Open Source Adobe Acrobat Reader Alternatives

The best open source alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader is SumatraPDF. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader are Okular, Evince, MuPDF and Xournal++.

Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives are mainly PDF Readers but may also be PDF Editors or Ebook Readers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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Adobe Acrobat Reader

439

Freemium • Proprietary
PDF Reader

Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad

View, sign, collaborate on and annotate PDF files with our free Acrobat Reader software. And to easily edit and convert...

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SumatraPDF
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Ebook Reader
Windows
99 alternatives to SumatraPDF
Sumatra PDF is a free PDF, eBook (ePub, Mobi), XPS, DjVu, CHM, Comic Book (CBZ and CBR) viewer for Windows.
Suggest and vote on features
SumatraPDF Features
1. LightweightSumatraPDF consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Ad-freeSumatraPDF doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. PortableSumatraPDF can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. PDF annotationSumatraPDF support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
5. Works OfflineSumatraPDF can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Low memory usage
Optimal performance
Tabbed interface
Multi Format Reader
Highlighter
Global bookmarks
AzW Reader
XOD File Reader
OXPS File Reader
Quick search
SumatraPDF vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think SumatraPDF is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
pbfranon
Free, quick to install, quick to uninstall, loads fast.
Top positive comment•
50

Guest
Very lightweight, always works well, better performance
Top positive comment•
25

Guest
it doesn't support annotations.
Top negative comment•
2

Guest
Very lightweight, enough for just reading PDF without using much resources by opening your internet browser
Positive comment•
0

danielcastelli
A PDF reader as it should be. Quick and efficient.
Positive comment•
0

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5 of 28 comments
Okular
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Ebook Reader
PDF Editor
Windows
Linux
BSD
Flathub
103 alternatives to Okular
Multi-platform, fast and packed with features, Okular allows you to read PDF documents, comics and EPub books, browse images, visualize Markdown documents, and much more.
Suggest and vote on features
Okular Features
1. PDF annotationOkular support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. LightweightOkular consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Dark ModeOkular supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
4. Text to SpeechOkular allows you to transform written text into spoken text.
5. Privacy focusedOkular is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
6. Ad-freeOkular doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
7. Fill PDF FormsOkular supports forms in PDF files.
Text Highlighting
Tabbed interface
Customizable shortcuts
Low memory usage
Text editing
KDE
Export to PDF
Compatible with Microsoft Office
Trim margins
Multiple languages
Okular vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think Okular is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
escobartopex
editing text, colour highlighter
Top positive comment•
-1

JohnFastman
Okular is a highly functional .pdf reader provided as a default with KDE and KDE's Plasma desktop environments. Open source, flexible and fast. What's not to like?
Top positive comment•
1

Guest
There's no form filling tools
Top negative comment•
0

ccxfied
One of the best possible alternatives to Adobe Reader and Foxit. FOSS, available as UWP. Isn't as lightweight as SumatraPDF, but has configurable memory/RAM profiles and a plenty of annotation options. Customizable and Privacy-respecting. What else do y'want? Except if you're searching for Booklet Printing or some Pro Features you get on other PDF apps, Okular is the pefect app.
Positive comment•
2

Notiz_Me
Doesn't have the ability to print in booklet format.
Negative comment•
1

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5 of 8 comments
Evince
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Linux
PortableApps.com
109 alternatives to Evince
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Evince Features
1. LightweightEvince consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. PDF annotationEvince support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
3. PortableEvince can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. Dark ModeEvince supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
5. Ad-freeEvince doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Invert colours
Multiple languages
Handwriting recognition
Windows Compatible
Evince vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think Evince is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
hasanyildiz
Free, easy-to-use interface. Easily edit files.
Positive comment•
0

mlocik97
Use it every day, it has better UI/UX and is light.
Positive comment•
0

Guest
Light and comes natively with Ubuntu.
Positive comment•
-2

uncertainquark
Fast and simple. Allows images to be saved from the right-click context menu.
Positive comment•
3
MuPDF
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
iPad
F-Droid
Xfce
79 alternatives to MuPDF
MuPDF is a highly versatile, customizable PDF and XPS interpreter solution that can be used across a wide range of applications as a PDF renderer, viewer, or toolkit.
Suggest and vote on features
MuPDF Features
1. LightweightMuPDF consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. PortableMuPDF can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. PDF annotationMuPDF support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
4. Ad-freeMuPDF doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Vim key mapping
MuPDF vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think MuPDF is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
theannymspro
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.
Negative comment•
1
Xournal++
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Note-taking Tool
Digital Painting Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
Chrome OS
Android Tablet
Self-Hosted
37 alternatives to Xournal++
Xournal++ (a fork of Xournal) is a handwriting Notetaking software with PDF annotation support. Written in C++ with platform independent GTK, supporting Linux, e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Suse, macOS and Windows 10. Supports Pen input like Wacom Tablets.
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Xournal++ Features
1. Handwritten NotesXournal++ supports writing by hand (or a stylus) and your text will be converted to text.
2. PDF annotationXournal++ support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
3. Works OfflineXournal++ can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
4. Pressure SensitivityXournal++ can change attributes like thickness or opacity, based on how much force you apply to your stylus/finger.
5. Support for LaTeXXournal++ supports LaTeX for text and math equation formatting.
6. Ad-freeXournal++ doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
7. PortableXournal++ can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Support for styluses
Handwriting
Export to PDF
LaTeX Math
Pen Support
Multi layer drawing
Audio with notes
Highlighter
Freehand Writing
Auto-saving
Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Google Chrome
Opera
Firefox
67 alternatives to Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)
PDF Viewer (aka pdf.js) is a new revolutionary extension using web standard technologies that allows you to display within Mozilla Firefox almost all PDF files found on the web without a plugin.
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Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) Features
1. LightweightFirefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Browser integration
Add/remove pages
Browser extension
Opera extension
Support for Javascript
Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
ya_Bob_Jonez
Simple to use and no need to install additional applications.
Positive comment•
0

josephcw
pdf.js cannot be used to annotate documents or fill forms.
Negative comment•
0

braky
Firefox can also be used as a PDF viewer.
Positive comment•
2
Document Viewer
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Ebook Reader
Android
Android Tablet
F-Droid
134 alternatives to Document Viewer
Document Viewer is a highly customizable document viewer for Android, fork of the last GPL version of EBookDroid .
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Document Viewer Features
Customizable
Discontinued
The last version (2.7.4) was released in March 2016.

Document Viewer vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Most users think Document Viewer is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Guest
open source, fast, lightweight, support for many formats, many available settings
Positive comment•
3

Guest
For android smartphones, its the best choice as it is opensource and has many features.
Positive comment•
-1
Skim
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Note-taking Tool
Mac
75 alternatives to Skim
Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X. It is designed to help you read and annotate scientific papers in PDF, but is also great for viewing any PDF file.
Suggest and vote on features
Skim Features
1. LightweightSkim consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Ad-freeSkim doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. PDF annotationSkim support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
Clean design
Note extraction
Export annotations
Skim vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
Some users think Skim is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader, some don't.
Butterfly
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Note-taking Tool
Digital Painting Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
Android Tablet
Self-Hosted
F-Droid
28 alternatives to Butterfly
Butterfly is a note 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.
Suggest and vote on features
Butterfly Features
1. Dark ModeButterfly supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
2. Ad-freeButterfly doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. No TrackingButterfly will not track you or use your personal data.
4. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in Butterfly without registration.
5. Handwritten NotesButterfly supports writing by hand (or a stylus) and your text will be converted to text.
6. LightweightButterfly consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
7. Works OfflineButterfly can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
8. Privacy focusedButterfly is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
9. PortableButterfly can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
End-to-End Encryption
Customizable
Decentralized
Cloud Sync
Built-in Note Taker
PDF annotation
zathura
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Mac
Linux
BSD
MacPorts
Homebrew
64 alternatives to zathura
zathura is a highly customizable and functional document viewer based on the poppler rendering library and the gtk+ toolkit. The idea behind zathura is an application that provides a minimalistic and space saving interface as well as an easy usage that mainly focuses on keyboard...
Suggest and vote on features
zathura Features
1. Lightweightzathura consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Extensible by Plugins/Extensionszathura can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Vi keybindings
Keyboard navigation
Vim key mapping
zathura vs Adobe Acrobat Reader opinions
This alternative is disputed. zathura is still a legitimate alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader, but it might have issues that some users think are important.