# Skim

A free, open-source PDF reader and annotator built for marking up scientific papers — highlights, notes, and exportable annotations.

- **Category:** [Utilities](https://notchlist.vercel.app/category/utilities/)
- **Price:** Free
- **Open source:** yes
- **Official site:** https://skim-app.sourceforge.io/
- **Available via:** Homebrew, Direct
- **Maker:** Skim (open-source community project)

## Kitsmith's take

Not a text editor — it’s an annotation-first reader, and the honest comparison is to Preview with better note-taking, not to a full PDF editor like Acrobat. Free and open source with no company behind it; worth including because it’s the free, no-catch option in a section full of subscriptions.

## Features

- **Notes and highlights:** Add and edit notes, plus one-swipe highlighting for marking up text.
- **Export annotations as text:** Pull your notes and highlights out as plain text for reuse elsewhere.
- **Built for papers:** Designed around reading and annotating academic PDFs, though it works for any PDF.

## FAQ

**Is Skim free?**

Yes, free and open source.

**Does Skim edit PDF text?**

No — it’s an annotation tool (notes, highlights) rather than a text/form editor.


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Hand-verified listing on Kitsmith: https://notchlist.vercel.app/apps/skim/