Alternatives to Highlights
A PDF reader for Mac, iPad and iPhone that turns annotations into exportable notes. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Highlights
A PDF reader for Mac, iPad and iPhone that turns annotations into exportable notes.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Highlights.
PDF Expert
Polished PDF reader and editor for macOS and iOS.
PDF Expert also runs on macOS and iOS and adds real text and image editing, but lacks Markdown note export and DOI citation lookup.
Skim
macOS PDF reader and annotator built for reading papers.
Skim is a free open-source macOS reader for papers with SyncTeX support, but it has no iOS app and stores notes in its own format.
MarginNote
A study app for Mac and iPad that links PDF highlights, mind maps and flashcards.
MarginNote turns PDF highlights into mind maps and flashcards on Mac and iPad, with spaced repetition review but a steeper learning curve.
LiquidText
An active-reading app for annotating PDFs and pulling excerpts into a flexible workspace.
LiquidText arranges excerpts and notes from PDFs on a flexible workspace and runs on Windows as well as macOS and iOS, with less clearly stated pricing.
Preview
Apple's built-in macOS app for viewing, annotating, merging and signing PDFs and images.
Preview is the free built-in macOS app for annotating PDFs, with no iOS version, no Markdown export and no citation metadata.
Sioyek
A PDF reader built for textbooks and research papers, with keyboard control and quick jumps to figures and references.
Sioyek is a free open-source reader for papers on Windows, macOS and Linux, keyboard-driven with reference overlays, but weaker annotation and no iOS app.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe's PDF software: the free Acrobat Reader for viewing and commenting, and paid Acrobat plans for editing and conversion.
Adobe Acrobat Reader offers free commenting and highlights on Windows, macOS, mobile and web, without Markdown note export or DOI lookup.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Highlights as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Flexcil
A study app that combines PDF reading, annotation and handwritten notes on tablets and the web.
Highlights is an Apple-only PDF reader that exports annotations as Markdown notes, with DOI lookup for papers and Apple Pencil support; advanced features need a subscription.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Mendeley
A reference manager from Elsevier for collecting, annotating and citing research papers.
ReadCube Papers
A reference manager and PDF reader for organizing, annotating and citing research papers.
Noteshelf
A handwriting notebook app for iPad, iPhone and Mac with PDF annotation and audio recording.
Keep It
A notebook and document organizer for Mac, iPhone and iPad that integrates with the Finder.
