Compress
Smaller, and still sharp
Every picture shrinks to the size it is shown at on the page. Text and drawings are left alone. A close up shows you the result before you save.
Preview applies one rule to every picture, which blurs scanned text.
Coming to the Mac
Every PDF job,simply done on your Mac.
Compress without the blur. Merge without the mess. Sign so it sticks. All on your Mac, nothing uploaded.
What people open it for
- Compress a PDF
- Merge PDFs
- Split a PDF
- Sign a PDF
- Fill a form
- Make a scan searchable
- Redact a PDF
- Photos to PDF
- Delete pages
- Rotate and reorder
- Password protect
- PDF to images
The blur shows up before anyone else sees it.
Shrinking a PDF the usual way squeezes every picture by the same rule, and scanned text pays for it. Drag the line.
Tenancy agreement
Terms of the lease
The tenant agrees to pay the monthly rent on or before the first day of each month, by bank transfer to the account named in schedule two.
Either party may end this agreement with two months of written notice. The deposit is returned within thirty days of the keys being handed back.
Page 1 of 6 · Initial here ______
Tenancy agreement
Terms of the lease
The tenant agrees to pay the monthly rent on or before the first day of each month, by bank transfer to the account named in schedule two.
Either party may end this agreement with two months of written notice. The deposit is returned within thirty days of the keys being handed back.
Page 1 of 6 · Initial here ______
What Preview almost does.
Every Mac comes with Preview, and it is very good at reading. Simply PDF does the jobs it gets wrong, properly.
Merge and organise
Merges that line up
Drop in files, drag pages around, split off what you need. Mixed page sizes come out as one size, with bookmarks and links kept.
Preview keeps every page at its original size.
Fill and sign
Signatures that stay put
Fill any form, even ones without fields. Your signature is written into the page itself, then the saved file is opened again to make sure it is there.
Signatures added in Preview can be missing when someone else opens the file.
Text recognition
Scans you can search
Turn a scanned or photographed page into text you can search, select and copy. Many languages, recognised on your Mac.
Preview does not add searchable text to a scan.
Redact
Gone means gone
Find every name, account number or email at once, remove them, clear the hidden details in the file, and get a check of the saved copy.
Preview has a real Redact tool too. Simply PDF adds find everything, and the check.
Finder
Right click, done
Select a few PDFs in Finder, right click, and compress, merge or sign without opening anything. Shortcuts actions for the rest.
With Preview, every file is opened one by one.
And the rest of the toolbox
- Split, rotate, reorder and delete pages
- Photos, HEIC and screenshots to PDF
- Every page out as an image
- Add or remove a password
- Highlights, notes and shapes
- Drop a folder, run any tool on all of it
Private by design
Your documents never leave your Mac.
Contracts, payslips, medical letters, ID scans. The usual way to compress or sign one is to upload it to a website. Simply PDF does the same job on your Mac instead.
- Works offlineEvery tool runs on your Mac, with or without a connection.
- No accountNo sign up, no email to read a PDF, nothing to log into.
- Nothing sent anywhereNo document, file name or page ever leaves. The app only goes online to activate your key and check for updates.
Open, pick a tool, done.
- 1
Open any PDF, free
Read, search and scroll as many PDFs as you like. No account, no trial clock.
- 2
Pick a tool
Compress, merge, sign, scan to text or redact. Every change shows you the result before it is saved.
- 3
Unlock with a key
One key opens every tool on your Mac. Enter it once and it works offline from then on.
Every tool, for less than a coffee a month.
Read any PDF free. One key unlocks everything else. No account, and no tool held back for a higher plan.
Free
$0always
Open and read
- Open any PDF, as many as you like
- Read, zoom and scroll, even 500 page files
- Search the text and jump between pages
- Page thumbnails and dark mode
6 months
$19.99
$3.33 a month, for 6 months
- Everything in Free, plus every tool below
- Compress without the blur, and see the result before you save
- Merge, split, reorder, rotate and delete pages
- Fill forms and sign, so the signature stays
- Turn scans into searchable, selectable text
- Redact so the words are really gone
- Convert photos and screenshots to PDF, and pages to images
- Add or remove a password
- Right click in Finder, and Shortcuts actions
- Every update while your key is active
Save 10%
1 year
$35.99
$3.00 a month, for 1 year
- Everything in Free, plus every tool below
- Compress without the blur, and see the result before you save
- Merge, split, reorder, rotate and delete pages
- Fill forms and sign, so the signature stays
- Turn scans into searchable, selectable text
- Redact so the words are really gone
- Convert photos and screenshots to PDF, and pages to images
- Add or remove a password
- Right click in Finder, and Shortcuts actions
- Every update while your key is active
One key unlocks one Mac. Prices in US dollars.
The good parts of each, none of the catches.
| Feature | Simply PDF | Preview | Online PDF sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your files stay on your Mac | Yes | Yes | No, they are uploaded |
| Works without the internet | Yes | Yes | No |
| See the compressed result before saving | Yes | No | Varies by site |
| Signature checked after saving | Yes | No | Varies by site |
| Turn scans into searchable text | Yes | No | Varies by site |
| Redact, then check the saved copy | Yes | Redact only | Varies by site |
| Right click in Finder | Yes | No | No |
- Simply PDF
- $35.99 a year, or $19.99 for 6 months
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- $239.88 a year, on Adobe's own pricing page on 1 October 2026
- Preview
- Free with every Mac. Keep it for reading; it is very good at that.
The free way first.
How to do each job with what is already on your Mac, and where it falls short.
- compress
Compress a PDF on Mac without the blur
Preview's Reduce File Size treats every picture the same way, so scans turn to mush. What it really does, a better free setting, and the one click way.
Read the guide → - merge
Merge PDF files on a Mac, three free ways
Combine PDFs on a Mac with Finder, Preview's sidebar or one Terminal command, and what to do when the merged pages come out in different sizes.
Read the guide → - sign
Sign a PDF on Mac so the signature stays
Sign with Preview's Markup tools, why the signature can vanish after saving, the workaround people use, and how to check the file before sending.
Read the guide →
Good to know.
What can I do for free?
Open and read any PDF, as many as you like. Search the text, zoom, jump between pages, use thumbnails and dark mode. Anything that changes a PDF, from compressing to signing, needs a key.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Simply PDF does all of its work on your Mac. It never sends a document, its name or anything inside it anywhere. It goes online for two things only: activating your key and checking for updates.
What is the difference between the two keys?
Nothing but the length. Both unlock every tool. The 1 year key is $35.99, about 10% less than two 6 month keys.
What happens when my key ends?
Your PDFs stay exactly as you saved them, and the app still opens and reads everything. The tools wait until you add a new key.
Can I use one key on two Macs?
One key unlocks one Mac. If you replace your Mac, you can move your key to the new one.
Which Macs does it run on?
macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Does it work without the internet?
Yes. After your key is activated, every tool works offline, on a plane, on a train, anywhere.
When can I get it?
Soon. This page will have the download the day it is ready.
PDFs, simply.
Free to open and read. Every tool with one key.