Skim Alternatives for Linux

Skim 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 50 alternatives to Skim and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Skim are Foxit Reader, Xournal++, Evince and MuPDF.

Skim alternatives are mainly PDF Readers but may also be PDF Editors or Note-taking Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Skim.

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Skim

Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Mac

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...

Learn more about Skim

Okular
Do you think this is a good alternative?
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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.
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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
Foxit Reader
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
PDF Reader
PDF Editor
Text to Speech Service
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Windows S
Android Tablet
Windows Phone
iPad
ReactOS
112 alternatives to Foxit Reader
Foxit Reader is a free and light-weight multi-platform PDF document viewer. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7.
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Foxit Reader Features
1. PDF annotationFoxit Reader support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. Fill PDF FormsFoxit Reader supports forms in PDF files.
3. Sign PDF filesFoxit Reader support signing a PDF document digitally on a touch screen etc.
4. LightweightFoxit Reader consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
5. Support for scriptingFoxit Reader supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
6. Text to SpeechFoxit Reader allows you to transform written text into spoken text.
7. Spell CheckingFoxit Reader can detect and correct all types of grammar and spelling mistakes.
8. PortableFoxit Reader can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Highlighter
Tablet support
Booklet printing
Print to PDF
Text Highlighting
Support for Javascript
Multiple languages
Modify filesystem timestamps
Scan to word
Tabbed interface
Bundleware
The installer tries to install McAfee WebAdvisor and PhantomPDF Business. These can be skipped by clicking Decline on each.

Foxit Reader vs Skim opinions
Almost everyone thinks Foxit Reader is a great alternative to Skim.
Xournal++
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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
Xournal++ vs Skim opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
violoncello
Xournal++ allows for annotating pdfs with an active pen
Positive comment•
0
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.
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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 Skim opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
doesn't support annotations
Negative comment•
0
MuPDF
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Yes
No
Free • Open Source
PDF Reader
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
iPad
F-Droid
Xfce
80 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.
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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
Qoppa PDF Studio
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Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
PDF Reader
PDF Editor
Text to Speech Service
Mac
Windows
Linux
Chrome OS
183 alternatives to Qoppa PDF Studio
Create, Convert, Review and Edit PDF Documents on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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Qoppa PDF Studio Features
1. Sign PDF filesQoppa PDF Studio support signing a PDF document digitally on a touch screen etc.
2. OCRExtract the text from a screen capture or file and paste it into another document for edits.
3. Dark ModeQoppa PDF Studio supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
4. Text to SpeechQoppa PDF Studio allows you to transform written text into spoken text.
5. Combine PDFCombine, merge and arrange PDF files into one document.
6. Fill PDF FormsQoppa PDF Studio supports forms in PDF files.
7. PDF annotationQoppa PDF Studio support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
Scan to PDF
Edit PDF
PDF Redaction
Convert PDF to Word document
Measurement-Tools
Create PDF files
Batch processing
Themes
Bates numbering
Integrated Search
Master PDF Editor
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
PDF Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
125 alternatives to Master PDF Editor
Master PDF Editor is complete solution for editing PDF and XPS files. You can insert, edit, remove, copy, add images or graphics. Export, import, remove and change page layouts. Also Master PDF Editor provides full functionality for changing PDF information, including author...
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Master PDF Editor Features
1. Dark ModeMaster PDF Editor supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
2. Sign PDF filesMaster PDF Editor support signing a PDF document digitally on a touch screen etc.
3. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in Master PDF Editor without registration.
4. PDF encryptionMaster PDF Editor can encrypt and decrypt PDF documents.
5. Fill PDF FormsMaster PDF Editor supports forms in PDF files.
Multiple languages
PDF OCR
Interactive PDF forms
Watermarking
xournal
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Note-taking Tool
Journaling App
Windows
Linux
49 alternatives to xournal
Xournal is an application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal using a stylus. It is free software (GNU GPL) and runs on Linux (recent distributions), Windows and other GTK+/Gnome platforms.
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xournal Features
1. PDF annotationxournal support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. Handwritten Notesxournal supports writing by hand (or a stylus) and your text will be converted to text.
3. Drawing Tablet Supportxournal supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
Edit PDF
Support for styluses
Sketching
Discontinued
It hasn't been updated since 2017, but there is an active fork Xournal++
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.
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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...
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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