SumatraPDF
Open Sourceby Krzysztof Kowalczyk
Extremely fast, minimal PDF and ebook reader.
- Opens documents near-instantly
- Reads PDF, ePub, MOBI, DjVu and CBZ
- Portable single-executable option
Free alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader
3 pdf tools programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader
PDFsam Basic
Open Sourceby Sober Lemur
Split, merge, rotate and extract PDF pages offline.
- Merge and split PDF documents
- Rotate and extract specific pages
- Works fully offline
Foxit PDF Reader
Freeby Foxit Software
Fast, full-featured PDF reader with annotation tools.
- Annotation and commenting tools
- PDF form filling and signing
- Noticeably lighter than Acrobat Reader
About Adobe Acrobat Reader
Acrobat Reader is the official reader from the company that created the PDF format, giving it the most reliable rendering of complex documents, interactive forms and digital signatures. Free to read, annotate and sign.
It is free tier and runs on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS. Below are 3 pdf tools programs that cover the same ground — some open-source, some cross-platform, each free to use.
Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives compared
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumatraPDF | Open Source | Windows | Opens documents near-instantly |
| PDFsam Basic | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Merge and split PDF documents |
| Foxit PDF Reader | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Annotation and commenting tools |
The alternatives in detail
SumatraPDF Open Source
SumatraPDF opens documents almost instantly and stays out of the way, reading PDF, ePub, MOBI, CBZ, DjVu and XPS. Notable for opens documents near-instantly and reads pdf, epub, mobi, djvu and cbz. Runs on Windows.
PDFsam Basic Open Source
PDFsam Basic performs the core PDF manipulation tasks — splitting, merging, rotating, extracting and mixing pages — entirely on your own machine, so confidential documents never get uploaded to a web service. Notable for merge and split pdf documents and rotate and extract specific pages. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Foxit PDF Reader Free
Foxit PDF Reader is a lighter, faster alternative to Adobe's reader while still supporting annotation, commenting, form filling and digital signatures — the usual pick when Acrobat Reader feels too heavy. Notable for annotation and commenting tools and pdf form filling and signing. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
How to choose
2 are fully open source (SumatraPDF, PDFsam Basic) — pick one of these if you value auditable code you can self-host. For the widest platform coverage, PDFsam Basic, Foxit PDF Reader run on three or more operating systems. On a Mac, PDFsam Basic, Foxit PDF Reader support macOS natively.
All 3 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.