Lightweight 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 18 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 Text to Speech Services or Ebook Readers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Open Source, Linux, Windows + Free, Android, PDF Editor 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. Okular icon
     498 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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
     
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    12
  2. Evince icon
     465 likes

    Supports viewing and editing PDF annotations, displays multiple formats such as PDF, Postscript, DjVu, comic books, TIFF, DVI, XPS, remembers per-document zoom and position, features search, table-of-contents navigation, SyncTeX integration, and printing.

    126 Evince alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • GNOME
     
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    5
  3. MuPDF icon
     164 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.

    97 MuPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Xfce
     
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    4
  4. Xournal++ icon
     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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
     
  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.

    49 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
     
  6. Sioyek icon
     24 likes

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

    43 Sioyek alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
  7. Create, Convert, Review and Edit PDF Documents on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

    180 Qoppa PDF Studio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
     
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    1
  8. Papers icon
     14 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
    • Linux Mobile
     
  9. zathura icon
     44 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.

    76 zathura alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Zlib)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
     
  10. qpdfview icon
     45 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.

    83 qpdfview alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Haiku
    • Qt
     
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    2
  11. SpeedyNote icon
     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
     
  12. Atril icon
     15 likes

    Atril is a simple multi-page document viewer. It can display and print PostScript (PS), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), DJVU, DVI, XPS and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. When supported by the document, it also allows searching for text, copying text to the clipboard...

    114 Atril alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
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