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About Highlights
Highlights is a PDF reader aimed at research reading. You mark up documents with annotation tools that are always within reach, set default colours per tool, and switch tools by double-tapping the Apple Pencil. It can extract annotations, images, tables and citations into notes.
Notes export as Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF, or go straight to apps such as Bear, Ulysses, Evernote, DEVONthink and Keep It. It can also look up DOIs for scientific articles and download their metadata. Basic use is free; advanced features need a Pro subscription.
Strengths
- Exports annotations to Markdown and popular notes apps
- DOI lookup and citation metadata for papers
- Fast annotation tools with Apple Pencil support
Limitations
- Apple platforms only
- Advanced features require a subscription
- Not open source
Details
- Pricing
- FreemiumFree to use, with advanced features in a Pro subscription that has a free trial.
- License
- Proprietary
- Platforms
- macOS, iOS
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Best suited for
- Students and researchers who annotate PDFs on Apple devices and keep notes in Markdown
- Categories
- PDF tools, Note-taking
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Highlights
Compare allSoftware that can replace Highlights for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
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.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily 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.
Flexcil
A study app that combines PDF reading, annotation and handwritten notes on tablets and the web.
Keep It
A notebook and document organizer for Mac, iPhone and iPad that integrates with the Finder.
