The 8 Best PDF Readers

Whether you’re a consumer, business, government agency, or educational organization, you need to read, create, sign, and annotate (comment on) PDF documents and fill out PDF forms. If you need to create and send a resume, receive a contract, an e-book, or another important document, you probably know that you will have to create, edit, and share content through a PDF file. And that’s why it’s so important to find a PDF reader to help organize and interact with your documents.

There are thousands of PDF reader software available in the market, and that’s why it’s not so simple to find the right path for your needs. In this article, we’ve created a list of the best recommendations we have for you.

What Are The Best PDF Readers?

Each person uses PDF readers for different reasons, and that means there isn’t a single reader that can be considered the best on the market. The best for each person will depend on their needs and usage.

In general, the most common PDF readers help you create, manage, and protect all your PDF files in a convenient location. Some readers offer more features than others, but that doesn’t make them bad or good; it really depends on whether you need just basic functionalities or more robust ones.

With all that in mind, we’ve listed 8 interesting options for PDF readers that can help you. Check them out:

1 – PDFelement

Considered the best alternative to the offline installer for Adobe Reader, PDFelement is quite robust and offers some interesting features. Among the many features, PDFelement allows for annotation creation, digital signing, editing, merging PDF files, among others.

With it, it is possible to edit large PDF documents, organize large volumes of different types of documents, convert different types of files or any complex task, and perform more complex tasks directly in the PDF without needing to convert it to other formats.

With an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that meets both beginner and professional users, being one of the most economical options on the market: the software has free versions available on Apple and Android smartphones, where you can scan, edit, and convert PDFs, and learn How to Open Password-Protected PDF Files on Windows.

2 – Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is a freemium multilingual PDF tool for Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, that can create, view, edit, digitally sign, and print PDF files. It is often compared to Google Docs of PDF readers, as it allows you to create, share, and protect your PDFs directly in the cloud. It has an interesting collaboration feature, where you can grant and revoke access to the document, track who opens your document, and view their activity, edit, comment, and also notify readers about new updates on your PDF. The best part: it’s free.

3 – Nitro Reader

Nitro Reader is an application used to create, edit, sign, and protect files and documents in PDF. It is a true example of balance between usability and advanced features. The platform has an intuitive and sleek interface, but you also have access to a wide variety of tools to create, review, protect, and share PDF files. Another cool thing is that when you start this program for the first time, it opens a quick start guide that walks you through the basic operations.

To create new PDFs, all you need to do is drag and drop your documents into the reader. When you want to review a document, the review panel of the PDF reader helps you edit, comment, and send feedback. And again, another free option.

4 – Sumatra PDF

Sumatra PDF is a free open-source PDF reader for Windows that supports many document formats, including: Portable Document Format, Microsoft Compiled HTML Help, DjVu, EPUB, Fiction Book, MOBI, PRC, Open XML Paper Specification, and Comic Book Archive. If Ghostscript is installed, it supports PostScript files. It is quite small in size and very easy to use. If you just need to read PDF files for work, it is a simple alternative that can work. Despite not having many features, it has some advantages, such as marking the last page read, so it automatically returns to it every time this application is started.

5 – Soda PDF

Soda PDF is a PDF reader used to open, view, create, convert, edit, protect, and share Portable Document Format files. It is quite interesting when it comes to reading visual documents such as digital catalogs, magazines, and comics – you can even view files in 3D. The application also allows you to create and edit PDFs from scratch and offers other interesting features like converting files to PDF, merging, splitting, and compressing, signing and protecting, and inserting elements like watermarks and page numbering.

6 – Slim PDF

Slim PDF Reader operates very simply and is a well-known PDF reader for its size, as the name itself suggests. It is a notoriously small program – only 15 MB – which makes it fast, agile, and easy to use. This software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and, although it is free, it has many features that make the PDF viewing experience quite pleasant; however, the biggest downside is that its features are quite limited. The software also provides tools to help in reading text, such as a button that can rotate the page and switch it to landscape. When it comes to printing documents, the software also has features to assist the user.

7 – Haihaisoft Reader

Haihaisoft Reader is a free PDF document reader and printer, featuring extremely fast startup speed and a rich set of features. It is also for reading PDF documents protected by the DRM-X platform. It is now available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone/iPad. This free PDF reader is lightweight, fast, and secure. It runs on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and iPad, which makes it quite versatile. In addition to being only 3 MB, it is interesting for those who care about the security of their documents since it will never connect to the Internet without your permission. Its website also has many resources explaining how to protect your confidential PDF documents.

8 – PDF-XChange Editor

For many people, it is the fastest and richest FREE PDF editor/viewer available. With it, you can create, view, edit, annotate, OCR, and digitally sign PDF files. The PDF-XChange Editor is one of the most robust free PDF readers available. You can create, view, add notes, record and attach audio, highlight text, attach files, strikethrough words, and add signatures.

Now It’s Your Time to Choose!

Our top recommendation is PDFelement, but as you can see, the features of PDF tools are much more advanced than just viewing a PDF document sent to you. Choose what makes the most sense for you.