For annotating and adding a hand drawn signature to PDFs, preview really is the best: lightweight, straightforward, free, comes with the OS. I don’t know any comparable app for Linux (or windows although I rarely use it)

https://simplePDF.eu will be the closest « Preview-like » experience on Linux (and any OS really).

It’s local only (the document you load and data you fill in never leave the browser) and free

Disclosure: I’m the developer behind it

Any plans on implementing redaction?

If the background is white, it’s already possible: https://simplepdf.eu/help/faq/how-to-add-background

For other colors, it’s in the backlog!

(I’d aiming to automatically provide the correct color by inspecting pixels within the area to redact, to make it as simple as possible)

Yeah but hiding the information versus removing it is two different things. By hiding it, the information is still there but hidden.

"Best" isn't necessarily the same as "has the most features".

I think many people find that Preview.app does everything they ever wanted to do with PDFs. It really is surprisingly capable. It's also fast and far less convoluted than most PDF tools I have seen.

And of course it comes free with every Mac, which often makes it "best" in terms of value for money.

It doesn't help that many PDF editors (including the two you mentioned) are full of the most ridiculous pricing shenanigans.

> many PDF editors (including the two you mentioned) are full of the most ridiculous pricing shenanigans.

What shenanigans? On one computer, we have a 15 year old version of Foxit running as good as new, no further licensing needed.

Pages and pages of dark patterns with the sole purpose of misleading people into buying some "plan" that nobody could possibly want at prices more expensive than the entire Microsoft Office suite.

Could you name a service that does it and give an example?

I see that much more with Adobe than with anyone, fwiw.

The Foxit PDF Editor product page is one example (not the worst by far). It suggests prominently that you have to buy an annual subscription ($109 to $159 p.a unless you can live with the cloud option for $59 p.a). Microsoft Office 365 Personal is $69.99 p.a including 1TB cloud storage.

https://www.foxit.com/pdf-editor/

The one-time license option is hidden away in a product comparison table (and linked to in a few other far less visible places).

Nitro, the other PDF editor you mentioned, appears to offer only a one-off purchase:

https://www.gonitro.com/pricing

But it says "for Windows" and at the top of the page, there's a promotion saying "Get up to 1 year subscription - free when you switch to Nitro". So there is a subscription after all?

If you keep scrolling down to the FAQ and there's a question asking:

"Is Nitro available as a subscription or a one-time purchase?

Nitro Pro, ideal for individuals and small to medium sized teams, is available as an annual subscription."

No mention of a one-time purchase option. So which is it? I'm confused. Is this "one-time purchase" a perpetual license or does it stop working after a year?

These are certainly not the most egregious examples of pricing shenanigans. But given the recent history of companies going subscription-only, this is enough uncertainty for me not to buy.