MuPDF vs qView
MuPDF
mupdf.comqView
interversehq.comSide by side
| Figure | MuPDF | qView |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $299/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · File Reader Software | 8.5 (#5) | 7.4 (#16) |
| Purpose | MuPDF is a fast, embeddable SDK for managing PDF and other document formats. | qView is an image viewer designed to be practical and minimal. |
| Support | Open-source users can seek community help through Discord and the bug tracker, while commercial license holders can contact technical support by replying to their introductory email. | The download page links to bug reporting, a Discord server, translation contributions, and nightly builds. |
Plans
MuPDF
- Commercial$299 a month
- EnterprisePrice not published
- AGPL LicenseFree
- OEM Distribution LicensePriced on request
- Subscription LicensePriced on request
In their own words
MuPDF
MuPDF is an embeddable SDK for developers working with PDFs and other document formats in desktop, cloud/server, or embedded projects. It supports viewing, editing, extracting, signing, rendering, redacting, annotating, splitting, merging, compressing, and converting documents. Listed inputs include PDF, ePUB, image formats, SVG, CBZ, and XPS; outputs include PDF, text, HTML, PostScript, print formats, PNG, SVG, and PNM/PAM. Developer bindings include MuPDF Core, PyMuPDF, MuPDF.js, and MuPDF.NET. The open-source release is AGPL-licensed, and embedding it in a product may require a commercial license. For server-based use of the open-source software, the licensing terms require disclosure of application source code to users interacting with it. Commercial licenses provide an alternative without AGPL code disclosure and include technical support and free upgrades. The Commercial plan is listed at $299 a month and includes one licensed domain and one preview domain for testing; a 14-day trial is also listed. Open-source users can seek community help through Discord and the bug tracker.
qView
qView is a free, open-source image viewer designed to keep the image prominent, with a title bar and no toolbar clutter. It supports common formats including BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF, and WebP, as well as RAW images and color management. For browsing, it includes animated GIF controls, file history, rotation, mirroring, and multithreaded preloading. Preferences are configurable. The maker describes qView as quick to open and light on memory and CPU. It is based on Qt5 and licensed under GPLv3, with a listed price of free. Windows downloads include 64-bit installer, 32-bit, and standalone options; the installer requires Visual C++ 2015 or later. macOS options include a DMG for macOS 12 or later, a legacy download for macOS 10.13 or later, and Homebrew. Linux choices include distribution packages, AppImage, Flatpak, and a source tarball. The download page also links to bug reporting, Discord, translation contributions, and nightly builds.