Best Papers Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from PDF readers ranked against Papers on the same published basis.
- 1Papers vs Foxit PDF Reader
- 2Papers vs MuPDF
- 3Papers vs KDAN PDF
- 4Papers vs StarForce Reader
- 5Papers vs Okular
- 6Papers vs Javelin PDF Reader
- 7Papers vs Adobe Scan
- 8Papers vs Launchpad
- 9Papers vs Evince
- 10Papers vs SumatraPDF
- 11Papers vs Adobe Acrobat Reader
- 12Papers vs LiquidText
- 13Papers vs GoodReader
- 14Papers vs Kiosk
- 15Papers vs QuickTime Player
- 16Papers vs Highlights
- 18Papers vs Timeshift
- 19Papers vs Zathura
- 20Papers vs Komodo PDF
- 21Papers vs Mozilla PDF.js
Papers alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foxit PDF Reader | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | MuPDF | 7.9 | Free plan | $299/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | KDAN PDF | 7.6 | Free plan | $5/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | StarForce Reader | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Okular | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Javelin PDF Reader | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Adobe Scan | 7.2 | No | — | Android, iOS |
| 8 | Launchpad | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 9 | Evince | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 10 | SumatraPDF | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 11 | Adobe Acrobat Reader | 6.7 | No | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 12 | LiquidText | 6.7 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
| 13 | GoodReader | 6.6 | No | — | iOS, Mac |
| 14 | Kiosk | 6.4 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 15 | QuickTime Player | 6.2 | No | — | Mac |
| 16 | Highlights | 6.0 | No | — | Mac, iOS |
| 18 | Timeshift | 6.0 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | Zathura | 6.0 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
| 20 | Komodo PDF | 5.9 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 21 | Mozilla PDF.js | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
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Questions about Papers alternatives
What is the best alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader, number 1 in PDF readers with a score of 8.1 out of 10. The others here: MuPDF, KDAN PDF, StarForce Reader and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.