PDF Reader suggestion

Jvet

Hi everyone.

Most of my books at the moment are in digital formal (kindle) that I turn to pdf or EPUB using calibre. I want to start acquiring physical books but in the short term this is what I got.

I’m looking for an app that lets me highlight and add notes or comments to the highlights I made. Using the barbell method of reading I’d read the book twice and the highlights would have the purpose of being visual cues of what I found relevant and why.

There are three options I have found (MacOS): Highlights, Skim and PDF Expert.

Which software do you use and recommend? If you could expand a little bit on your workflow it would be great.

Thanks everyone.

Will

I use and can recommend PDF Expert.

Sascha

I use Skim. I can't recommend it, since it was the first software I tried and was satisfied enough. So, my sole reason is: It is the only software I know.

mlbrandt

You have a much easier solution! You can see all your highlighting and notes from your Kindle herre https://www.alphr.com/view-kindle-highlights-online/

Jvet

@mlbrandt said:
You have a much easier solution! You can see all your highlighting and notes from your Kindle herre https://www.alphr.com/view-kindle-highlights-online/

Thanks but I really only buy from Amazon because it’s the easiest way to get my books. However I don’t like them being stored in that format or in their cloud where they can be taken from me and I don’t really own them. That’s one of the reasons I’m looking to buy more physical books, and why I convert my digital ebooks.

Jvet

@Sascha said:
I use Skim. I can't recommend it, since it was the first software I tried and was satisfied enough. So, my sole reason is: It is the only software I know.

If it has stood the test time then it must be good, thanks!

Jvet

@Will said:
I use and can recommend PDF Expert.

Thanks Will.

GeoEng51

I'm also a fan of PDF Expert - have been using and liking it for years, and it just keeps getting better and better. It is solid but it also has an active development cycle. I've tried other PDF software which did not hold up to scrutiny but not the one you mentioned.

mediapathic

Another, second hand anecdotal endorsement for PDF expert. I rarely need to highlight and summarize PDFs for my work, but my partner, whose process involves a lot of reading and processing a lot of academic papers, swears by it. She says, though, "get the non-subscription version, the subscription is a total ripoff."

Jvet

Thanks everyone, I'll get PDF Expert. I like that I can add notes to the highlights and later export them as markdown.

digbyphonic

PDF-XChange Editor Plus, by Tracker Software (Canada). i have used it since 2020. i tried many. this one has stood the test and i'm more than satisfied with it.
my specific need is for decent highlighting compatibility and OCR. all good. it has more features than i've needed so far.

ZOTERO has a built in PDF editor but i have not had the need to use it.

i hope this helps.

vasilis

I highly recommend you explore the latest beta version of Zotero.

https://zotero.org/support/beta_builds

The beta introduces a PDF and EPUB reader, enabling you to annotate and take notes seamlessly while exporting your annotations in Markdown and managing all your Citations.

Additionally, it supports reading your PDFs and EPUBs directly on your iPad/iPhone, enhancing your accessibility and convenience.

A standout feature of the beta version is the new way that Zotero introduces to capture snapshots of websites you visit—not just as static images but in dynamic HTML format—allowing you to save, access, and annotate these pages indefinitely. This functionality is particularly useful for engaging with content across articles, forums, and other online platforms while also keeping metadata like when this page was last visited, Author name, etc.