Documents & Writing
Best PDF Readers in 2026
Reading PDFs can mean reviewing a document, completing a form, or listening to its text. Compared on annotation tools, form filling, OCR support, and text-to-speech, these readers offer different capabilities for working with document content.
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Foxit PDF Reader It suits people who need to read, annotate, sign or complete PDF forms across desktop, mobile and web platforms.
Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · iOS9.0 Visit Specs - 02
KDAN PDF KDAN PDF suits people who need PDF reading and annotation across mobile and desktop platforms.
From $5/mo Free plan Windows · macOS · iOS · Android9.0 Visit Specs - 03 Kiosk
Kiosk suits readers seeking a free PDF reader across desktop, mobile, web, and browser extensions, especially those who want offline access or on-device processing.
Free plan Open source Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.8 Visit Specs - 04 Evince
Evince suits Linux desktop users who need to view supported document formats, fill interactive forms, or annotate PDFs.
Free plan Linux8.6 Visit Specs - 05
MuPDF MuPDF suits developers building document features into desktop, cloud/server, or embedded projects.
From $299/mo Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 06
Highlights Highlights suits students and researchers who work with annotated PDFs and want to turn them into notes.
From $2.50/mo Free plan macOS · iOS8.3 Visit Specs - 07
Launchpad Launchpad suits open-source projects and community contributors who need code hosting, bug tracking, package building, localization, and project planning.
Free plan Web · Linux · API · Self-hosted8.3 Visit Specs - 08
Mozilla PDF.js It suits developers embedding PDF rendering in web applications, browser extensions, or self-hosted viewers.
Free plan Web · Linux · API · Self-hosted8.3 Visit Specs - 09
Okular Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.3 Visit Specs - 10 Javelin PDF Reader
Javelin suits readers who need offline PDF tools across desktop and mobile platforms, including for DRM-secured documents.
Free plan Windows · macOS · iOS · Android8.2 Visit Specs - 11 GoodReader macOS · iOS8.1 Visit Specs
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Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer Free plan Windows8.0 Visit Specs - 13 Komodo PDF
It suits readers who want PDF navigation plus document-grounded questions and citations.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.0 Visit Specs - 14 StarForce Reader
StarForce Reader suits people who need to read ordinary or protected PDF and EPUB files, or protected SFPDF and PCDOC documents.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS7.8 Visit Specs - 15
LiquidText Windows · macOS7.6 Visit Specs - 16 SumatraPDF
It suits Windows users who want a free reader with broad document-format support, annotation and form tools, accessibility features, or portable use.
Free plan Windows7.6 Visit Specs - 17 Skim Free plan macOS7.4 Visit Specs
- 18 Zathura Free plan macOS · Linux7.4 Visit Specs
- 19 XpdfReader Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux7.3 Visit Specs
- 20 Papers Free plan Linux7.2 Visit Specs
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Adobe Acrobat Reader Web · Windows · macOS · iOS7.0 Visit Specs - 22
Papers Linux5.8 Visit Specs - 23
Preview macOS5.7 Visit Specs - 24 Xreader Linux5.3 Visit Specs
Offline access and platform support help you assess where you can use them, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost details. Foxit PDF Reader, MuPDF, and KDAN PDF are among the options shown. Think about the tasks you handle most often and whether you need access across platforms or without a connection.
Compare Foxit PDF Reader and KDAN PDF Get a place on this list