I’ve found that free PDF readers are very helpful for many things, like viewing documents, working together online, and editing PDF files, all without having to pay a one-time fee or subscribe to a service. I’ve found that reading PDFs online through a web browser is very convenient, though the options might not be the most extensive. If you want to get the most out of your documents, you should take the time to learn how to use the best PDF editors, free PDF editing tools, or specialised PDF reader software. You can improve how you manage documents this way whether you’re online or not.
A PDF reader is a program that allows you to Open and read PDF file. PDF stands for “Portable Document Format”. This format is easy to print and share, but cannot be modified. Once saved in PDF format, the files can’t be converted back to their original format without special software. You can use this format if you want to share a document that cannot be modified. To view these documents, you need to download a PDF reader to your device.
There are many PDF apps for iOS and many PDF apps for Windows that you can download and use. While simply opening a PDF as a read-only file is simple-you can do it easily with your favorite Web browser-editing, editing or converting requires a dedicated PDF reader. Fortunately, the best free PDF readers are just as powerful as their paid counterparts, and they won’t cost you a dime or force you into a monthly subscription. Below we have mentioned some of the best PDF readers.
10 Best PDF Readers
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Adobe’s free PDF reader is not the easiest to download, but this software does many things well. If you already use other Adobe products, you can connect Acrobat Reader DC to Adobe’s storage cloud. Alternatively, you can save PDFs or open them in cloud services such as Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and Box. The special feature of this free PDF reader is that it can open multiple large files at once.
The layout organizes each document in a tabbed view, making the experience very similar to browsing PDFs in your web browser. Acrobat Reader DC includes almost every annotation tool you could want, making it arguably the best free PDF reader. You can use it to highlight text, add comments, fill out and sign forms. There is also a text-to-speech mode that reads documents aloud.
Javelin PDF Reader
Javelin PDF Reader is a simple program that lets you read and annotate PDF files. Its main benefits are speed and simplicity. With a download size of only 2 MB, it works really fast, and since it doesn’t offer an editing function, its interface is clean and easy to understand. You can choose between different screen view functions, such as side-by-side, full or continuous. Javelin lets you read DRM-protected files, that is, files that require a decryption key to open.
Haihaisoft Reader
Haihaisoft Reader is a fast PDF reader with a small memory footprint. It is only three MB in size and has basic features such as rotate, full screen, presentation mode, search and zoom. Although it is small, it supports over 40 languages and offers high security – it connects to the Internet only with the user’s permission. Haihaisoft is best suited for casual PDF users. This is one of the best PDF Editor.
Foxit PDF Reader
Foxit PDF Reader is more than just a free PDF reader: you can create PDFs from scratch with this software. With its integration with Microsoft Office, you can easily convert Word files to PDF. Or you can scan documents/images and convert them to PDF with Foxit Reader. The only thing the free version lacks is support for optical character recognition in scanned document applications.
The software may seem a bit intimidating at first, but it is relatively easy to use. This is because the software uses the same ribbon menu as Microsoft Office. The tools for editing, signing, highlighting and commenting are relatively easy to reach. Another advantage of Foxit PDF Reader is that it offers security. A secure reading mode is available that allows you to automatically disable the Javascript embedded in downloaded PDFs.
Google Drive
Google Drive is the most accessible PDF conversion and PDF storage system. The platform lets you convert all your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets to PDFs and upload any PDFs for your own viewing purposes. If you use PDFs only for viewing or converting files to PDFs, Google Drive is the best option for you. Google Drive is a good option if you only want to view PDFs or convert documents to PDFs. The platform allows you to convert and upload PDF files for viewing.
Slim PDF
Slim PDF is the best free PDF reader for those who are looking for an incredibly lightweight program. The downloaded software is really small, so it is the perfect choice if you have limited space on your hard drive. It also allows you to open and load documents faster than most other programs. The disadvantage of this small size is that Slim PDF is rather basic. You can browse and rotate documents.
There are no tools for signing, filling in, commenting or highlighting, let alone multiple reading modes. There is a menu option to convert PDFs to Word documents, but this requires downloading additional software. As a result, Slim PDF is only a PDF reader. However, it does a good job of leaving out toolbars that can distract from reading. If you need to print PDFs often, Slim PDF is one of the fastest and easiest options available.
PDF Reader Premium
DF Reader Premium is one of the most popular PDF readers for Apple devices. It has powerful features that allow you to view PDFs in multiple tabs, add images and sticky notes to the document, organize files with tags, sign and fill out forms in the PDF, and save and transfer PDFs via a variety of cloud services. Those who frequently work with PDFs for business should consider downloading PDF Reader Premium.
PDF-XChange Editor
PDF-XChange Editor is not only a free PDF reader, but also a free PDF editing program for Windows. The user interface is a bit more complex than other programs, but it provides easy access to many useful functions. For most users, the main reason for using PDF-XChange Editor is the fact that the program has built-in optical character recognition (OCR).
In addition, PDF-XChange Editor allows you to reformat text and even convert it to fonts not yet loaded on your computer. Individual PDF files can be merged or split with this platform. The only serious drawback of this powerful editor is that a small “Created with PDF-XChange Editor” watermark is inserted at the bottom of each exported PDF file, if you have not subscribed to the Pro version.
Soda PDF
Soda PDF is one of the best PDF readers for the reading visual documents such as digital catalogs, magazines and comic books; you can also view files in 3D. The application also allows you to create and edit PDFs from scratch. Soda PDF also sells an online PDF platform and stimulates demand for it by offering free PDF tools on its website, such as convert to PDF, convert from PDF, merge PDF, split and compress, sign and protect, and add elements such as watermarks and page numbering. You can use these online tools in place of a downloadable PDF reader if you want to save space on your computer.
Sumatra PDF
Sumatra PDF is the best alternative to using the browser as a PDF reader because it saves system resources. In addition, it is open source. If you want something even more minimalist, you can download the portable application instead of the desktop version. Sumatra PDF has no editing options or other advanced features; it is just a window that loads and displays PDFs extremely quickly. However, it supports tabs and is full of keyboard shortcuts, making it even more ideal for quickly reading PDFs.
Final Words
The best PDF readers are free, versatile, and ad-free. The alternative PDF readers presented here range from minimal, lightweight applications designed only for viewing PDFs to full-featured applications that include annotations and highlighting. Some applications also offer features not found in Adobe Acrobat Reader, such as basic PDF editing.
