7 Best Adobe Reader Alternatives in 2024

Are you looking for an alternative to Adobe Reader that will allow you to view and comment on PDF files and fill out PDF forms? Read on if you need to find a universal software that will help you to view files in hundreds of formats without using a dedicated viewer for each of them. In this article, I have reviewed 7 programs that can easily replace Adobe Reader. Some of them can replace all the viewers on your PC.

Top 7 Adobe Reader Alternatives

Until 2008, PDF was still a private format controlled by Adobe. This is why Adobe Reader was the only software designed for viewing PDF files. However, many users aren’t satisfied with it and are looking for an alternative. Fortunately, many big companies and independent developers have released dozens of PDF viewers that can easily beat Adobe Reader in terms of functionality.

Top 3 Adobe Reader Alternatives:

These 4 alternatives will come in handy for those who often need to view and edit PDF files as well as files in similar formats. They have free and paid versions and come with a variety of extra features.

Also, the Article Considers:

1. Nitro PDF Viewer

It is an easy to use viewer that is designed especially for people who work with PDF files. Nitro PDF Viewer is ideal for printing PDF from a Windows PC or even from a Mac or Linux machine. You can use this viewer to view PDF's created by Adobe Acrobat Reader.

nitro pdf viewer interface
Pros
  • The tool is equipped with leading-class features
  • Free
  • Web browser integration
Cons
  • Is not an open source application

What's great about this software is that it has hundreds of features that can help you get the job done faster. For example, it has the ability to search for keywords so you can easily find what you are looking for. Another great feature of this software is the preview option. This allows you to see the whole page before printing it so you can decide if the size or the font is correct for the document you are printing. It also allows you to change the font size and color as well as adjusting other features such as zoom.

2. SlimPDF Reader

This software is more or less a clone of Adobe Acrobat Reader and is available for both Windows and Linux operating systems. The software has been designed in a manner so that it can be used on a number of different PDF readers. For instance, it can be used on Apple's iWork Pages application, Microsoft's Word Processing application, and on Linux computers running SuSe Linux.

slimpdf reader interface
Pros
  • Small and light-weight (1.4 MB)
  • Navigation is easy, simple and self-explanatory
Cons
  • It only supports basic PDF features

Though the software can be used to read most types of PDF files, this software also offers capabilities that are not generally available with other PDF readers. For instance, the software allows people to make as many PDF copies as they want, with as many people as they want. It also allows the user to preview the PDF file before making a decision to download it.

It also allows the user to have several PDF backup options, so that people can choose which PDF file they want to backup, and which ones they do not want to backup. Additionally, the software lets the user password protect their PDF files, so that someone who has unauthorized access to the file cannot make any changes.

3. PDF Reader Pro

PDF Reader Pro is basically a freeware application for the Mac, which enables you to view PDF files on your Mac, without having to use any kind of software for that matter.

pdf reader pro interface
Pros
  • Clean formatting
  • Allows export to Word file type
  • It has text recognition feature
Cons
  • Its mobile application is not simple

PDF Reader Pro is a PDF library manager. It allows you to create, read, and edit PDF files. This product has all the basic features that any PDF viewer should have.

Features include Auto Save, which will save your document in the specified location, Next Steps, which gives you a step by step walkthrough of opening and reading the file, Print, which allows you to print documents from your PDF files, Web Storage which allows you to read PDF files on the web, Import/ Export, which allows you to import documents from a variety of formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and many more.

4. File Viewer Plus 3

It is one of the best tools that any kind of computer user could get their hands on especially if they are planning on editing, organizing, creating, and comparing multiple kinds of files.

The first thing that I like about this software is that it is a very intuitive interface. Everything is laid out in a very clean way and I really couldn't find anything negative about it at all. This is the reason why this software easily gets passed up by many people because of its great features and functions that you could utilize right away. There are tons of features packed into this program, and they are not just simple features but highly advanced ones as well.

file viewer plus 3 interface
Pros
  • Open more than 300 types of files
  • It has a file identifier
  • Tool to inspect the contents of the files
Cons
  • No forever-free version

Among the features that I really liked are the filters, which allowed me to organize my folders in a very efficient manner. It could sort my files by size, name, date while displaying the total size as well. Another cool feature that I really liked was the automatic back up, which allows me to automatically save changes or modifications to my selected files. Aside from these, this software has a lot of other features that will make your life easier in terms of handling different kinds of files. If you want to grab one, then check out this file viewer today.

5. FreeFileViewer

Freefileviewer is a powerful piece of software that can help you search for and manage your digital files whether they are from your computer your home directory, or your digital camera. The software allows you to search for any type of digital file and view the details and images of the file quickly and easily.

freefileviewer interface
Pros
  • Support for more than 200 file formats
  • No hidden costs and no software required
  • Free
Cons
  • Is slightly slower opening files than Office or Adobe

Some of the other features this software offers include thumbnail views of the files, copy to clipboard, add comments and more. Aside from that, you can also check for viruses and spyware to ensure the safety of your valuable files.

6. Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is a computer application which mainly deals with digital printing and editing of PDF files. This application was initially developed by hackers for the purpose of malicious purposes but today it has developed into one of the most popular e-book reader software available in the market.

It does come out pretty handy especially when you consider that it can also be used as a word processor, a music player, a camera and much more.

foxit reader interface
Pros
  • It has a similar interface to Microsoft products
  • Supports PDF annotation
  • Free to download and use
Cons
  • The system crashes frequently

It is completely free of charge so you don't have to worry about spending money on any license or subscription. The application works perfectly well when you use Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Reader to open PDF files or any other file format for that matter.

You can either save your favorite pdf files, share them with your friends or colleagues, or keep them for future reference. You can even synchronize your notes and work through the internet. Foxit Reader is also available in a free trial version which can be downloaded from the website for a period of 30 days.

7. PDF X-Change Editor

PDF X-Change Editor is a free software for Microsoft Windows based operating system that presents editing capabilities to PDF files.

It features a simple wizard-based interface which allows the user to change all kinds of PDF files, from text to images, logos to whole documents or even several parts of the same document in different views. With the latest features, it can handle the splitting and merging of pages too. It is used extensively in various sectors of the industry by both small and large organizations, especially those related to information technology.

pdf x-change editor interface
Pros
  • Free version supports editing
  • Document conversion, including optical character recognition
Cons
  • Lacks modern interface

The user is provided with an extensive range of tools which makes the PDF X-Change Editor a perfect solution for all kinds of editing needs. These tools allow users to customize the appearance of PDF files, add their logos, create cover sheets, change table of contents and search other features.

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