The Best Open Source PDF Editor Mac 1. Formulate Pro for Mac (Best Open Source PDF Editor for Mac) Formulate Pro for Mac is one of the best open source PDF editors for Mac users. It is a stable program with great features. This PDF editing tool lets you redact PDF files, and provides cloud services for more space to store documents. How to Open Word Office Documents on a Mac. Apple's line of Mac computers come with the OS X operating system, which does not include basic Windows applications such as Microsoft Office. Apple's word processor is called Pages and comes with the Mac, but.
In this article, we are going to list top open-source software in 2020.
Our entire world is now digital, surrounded by a myriad of apps, and software and services. We’ve become so prone to gadgets and devices that we firmly believe we cannot live without them even for a day. (Yes, it’s true) From ordering food online to watching our favorite movies and TV shows, we certainly are dependent on technology.
Let’s get started.
List Of 21 Best Open Source Software in 2020
List of Contents
1. VLC Media Player
Yes, we’ve all heard of this one for sure! VLC Media Player is one of the best open source software used by a mass audience around the globe. Agree or not, but there’s a sense of comfort in VLC’s environment that nothing won’t ever go wrong by using it. The VLC media player supports almost all video file formats, and is undoubtedly one of the most popular cross-platform (Windows, macOS, iOS and Android) media players one can rely upon. Every now and then, VLC Media player keeps on offering new updates and performance improvements, which makes this media player best from the rest.
2. Audacity
Next on our list comes Audacity, which is an open-source digital audio editor available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and other Unix based operators. Audacity is initially developed by a bunch of teen volunteers, and the software comes loaded with all advanced features and tools needed for multi-track audio editing. Audacity supports almost all major audio file formats, including MP3, WAV, FLAC, MP2, and more. So, whether you want to record live audio, make changes to an existing soundtrack, Audacity open-source editor can get the job done for you effortlessly.
3. Avidemux
Avidemux is a light-weighted video editing tool that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. It is one of the best open-source tools for video editing supporting a variety of file formats, including AVI, DVD, MPEG, MP4, and many more. So, whether you’re newly stepping into the image or video editing or if you’re a professional editor, Avidemux can be your ideal companion.
4. GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is next to pop on our open source software list. GIMP is a popular image editing platform that comes loaded with a bunch of advanced editing toolset. If you’re looking for a decent Adobe Photoshop alternative, GIMP can be your pick. Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP is equally ideal for beginners as well as creative professionals from any background.
5. Amarok
Rediscovering new music with Amarok is a whole new experience. Amarok is a powerful open-source audio editing tool where you can not just play or edit audio tracks but also explore new music of different genres. Amarok is more like an iTunes alternative available for Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.
6. TOR Web Browser
Looking for an open-source web browser? Well, TOR is the first name that will strike your mind. TOR is an intuitive web browser that keeps your privacy intact and allows you to surf the Internet without being tracked. As more and more cybercriminal cases are occurring around us, using the TOR web browser can help you in keeping your identity concealed from hackers. TOR offers multi-layer encryption that strictly prevents you against any kind of surveillance and tracking, so you got nothing to worry about.
7. Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice is a free and open-source office productivity package that offers you various programs, including Writer like MS Word, Calc like MS Excel. Impress like MS PowerPoint and many other productivity tools. Apache OpenOffice can serve as an MS Office alternative and is used by a majority of users worldwide, not just because it comes free of cost but because it includes an advanced set of tools, features, and functions.
8. LibreOffice
Almost similar to MS Office and Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice is another open-source office utility tool available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. LibreOffice has a huge user community who are continually working on it to make this product better with each new update. LibreOffice includes all basic and additional features and extensions that are a must in any office suite utility.
9. Inkscape
Inkscape is an open-source professional vector graphics editor available for Windows, macOS, and Linux OS. If you’re looking for an Adobe Illustrator alternative, Inkscape can be your fresh change of choice. Inkscape offers you a bunch of flexible drawing tools, supports a majority of file formats, powerful and advanced image editing tools, and many other useful features that are suitable for both beginners and professionals.
10. Blender Graphics Tool
Blender is an amazing 3D creation tool that supports modeling, rendering, motion tracking, compositing, and all possible tasks that can be tagged under the 3D pipeline. If you’ve heard of Autodesk Maya, then Blender Graphics tool can compete as a strong contender alternative for 3D animation. On Blender, you can easily create full-length animation films to VFX effects, all for free.
11. KeePass
KeePass is a decent open-source password manager pick that is not just easy to use but keeps your security on utmost priority. KeePass comes free of cost, and you can easily rely on this tool for trusting with your passwords. KeePass carefully binds all your passwords in one safe place. So, now you just have to remember one password (master password) to access KeePass. Cool, isn’t it?
12. 7-Zip
We’ve all used WinZip at some point in our lives or other, right? Well, if you’re bored of WinZip or looking for a decent alternative, then 7-Zip can impress you with its sharp features and compression tools. 7-Zip is a cross-platform compression tool available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
13. Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is one of the best open source software which serves as an email client for users. Mozilla Thunderbird can act as an Outlook alternative and comes loaded with a bunch of useful features. On Mozilla Thunderbird, you can manage your entire inbox, chat with your clients, receive RSS feeds, and more. Thunderbird is highly secure and keeps all your emails preserved so that you can have peace of mind.
14. ClamWin
Looking for a free open-source antivirus security tool for Windows? Well, you’ll be pleased to download ClamWin on your system. ClamWin is an open-source anti-virus utility tool for Windows that can keep your machine safe from viruses and malware of any kind. ClamWin regularly offers new updates that protect your system for any kind of spyware or viruses.
15. Clonezilla
Clonezilla is a free open-source disk cloning and data recovery utility tool available for Windows and Linux OS. Clonezilla can easily get you through with system backup and restore disk cloning, image restoring, and more. Also, to secure all your data backup and restore sessions, Clonezilla uses AES-256 encryption as a security measure.
16. BRL-CAD
Yes, you guessed that right. BRL-CAD is an AutoCAD alternative available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. BRL-CAD is a powerful application development tool that supports high-performance ray tracing, rendering, geometry editing, and other interactive features that you find on AutoCAD.
17. Bluefish
Next on our open-source software list comes Bluefish that is an ultimate website creation tool for both beginners and professionals. Bluefish is used by a majority of web developers around the world for writing pieces of code and scripts. Bluefish is available for Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, Windows, OpenBSD, and Solaris.
18. NixNote
Taking notes is something that we love to do, whether it’s about creating a grocery list, penning down an important phone number, or any piece of information. Well, NixNote is a light-weighted open-source note-taking tool for Windows and Linux, which you can use for creating and managing your day to day notes. On NixNote, you can not only create notes but also save pictures, documents, audio tracks in a well-organized space.
19. Bleach Bit
We’re all aware what CCleaner does, right? Well, Bleach Bit is an open-source alternative almost similar to CC cleaner that quickly scans your system and frees up disk space by deleting junk files, temp files, cleaning browsing history, cached data and more to optimize your system’s performance.
20. Octave
Octave is an open-source educational tool available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It allows you to perform numeric computations in an easy to use, the interactive platform just like MATLAB.
21. PDF Creator
PDF creator is an ideal PDF creation and reader tool for Windows that comes loaded with exceptional features and tools. On PDF creator, you can compress and resize images, encrypt your PDF docs with AES security, customize and tighten security settings, and more.
What is Open source Software?
So, what is open-source software? And how is it different from “closed source software” or any other software? You can think of open-source software as a collaborative initiative where anyone can make changes in the code to make it better.
![Open Source Document For Mac Open Source Document For Mac](/uploads/1/1/9/8/119876929/751736244.jpg)
Unlike a closed or proprietary software where only the owners are exclusively allowed to make changes in the source code, open-source can be easily altered by anyone. When an open source software is designed, the authors or developers make the code available to anyone where people can use it to enhance the existing software, study it, or use it; however, they like.
Whether you want to use a media player, create a document, edit a soundtrack or video, there’s an open source software available for almost anything. Using an open-source tool has numerous benefits, which include better control over the code, collaboration, stability for initiating long-term projects, and more. Open source software can be of any type, including open source software for Windows, open-source web browser, open source software for Android, or for any platform or requirement.
So is open source Software Free of Cost?
Well, that entirely depends on the author or initial developers of the program whether they want to roll out the product on a free of cost basis or if they want to charge users for the usage. But yes, a majority of people have a false impression of thinking that all open-source tools are free of charge, and that’s not true.
Some of the most common open source software include VLC Player, Libre Office, Audacity, and more. Open-source tools are available for various platforms, including Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, and more. So, in this post, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best open source software of 2020 that can make our lives simpler.
Open Source For Mac
Also Read: Don’t forget to check out the 8 best open-source apps for Android that are worth your attention.
So, fellas, this wraps our open source software list of 2020. Here were some of the best open source software of various categories and genres. And yes, do let us know which one is your most favorite open-source tool from this list. We’d be more than happy to hear from you.
Oct 15,2019 • Filed to: Mac Tutorials
Most of the tools that are created using the open source license are targeted at Windows users. This may seem to be so when you come to PDF editors. However, there are PDF editors hat have been specifically created for the Mac. The great thing about open source software is that it is free and is still under development. This means that future versions will have more features and they will not cot you any cash. Some of these PDF editors have very powerful features despite being developed on an open source license. Open source PDF editor for Mac can also perform just as well as some of the premium variations. One should not frown upon open source PDF editors, but try out those put in this list and be amazed. Besides, PDFelement Pro is a perfect PDF editor you can try.
Part 1. Top 5 Open Source PDF Editor for Mac
#1. Skim
Skim is primarily a PDF reader for Mac but it allows you to make some edits to PDF files. With the help of the open source PDF editor for Mac, you can add notes and make annotations to PDF files. It is a great tool for making presentations in PDF format. One can also add boxes and circles to a PDF file in order to emphasize something. The box can also be filled with white to create a white space for adding new text to the file.
Pros:
- The tool is easy to use and has quite a number of followers due to this.
- One can highlight and annotate text in order o emphasize a point.
- Can add white space for typing over in case one wants to change an entire paragraph or page.
- It is light and will not use up a lot of your system resources even when you load large PDF files.
Cons:
- The editing features are rather limited and it is not suitable for advanced PDF editing.
#2. Foxit
Open Source Document For Mac Download
Foxit is primarily a PDF reader, but it is also an open source PDF editor for Mac that has some editing capability. You can add multimedia levels and make notes on PDF files. You can also run JavaScript on the file and secure the text. You can also select different blocks of text in order to edit. Editing with this tool can be somewhat tedious since every sentence is taken as a text box. You would have to go text box by text box, from the start of the page right to the end. This is a tool that enables you to see how many people read your document thanks to the connected signature feature.
Pros:
- It is easy to use.
- It allows for added multimedia levels.
- It can be used to annotate text.
- It has the ability to secure text.
- It has the ability to open protected PDF documents, which is quite a feat.
Cons:
- Every sentence is a text box, which makes the editing of a page to be very tedious.
#3. Scribus
Scribus is a cross-platform editing tool that is primarily a text editor. It can be also used as an open source PDF editor on Mac to edit PDF files. You can add text and images, but you cannot edit the original text. You have to create white space so you can write over the original text. Apart from just editing our PDF files, you can now do prepress operations using Scribus. Get your PDF files edited and then print out the color separations ready for the printing press. You can also create a PDF right from the start using this program. Scribus actually has some very powerful editing features locked beneath s very simple exterior. Make sure you give it a try and see how great it can be.
Pros:
- Can create a new PDF document.
- Can do prepress operations.
- Has a simple user interface.
- Gives you more control over the editing functions.
![Open Open](https://www.methodshop.com/wp-content/uploads/mac-osx-tiger.jpg)
Cons:
- The fact that you cannot edit the existing content but have to write over it.
#4. Inkscape
Although Inkscape is a graphics tool, it is also able to edit PDF files. You can open PDF files and edit the images and text. Each sentence of the text is taken as a text box. This makes it quite challenging when you want to use it for editing large text areas. Editing a paragraph would means clicking on each sentence, changing it, and then moving to the next. This means that text does not flow and the results could be a bit odd. However, when it comes to editing the images in a PDF file, this is perhaps the best that you can get.
Pros:
- It is the best for editing images within a PDF file.
- It opens up any PDF file, even when they are protected.
- Ideal for converting PDF files into images.
Cons:
- Each sentence is a text box and this makes it challenging and awkward when editing paragraphs.
#5. Formulate Pro for Mac
Formulate Pro for Mac has been said to be one of the best open source PDF editors for Mac. It comes with very powerful features. You are able to redact your PDF files and add text on top. It also merges several PDF files into one and rearranges the pages. The tool is able to use OCR to turned scanned documents into editable text. You may create a PDF file from scratch using this tool, and then add special security measures including a digital signature.
Pros:
- It has the ability to create PDF files right from the start, which brings out the creativity in you.
- It can be used to create a digital signature for added protection of your work.
- It is able to convert other files into PDF and maintain the overall look.
- You can easily use the tool thanks to the simple user interface.
- You can edit images, text, and complete pages. This means that you can change the order of pages.
Cons:
- It cannot convert documents to ePub, and that limits its ability to provide all eBooks.
Part 2. The Best PDF Editor for Mac (10.15 Catalina Included)
PDFelement Pro for Mac (macOS 10.15 Catalina included) is a powerful PDF editor for Mac and allows you to edit every part of a PDF file, thanks to some of its wonderful features. Every elements of the PDF file will be editable, giving you full control over how the file will be in the end.
Steps to edit PDF files using PDFelement Pro for Mac (Including macOS 10.15 Catalina)
- Step 1: Download and install PDFelement Pro for Mac on your Mac
- Step 2: Click on 'Open File' button to import PDF files to the program.
- Step 3: Open the 'Edit' menu and choose the editing tools to edit texts, images, links and pages in PDF files with ease.
Why Choose PDFelement Pro to Edit PDF Files on Mac
With the help of PDFelement Pro, you can also change the order of the pages, delete some of them and do a lot more. Place your own digital ID on the PDF and also change the metadata. Scan printed document and turn them into editable text through OCR. Here are some of the other great features that can be found in this tool:
- Starting off with a blank file, you can create your own PDF files. The tool also allows you to get files of other formats and convert them to PDF.
- No more seeking out PDF Form templates on template sites. You simply have to create your own. You can also edit and fill out PDF forms from other sources.
- Add security to your PDF documents with a digital signature. You will get a digital ID which you will use to secure all your PDF files
- The PDF tool has a user interface that is easy to navigate and find editing features. This makes it fast and easy to use.
- The tool allows you to edit scanned documents and turn them into PDF files that can be edited. This is called the OCR process.