Compare software

Skim vs Highlights: catalog facts
Skim	Highlights
Free Free and open source under the BSD licence.	Freemium Free to use, with advanced features in a Pro subscription that has a free trial.
macOS	macOS, iOS
SyncTeX integration makes it the standard viewer for LaTeX work Annotation and snapshot tools designed for reading academic papers	Exports annotations to Markdown and popular notes apps DOI lookup and citation metadata for papers
macOS only Notes are stored in Skim's own format unless explicitly embedded	Apple platforms only Advanced features require a subscription
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.