Even though they're over 25 years erstwhile, PDFs are nevertheless ane of the main types of documents on the internet. Whether you lot're trying to access your Westward-two, a contract, or an eBook, it'll probably be in the form of a PDF. Just to view these important documents, you need to download a PDF reader on your reckoner.

In that location are hundreds of PDF readers and some can cost you almost a thousand dollars per year, so nosotros sifted through the internet to notice the best costless PDF readers that you tin download online.

Below, nosotros created a listing of 15 of the best free PDF readers whose capabilities range from merely viewing PDFs to creating, editing, and securing them.

Click here to download our collection of customizable ebook templates.

The 15 Best Free PDF Readers

The 5 Best Free PDF Readers for Windows and Mac

1. Foxit Reader

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Foxit Reader is like the Google Docs of PDF readers. You can create, share, and secure your PDFs all on the cloud. To create PDFs, you can upload scans, convert Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel sheets, and even combine multiple PDFs into a new file.

If you want to collaborate with someone on a PDF, you can grant and revoke certificate access, track who opens your document and view their activeness, edit, annotate, and as well notify readers most new updates to your PDF.

Foxit reader also provides multiple security options to continue your PDFs prophylactic and individual, like passwords, digital signatures, and encryption. If you create PDFs regularly for your job and need a way to interact on the same file, Foxit would be a good option.

2. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

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Adobe'southward free PDF reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, connects to the Adobe Document cloud and other cloud storage systems like Box, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, letting you open up, view, share, and comment on PDFs from anywhere and on any device you lot desire.

Acrobat Reader DC coolest characteristic is that it can read text out loud, guiding you along any document that'southward challenging to read. Adobe'due south free PDF reader is great for any decorated professional person who needs to annotate PDFs on the go or on their commute.

3. Javelin PDF Reader

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Javelin PDF Reader is a straightforward PDF reader that lets you launch and impress standard and encrypted PDFs, annotate them, and bookmark them. Since its download size is 2 MB and information technology doesn't have extra features like editing, the PDF reader is fast with a simple and clean user interface. If y'all want to read and take notes on PDFs quickly, Javelin is probably the PDF reader for y'all.

4. Google Bulldoze

Google Bulldoze is the most accessible PDF converter and PDF storage system. On the platform, y'all can catechumen any of your documents, presentations, and sheets into PDF files and upload any PDFs to it for your ain viewing purposes. If your merely utilize for PDFs is viewing them or converting files into them, Google Drive is the best pick for y'all.

5. Your Spider web Browser

Web browsers similar Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all have integrated PDF readers. To view a PDF on your browser, all y'all have to do is click on the PDF link. You lot tin too open PDF files that are already stored on your computer past dragging them to an open tab in your browser.

Boosted features included in most browsers' PDF readers are rotate, download, print, and adjust text size. If you don't need to convert files into PDFs and y'all only need to view PDFs, you don't need to download a PDF reader. You tin can only utilize your spider web browser.

The five Best Free PDF Readers for Windows

1. Nitro Reader

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Nitro Reader has a reputation for striking a skilful balance between usability and advanced features. The platform has an intuitive and slick interface, but yous also have access to a wide variety of tools to create, review, secure, and share PDF files. To create new PDFs, all you take to do is drag and drop your documents into the reader. And so, you tin can design your PDF typhoon with custom colors, font embedding, and orientation.

When you want to review a document, the PDF reader's review pane helps yous edit, comment, and address feedback. To secure your PDF files, Nitro Reader uses QuickSign to password-protect and sign your documents. Sharing documents is also simple and secure -- you tin can share documents with anyone since the PDFs you create in Nitro Reader are uniform with almost every other PDF reader. If yous're a PDF power user, Nitro Reader could be your best option.

ii. PDF-XChange Editor

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PDF-XChange Editor is i of the more than robust gratuitous PDF readers out there. You tin can create, view, add notes, record and adhere sound, highlight text, adhere files, strikethrough words, and add signatures. Only the PDF reader'southward coolest feature is its Optical Graphic symbol Recognition tool -- it can browse printed documents and convert the text into a searchable document. If you demand to create, edit, and share PDFs at work a lot, PDF-XChange Editor could exist the PDF reader for you.

3. MuPDF

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MuPDF is a standard PDF reader for viewing and editing PDF files. Y'all can fill out text forms, annotate documents, and use it to convert PDF files into other file types similar HTML, SVG, and CBZ. You lot can too write scripts in Javascript to alter your documents. If you want a depression-retentivity PDF reader that you tin easily edit and view files on, MuPDF is your best option.

4. SumatraPDF

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Even though SumatraPDF lacks some advanced features like annotation, certificate signing, and class-filling, Sumatra PDF provides an intuitive and fast reading feel -- it has multiple viewing modes like unmarried page, book, and presentation and shortcuts that help you navigate any PDF file. If you merely need to read PDFs for work, consider using SumatraPDF.

5. Slim PDF

slim-pdf-reader

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Slim PDF is one of the smallest PDF readers in the world, taking up just fifteen MB of space on your figurer. Despite its tiny size, this free PDF reader comes with a lot of advanced features that complement core functionalities such as those allowing you lot to print, search, zoom and rotate PDF files.

If you lot are looking for a solution that strikes the perfect rest between beingness lightweight and powerful, Slim PDF is a great selection. Information technology'southward available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The five Best Free PDF Readers for Mac

1. PDF Reader Premium

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With over 50 million downloads, PDF Reader Premium is one of the almost popular PDF readers for Apple Devices. It has powerful functionality that lets you view your PDF in multiple tabs, annotate your document with images and sticky notes, organize your files with tags, sign signatures and fill out forms on your PDF, and store and transfer PDFs through a variety of deject services. Anyone who frequently uses PDFs for work should consider downloading PDF Reader Premium.

ii. Preview

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Even though Preview is the pre-installed PDF reader on every Mac, it's more powerful than you think. On Preview, yous can view and annotate your documents, combine documents, fill up out and sign forms, edit images, share files, and even consign a password protected PDF, if there'southward sensitive information on your document. Preview is the best choice for someone who wants to use i PDF reader for personal and professional matters.

3. Skim

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Skim is PDF reader that was originally designed to help academics read and annotate scientific papers in PDF format, only they've now improved their functionality to let anyone view whatsoever type of PDF file on the reader. On Skim, you lot can highlight text, take notes, accept snapshots, export notes as text, and integrate with third party apps like BibDesk, a bibliography manager.

4. Soda PDF

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Soda PDF is ane of the best PDF readers for reading visual documents similar digital catalogues, magazines, and comic books -- you can even view files in 3D. The app also lets you create and edit PDFs from scratch. Soda PDF sells an online PDF platform too, and so they bulldoze demand for it by offering free PDF tools on their website like convert to PDF, convert from PDF, merge, split, & compress, sign & secure, and insert elements similar watermarks and page numbering. You can apply these online tools as a proxy for a downloadable PDF reader if you want to save infinite on your computer.

v. Haihaisoft Reader

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Haihaisoft Reader is a fast, low memory PDF reader. Information technology'due south just three MB, and so information technology has basic functionality like rotate, full screen, presentation fashion, search, and zoom. Fifty-fifty though it'due south pocket-sized, information technology still supports over 40 languages and has high security -- it only connects to the cyberspace with the user's permission. Haihaisoft is best for casual PDF users.

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Originally published Aug 22, 2018 vi:00:00 AM, updated December 14 2021