Open Source Adobe Acrobat Reader Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Windows alternative is SumatraPDF. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader and many of them are open source and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Windows alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader are Okular, MuPDF, Xournal++ and Stirling PDF.

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 PDF Editor, Windows, Open Source, Android, Linux, Free 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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Alternatives list

  1. SumatraPDF icon

    SumatraPDF

     1698 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.

    124 SumatraPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    SumatraPDF screenshot 1
     
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    36
    SumatraPDF vs Adobe Acrobat Reader Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Atoshi
    13

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    48

    Sumatra does not support editing forms and adding annotations.

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

    For me it is the best alternative to Acrobat Reader. Very light no fuss software that allows you to work on PDF files.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 36 comments
    • SumatraPDF is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SumatraPDF is Privacy focused and CustomizableAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  2. Okular icon

    Okular

     508 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.

    128 Okular alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Okular screenshot 1
     
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    12
    Okular vs Adobe Acrobat Reader Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    karlossss1996
    4

    It's very fast free pdf reader with some useful editing functions.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    1

    There's no form filling tools

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    bam121944
    Positive
    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
  4. MuPDF icon

    MuPDF

     163 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.

    104 MuPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Xfce
    MuPDF screenshot 1
     
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    4
    MuPDF vs Adobe Acrobat Reader Comments
    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

    Unlike other FOSS PDF viewers, it lets me scroll through the doc & search for text.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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.
    3 of 4 comments
    • MuPDF is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • MuPDF is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  5. Xournal++ icon

    Xournal++

     198 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.

    68 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    Xournal++ screenshot 1
     
  7. Stirling PDF icon

    Stirling PDF

     59 likes

    Locally hosted web application offering an interactive GUI to merge, split, reorganize, convert, compress, watermark, secure, sign, flatten, repair, extract images, detect blanks, apply OCR, set permissions, and enable file processing or API integration for PDFs.

    114 Stirling PDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    • Docker Hub
    Stirling PDF screenshot 1
     
  8. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     43 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.

    53 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Linux Mobile
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 1
     
  9. Sioyek icon

    Sioyek

     24 likes

    Sioyek is a PDF viewer with minimal interface optimized for reading research papers and technical books.

    46 Sioyek alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Main view
     
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    1
    Sioyek vs Adobe Acrobat Reader Comments
    Barrett
    Positive
    1

    It's a minimalist PDF reader for programmers and other such nerds. Includes dark mode, keyboard navigation, and a minimalist UI that allows for great focus.

    • Sioyek is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  10. LEKTRA icon

    LEKTRA

     17 likes

    High-performance viewer for documents and images offering split tabs, customizable single or book layouts, portals for side-by-side sections, instant search, line highlight, annotation tools, link hints, searchable highlights, session management, and TOML config.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    LEKTRA screenshot 1
     
  11. SpeedyNote icon

    SpeedyNote

     3 likes

    SpeedyNote is a fast, open-source note-taking application designed for stylus users who need iPad-quality annotation on budget hardware. Built with native C++ and Qt, it delivers 360Hz stylus input on hardware as modest as an Intel Celeron N4000 at 1.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • iPad
    SpeedyNote screenshot 1
     
  12. Xpdf icon

    Xpdf

     12 likes

    Xpdf is a free PDF viewer and toolkit, including a text extractor, image converter, HTML converter, and more. Most of the tools are available as open source.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xpdf screenshot 1
     
  13. NightPDF icon

    NightPDF

     5 likes

    Dark Mode PDF reader.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    read dark pdf in NightPDF
     
  14. PDF4QT icon

    PDF4QT

     10 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.

    118 PDF4QT alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    PDF4QT screenshot 1
     
12 of 22 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives