Adobe Acrobat Reader AlternativesOnly Open Source apps categorised as PDF Editors

The best open source PDF Editor alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader is Okular. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader and 11 are open source PDF Editors so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source PDF Editor alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader are Xournal++, PdfDing, LocalPDF Studio and PDF4QT.

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Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives are mainly PDF Editors, but if you're looking for PDF Readers or Text to Speech Services you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Open Source, Linux, Windows + Free, PDF Editor, Android and Windows + Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2026

Okular
500 likes
Multi-platform document viewer supporting PDF, ePub, comics, images, and Markdown with annotation, digital signature verification, tabbed interface, sidebar navigation, text selection, text-to-speech, magnifier, search, dark mode, and plugin support.
125 Okular alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application types
PDF Reader
Ebook Reader
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Windows
Linux
BSD
KDE Plasma
Snapcraft
Linux Mobile
Flathub
Haiku
+2
Is Okular a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?

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12comments
Okular vs Adobe Acrobat Reader Comments

Top Positive Comment
karlossss1996
Oct 20, 2019
4
It's very fast free pdf reader with some useful editing functions.
Top Negative Comment
Notiz_Me
Mar 16, 2021
1
Doesn't have the ability to print in booklet format.
bam121944
Positive commentFeb 6, 2026
0
I like to manage pdfs as well as read them
3 of 12 comments
Okular is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
Okular is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
Xournal++
196 likes
Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation using pen input and pressure sensitivity, shape drawing, customizable toolbar layouts, image insertion, audio recording, multi-language options, LaTeX integration, and complete export in PDF or PNG formats across all platforms.
64 Xournal++ alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application types
Note-taking
PDF Reader
Origin
International
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Snapcraft
Flathub
+1
Is Xournal++ a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
PdfDing
5 likes
PdfDing is a browser based PDF manager, viewer and editor that you can host yourself. It offers a seamless user experience on multiple devices. It's designed be to be minimal, fast, and easy to set up using Docker.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
PDF Editor
Ebook Reader
Platforms
Online
Docker
Kubernetes
Is PdfDing a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
LocalPDF Studio
6 likes
A PDF Editing tool that ensures your privacy. Open source, available on Windows, MacOS and Linux. Available in 4 Languages (English, Bengali, Chinese and Japanese). Ambient vibes are also included....
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
PDF Reader
PDF Editor
Platforms
Windows
Mac
Linux
+2
Is LocalPDF Studio a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
PDF4QT
9 likes
Open-source PDF viewer and editor using Qt framework, featuring hardware-accelerated rendering, encryption, multithreading, text-to-speech, annotation tools, form filling, high-res monitor support, document compression, audio book conversion, and signature validation.
112 PDF4QT alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application types
PDF Reader
PDF Editor
Origin
Czechia
EU
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Flathub
Is PDF4QT a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
OpenViewerFX
Like
Innovative open source JavaFX PDF Viewer that combines the power of JavaFX with IDRsolutions industry leading PDF library to deliver a complete cross-platform PDF Reader/Viewer.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
PDF Reader
PDF Editor
Origin
United Kingdom
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Linux
Is OpenViewerFX a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
P
P
PrivatePDF
1 like
PrivatePDF is a free web tool that lets you make quick PDF edits from within your web browser, without uploading anything anywhere.
50 PrivatePDF alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
PDF Editor
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
+2
P
Is PrivatePDF a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
Bookworm (by Blind Pandas Team)
3 likes
Bookworm is a document reader that allows you to read more than 15 document formats including PDF, EPUB, and MOBI using a versatile, yet simple, and highly accessible interface.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
PDF Reader
Text to Speech
Platforms
Windows
Is this a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
SourcePDF
Like
SourcePDF is a completely free to use PDF editor.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
PDF Reader
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Windows
Linux
+1
Is SourcePDF a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
P
P
Paperboy
1 like
A small .pdf management tool with a command-line UI.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (BSD-3-Clause)
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Mac
Linux
P
Is Paperboy a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
DocDocGoose
2 likes
Edit documents directly in your browser.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
PDF Editor
Platforms
Online
Is DocDocGoose a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader?

11 of 11 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives