Adobe Acrobat Reader Alternatives for Linux

Adobe Acrobat Reader is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is Okular, 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 many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader are Evince, MuPDF, Xournal++ and Linwood Butterfly.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives are mainly PDF Readers, but if you're looking for PDF Editors or Ebook Readers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Windows, Linux, Windows + Open Source, Free, Android 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. Okular icon
     480 likes

    Multi-platform document viewer offering extensive format support, including PDF, comics, images, EPUB, and Markdown, with annotation tools, sidebar previews, text-to-speech, DRM management, cross-platform compatibility, and integration with KDE Frameworks libraries.

    113 Okular alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
     
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    11
    112
    Comments about Okular as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Top Positive Comment
    karlossss1996
    4

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Notiz_Me
    1

    Doesn't have the ability to print in booklet format.

    KimiBCN
    Positive
    0

    It's a good alternative to Acrobat Reader. But it doesn't have any PDF editing features. You can't rotate images either.

    Show more comments
    3 of 11 comments
    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    Okular icon
    • Most users think Okular is a great Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative.

    • Okular is the most popular Linux alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    • Okular is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Okular is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  2. Evince icon
     459 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
     
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    5
    92
    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.

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    Evince icon
    • Most users think Evince is a great Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative.

    • 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
  3. MuPDF icon
     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.

    89 MuPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Xfce
     
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    3
    40
    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)

    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    MuPDF icon
    • Most users think MuPDF is a great Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative.

    • MuPDF is the most popular Android alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    • MuPDF is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • MuPDF is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  4. Xournal++ icon
     186 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.

    54 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  5. 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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
     
    • Linwood Butterfly is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    • Linwood Butterfly is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Linwood Butterfly is Customizable and Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat Reader is not according to our users
  6. Sioyek icon
     22 likes

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

    37 Sioyek alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about Sioyek as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    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.

    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    Sioyek icon
    • Sioyek is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. Create, Convert, Review and Edit PDF Documents on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

    170 Qoppa PDF Studio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
     
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    1
    Comments about Qoppa PDF Studio as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    it has ability to paste highlighted text in comment automatically like adobe acrobate pro or foxit pdf reader.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    Qoppa PDF Studio icon
    • Qoppa PDF Studio is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  8. Papers icon
     12 likes

    A document viewer for the GNOME desktop. You can view, search or annotate documents in many different formats.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • Flatpak
     
  9. zathura icon
     45 likes

    Zathura is a highly customizable and functional document viewer. It provides a minimalistic and space saving interface as well as an easy usage that mainly focuses on keyboard interaction.

    69 zathura alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Zlib)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
     
  10. qpdfview icon
     44 likes

    qpdfview is a Qt-based tabbed document viewer using the Poppler library for PDF rendering and CUPS for printing. Support for the DjVu and PostScript formats can be added via plugins.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Haiku
    • Qt
     
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    2
    10
    Comments about qpdfview as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Hans Von Eichler
    Positive
    -3

    Anything written using the beautiful Qt SDK (or better yet with the KDE SDK) is awesome, and it's a tabbed PDF viewer! It's sweet!

    Guest
    Positive
    -3

    Really fast, many options with keybindings.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    qpdfview icon
    • This alternative is disputed. qpdfview is a legitimate Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • qpdfview is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  11. In version 8, Google Chrome introduced a free PDF viewer, installed by default. While this plug-in lacks many features of the Adobe Acrobat Plug-in, it is much faster and lighter, and updates with the browser rather than an external utility.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Google Chrome
     
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    1
    20
    Comments about Chrome PDF Viewer Plug-in as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    it is proprietary and I ask for open source app

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon
    Chrome PDF Viewer Plug-in icon
    • Some users think Chrome PDF Viewer Plug-in is a great Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative, some don't.

    • Chrome PDF Viewer Plug-in is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and Proprietary
  12. Tritium icon
     2 likes

    Tritium is a desktop word processor built for transactional lawyers. Draft, review, and compare legal documents faster with real-time clause annotations, minimal redlines, and AI integrations - free for personal use.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Mac
     
12 of 27 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives