of all your numerous versions and also the latest version so that you can focus on your work without having to find out the latest edit.

The above benefits directly help streamline your entire process and help your projects in launching faster.

Try Ruttl

Lumin PDF Editor

Lumin PDF tools are designed to complete your needs. It offers a digital tool that will change your workflow.

This PDF editor offers a lot of features:

• It offers In-editing PDFs without converting your document.
• You can create your unique signature and save time by signing your documents.
• It can build fillable forms and make paperwork easy.
• It helps in combining multiple documents to make a single PDF with ease.
• You can share feedback, chat in real-time, and action items.
• Add text and comments
• Open PDF documents on your web browser, mobile, or any other device.
• Make scanned text documents readable and searchable via OCR.

Moreover, Lumin PDF brings your documents to life with their best design that lets you share, collaborate, and edit PDFs in the cloud.

Try Lumin PDF Editor

Foxit

How great would it be to easily annotate personalized remarks on PDFs for review or corrections? Great, right? Foxit is one such PDF annotator tool through which you can share and collaborate with peers and partners to organize your document well. Well, it can be integrated into popular CMS.

You can export data, create, and convert your document into PDF format from Epona DMSforLegal, Citrix ShareFile, Worldox GX3, Alfresco, OpenText Documentum, Content Suite, etc. Saving PDFs in Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc, and checking them in and out of Sharepoint servers is no more a hassle. Providing a shared review is also available as an option in Foxit!

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Assists in giving feedback and annotations in PDF files.	Can be resource-extensive, thus creating undue pressure on older and backdated systems.
Makes integrations with Evernote and Onenote hassle-free.	The learning curve can be a bit steeper for a section.
Facilitates opening of Accounting calculators and including it in the PDF as a tape.	Customer service may be providing delayed responses for raised issues.
Allows adding cross-referencing links in the document.

Foxit brings two categories of paid subscriptions for its users after the free trial of use. “PDF Editor Suite Pro for Teams 2023” and “PDF Editor Suite for Teams 2023” are the packages available, which are endowed with features like editing texts and images, license maintenance, high-security management, etc. Monthly charges lie somewhere in the range between $10-$20.

Try Foxit

PDF-XChange

PDFs are undoubtedly the most reliable, secure, and vastly used form of document, as of today. So, what if you get a tool that makes it a cakewalk for you to handle, manage, and operate your PDFs? With PDF-XChange, you can bring all these to reality!

It comprises the automatic creation of fully interactive forms with clickable form fields from image-based or non-interactive PDF files. You can include intelligent tools that enable the development of personalized dynamic stamps with interactive components. No need to use browsers to convert web pages to PDF anymore, with this platform at your disposal!

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Gives access to a variety of customizable form styles, layouts, and function choices.	May cause compatibility issues with specific setups and servers occasionally.
Create dynamic Javascript stamps that show information, such as the current date.	The user interface may not be appealing as compared to the newer platforms.
Enables automated conversion of non-interactive PDF files into fully interactive forms with clickable form fields.	Processing complex and large documents may slow down your system.
Compares the documents and summarizes changes, like additions and replacements.

There are two paid versions available for PDF-XChange, which go by the name – “Editor” and “Editor Plus”. Charges range between $50-$80 for a 1-year subscription and a single-user pack. You are always welcome to try out the free version of the software before purchasing the premium subscription.

Try PDF-XChange

Now that you’ve taken a look at the various PDF annotators that are available for use, let’s dive into the workings and advantages of these tools.

Advantages of PDF Annotators

Annotations tools act as assistants we all need:

• Makes document management faster and more effective.
• Reduces feedback loop as it eliminates endless email exchanges from the proofing process.
• Streamlines communication among remote teams.
• Facilitates communication
• Enables visualizing information
• Facilitates asynchronous communication
• Keeps feedback in one place.

And, it’s not just about annotating through text. After all, there are a myriad of ways to provide edits and changes to information. So, let’s take a look at the various types of annotations that are supported by these PDF annotators.

Types of Annotations

Text

This type of annotation is used to notify the user of making some changes or any modifications. For example – Strikethrough annotation is used for removing or ignoring the marked text. Apart from annotating, adding text to the document can also be done.

Shapes

Shape annotations are used to make drawings on the pdf file to draw attention to certain sections. Shapes can be added anywhere on the page and offer diverse functionalities. Pop-ups allow the provision of additional information. There are different unique shapes that appear on boxes that can be filled with text. Some text sections can be highlighted in a specific color to grab attention.

Sounds and Videos

This group offers functionality to embed videos and/or sounds into a PDF file. They are used very rarely in annotating a document.

Watermarks

They are used to ensure that your content is not copied and also ensure that the last edit is not overwritten. It ensures the authenticity of the PDF file.

Links

These allow us to add hyperlinks to specific sections in the pdf file. For example, a student can add a link to a web page for further reading in a PDF textbook.

Finally, if you’ve never used a PDF annotation tool before, here’s why it will forever change the way you use PDFs.

Why Do You Need PDF Annotations?

Annotations are helpful in a lot of situations. Below are some use cases.

Proofreading

When writing a draft, whether a contract, novel, or document, you may need to change, discuss, or remove sections entirely. Instead of editing the main content, users can add annotations. In this way, others can mark what content needs modification and provide details in the pop-ups.

Improved Readability

You can take advantage of annotations to make reading simpler. There are numerous ways that such tasks can be performed. An underline with a pop-up provides the user with additional information. Links can be used to jump to the different sections of the document where two sections reference one another. However, arrows with pop-ups may be added over images or diagrams to provide details about different sections.

Keeping Notes

When you have complex documents, such as technical specifications, annotations are unbelievably helpful for the reader. For instance, the reader can leave notes to themselves in the PDF of any oddities they have uncovered. Annotations can also be added to track where you have applied parts of technical specifications. Annotating a document in this way gives a guide that would be useful for all users.

Below, you’ll also find some commonly asked questions regarding PDF annotators. We hope that these answers will be helpful in clearing any doubts you might have.

FAQ

Conclusion

We have discussed the benefits of PDF annotators and the best tools to annotate PDF files. Abobe Acrobat is a popular tool that most users are familiar with, and there will be no learning curve here. However, if you need real-time collaboration, you may choose Annotate, as it allows you to upload the PDF file and create a shareable URL that multiple persons can work on.

Lumin PDF, on the other hand, has additional features, like converting other file formats to PDF and merging and splitting your PDF files, which you may consider based on your requirements.

More For Your PDFs

• Best PDF Editors for Mac to Manage Your Documents
• Best PDF Search Engines to Find Free eBooks