Adobe Acrobat Reader Alternatives Filtered by 'Portable'

The best alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader is SumatraPDF, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader and 15 are so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader are Foxit PDF Reader, Evince, MuPDF and Xournal++.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives are mainly PDF Readers, but if you're looking for PDF Editors or Text to Speech Services you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Windows, Linux, Android, Free, Windows + Open Source and PDF Editor. 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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Alternatives list

  1. SumatraPDF icon

    SumatraPDF

     1669 likes

    This free, open-source viewer for Windows supports multiple formats like PDF, eBooks (ePub, Mobi), CHM, and Comic Books (CBZ, CBR). Prioritizing simplicity and speed, it offers a lightweight, portable design with a minimalist interface, catering to users seeking fast and efficient document viewing.

    110 SumatraPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    SumatraPDF screenshot 1
     
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    35
    Comments about SumatraPDF as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Top Positive Comment
    Atoshi
    12

    It's nowhere as vulnerable to attacks as Adobe Reader, doesn't execute embedded JS, and renders documents blazingly fast

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    47

    Sumatra does not support editing forms and adding annotations.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    taggg
    Positive
    0

    No bloat. Open source. Just read PDFs like the static documents they are meant to be.

    3 of 35 comments
    SumatraPDF icon
    SumatraPDF icon
    • SumatraPDF is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SumatraPDF is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  2. Foxit PDF Reader icon

    Foxit PDF Reader

     1376 likes

    Foxit Reader offers a lightweight PDF viewing experience across multiple platforms with features such as annotation, form filling, signing, cloud storage integration, collaborative review options, heightened security via Trust Manager, and organizational tools like Group Policy and XML Configuration.

    121 Foxit PDF Reader alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Bundleware

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • ReactOS
    Foxit PDF Reader screenshot 1
     
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    14
    Comments about Foxit PDF Reader as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    4

    This one has the ability to mark PDFs for highlighting books and etc.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    beng tang
    Positive
    1

    In Linux Mint, Foxit is better than Adobe Reader. The version of Adobe Reader for Linux is very old and out of date (and thus may be a security risk) and does not support annotating / commenting on PDF files. Foxit supports commenting / annotating very well with a lot of tools to do various types of anotations. It also opens and displays PDF files very well. So Foxit is not only an alternative to, but better than Adobe, in Linux at least.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Better than SumatraPDF because of Form field.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 14 comments
    Foxit PDF Reader icon
    Foxit PDF Reader icon
    • Foxit PDF Reader is Free Personal and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  4. Evince icon

    Evince

     460 likes

    Evince (or GNOME Document Viewer) is a document viewer for multiple document formats: PDF, Postscript, djvu, tiff, dvi, XPS, SyncTex support with gedit, comics books (cbr,cbz,cb7 and cbt) and others. See Supported Document Formats for details.

    115 Evince alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Evince screenshot 1
     
    |
    5
    Comments about Evince as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Top Positive Comment
    Jatan Mehta
    3

    Fast and simple. Allows images to be saved from the right-click context menu.

    guoiewbvc923
    Positive
    0

    For me this is the best PDF reader as it allows you to view PDF files and not much more. If you need more features than just viewing PDF's this is not for you.

    Hasan Yildiz
    Positive
    0

    Free, easy-to-use interface. Easily edit files.

    3 of 5 comments
    Evince icon
    Evince icon
    • Evince is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Evince is Minimalistic and Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. MuPDF icon

    MuPDF

     157 likes

    MuPDF offers a highly versatile PDF, XPS, and eBook interpreter, customizable as a renderer, viewer, or toolkit. Features include digital signatures, redactions, form filling, annotations, and page manipulation, ideal for mobile, eBooks, and embedded apps supporting Java, C++, and Python.

    90 MuPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Xfce
    MuPDF screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    Comments about MuPDF as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Pro Daddy
    Negative
    3

    It doesn't have several major features that adobe reader has. MuPDF just open files that's all. no options at all, no resizing, no editing, no change in view, there is nothing.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    If reading PDFs is all you need, this app is just wonderful. No editing tools or other bloat.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    malcmerlyn
    Negative
    -4

    Not available on Apple Store (Ipad 6, ios 17.5.1)

    MuPDF icon
    MuPDF icon
    • MuPDF is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • MuPDF is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  7. Xournal++ icon

    Xournal++

     187 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.

    55 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xournal++ screenshot 1
     
  8. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     42 likes

    Butterfly is a note-taking app where your ideas come first. You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device. This app works on android, windows, linux, and in the web.

    44 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 1
     
  10. Drawboard PDF icon

    Drawboard PDF

     15 likes

    The top AEC PDF app to markup and manage drawings and documents. Ideal for replacing pen and paper, avoid printing documents again by using our intuitive feature set that makes marking up a PDF easy. Open or create a new PDF, markup using our extensive array of tools, then save...

    57 Drawboard PDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    Drawboard PDF screenshot 1
     
  13. PDF4QT icon

    PDF4QT

     8 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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    PDF4QT screenshot 1
     
  14. Nux Convert icon

    Nux Convert

     1 like

    Nux Convert is an all-in-one, privacy-focused web app for file conversion, compression, and AI-powered editing, with all processing done 100% locally in your browser.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    main
     
  15. Sonic PDF icon

    Sonic PDF

     Like

    Sonic PDF is your go-to PDF editor for Windows, offering intuitive tools for document processing.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Sonic PDF screenshot 1
     
12 of 15 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives