What is Highlights?
Highlights is a specialized PDF reader designed for researchers, students, and professionals who work extensively with PDF documents. The tool leverages artificial intelligence to enhance the annotation process, automatically extracting text from non-searchable PDFs using built-in OCR that supports multiple languages. It intelligently recognizes tables and citations, allowing users to convert annotations into various formats with minimal effort.
The application integrates seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, supporting file storage on iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and other sync services. With features like dark mode, custom accent colors, and Handoff functionality, Highlights provides a flexible and efficient environment for managing research materials. The Pro subscription unlocks advanced capabilities such as Smart Copy, citation metadata fetching, and enhanced export options to popular note-taking apps.
Features
- Multilingual OCR: Extract text from non-searchable PDFs using on-device optical character recognition supporting multiple languages
- Smart Copy: Automatically converts annotations to appropriate formats (images as PNG, tables as CSV, citations as BibTeX) when copying
- Citation Lookup: Automatically finds DOIs for scientific articles and downloads correct metadata with linking to existing PDFs
- Table Recognition: Identifies tables in PDFs and enables conversion to spreadsheet-compatible formats
- Cross-Device Sync: Works seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with Handoff support and cloud storage integration
Use Cases
- Academic research paper annotation and organization
- Converting PDF highlights into structured study notes
- Extracting data from scanned documents and tables
- Managing scientific citations and bibliographies
- Creating exportable notes from PDF readings for writing projects
FAQs
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What platforms does Highlights support?
Highlights is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, with seamless synchronization across all platforms. -
Can I try Highlights before purchasing?
Yes, Highlights offers a free version with basic features and a free trial of the Pro subscription available within the app. -
Where can I store my PDF files with Highlights?
You can store files on your device, in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or other sync services supported by the iOS document browser or macOS Finder. -
Does Highlights work with non-searchable PDFs?
Yes, Highlights includes built-in multilingual OCR that extracts text from PDFs without searchable text, with all processing done on-device. -
What export formats does Highlights support?
Highlights exports notes as Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive, and PDF files, and can integrate directly with apps like Ulysses, Evernote, and DEVONthink.
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Highlights Uptime Monitor
Average Uptime
100%
Average Response Time
107.33 ms
