Can Preview type on a PDF that is not a form?

Yes. Apple documents the workaround: if a PDF will not let you type directly into the form, you add a text box instead. It works, though you position each box by hand.

Is a Preview signature the same as a PDFpad signature?

Both are electronic signatures with no identity check or audit trail. Preview's is captured from a trackpad, camera or iPhone; PDFpad also lets you type one in a handwriting face and reuses it on any device rather than only on Macs.

PDFpad vs Preview (macOS)

Prices and features checked 20 September 2026

Preview is the best of the built-in tools and it is free with every Mac. It fills real form fields, lets you drop a text box onto a flat form, and captures a signature from the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone — then syncs it across your Macs through iCloud.

If you are at your Mac, Preview may well be all you need, and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. What it cannot do is follow you to a phone or a Windows machine, flatten the result, add a date or tick field, or hand you a Word file.

PDFpad and Preview (macOS), feature by feature
Feature	PDFpad	Preview (macOS)
Type on a flat (non-form) PDF	Yes	Yes
Fill existing form fields	Yes	Yes
Typed signature	Yes	No
Drawn signature (touch/mouse)	Yes	Yes
Upload signature image	Yes	Yes
Save and reuse signature	Yes	Yes
Date and tick fields	Yes	No
Flatten so fills can't be moved	Yes	No
Save as PDF	Yes	Yes
Save as Word (DOCX)	Paid only	No
Reorder / delete / merge pages	No	Yes
Works on a phone browser	Yes	No
File never uploaded	Yes	Yes
No watermark on free tier	No	Yes
No account needed to start	Yes	Yes

Pricing, as published by each vendor
Tool	Free tier	Paid	Billing
PDFpadChecked 20 Sept 2026	Unlimited filling and signing; 3 PDF exports per 30 days, each with a small footer line	£6 a month, £39 a year, or £2 to unlock one document for 24 hours	Monthly or annualOne click from the account page, any time
Preview (macOS)Checked 20 Sept 2026	Free — built into macOS	—	—

Choose Preview (macOS) if…

You are on a Mac and already have a signature saved in Preview
You want to work entirely offline with no website involved

Choose PDFpad if…

The document arrived on your phone and you want to finish it there
You need the fills flattened so the recipient cannot drag them around
You want the finished document as a Word file, or you share a Mac and would rather not leave a signature in Preview

What each vendor says

Preview (macOS)

Apple documents the workaround for flat forms: "If a PDF won't allow you to type directly into the form, you can add a text box instead." [source]
Signatures can be captured with the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone, and sync across Macs through iCloud Drive — the best signature experience of any built-in tool. [source]
Preview is Mac-only, so the same document on a phone or a Windows machine needs something else. [source]

Questions

Can Preview type on a PDF that is not a form?: Yes. Apple documents the workaround: if a PDF will not let you type directly into the form, you add a text box instead. It works, though you position each box by hand.
Is a Preview signature the same as a PDFpad signature?: Both are electronic signatures with no identity check or audit trail. Preview's is captured from a trackpad, camera or iPhone; PDFpad also lets you type one in a handwriting face and reuses it on any device rather than only on Macs.

Try it on your PDF

Open your document, fill it in, sign it and save. Nothing is uploaded, and you don’t need an account to start.

or drop a file here · nothing is uploaded

Competitor names are used descriptively to identify their products. Every price and feature above was read from the vendor's own page on the date shown and is re-checked quarterly. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.