The Most Popular PDF Reader, Ranked
Voting rules: Choose the reader you think is the most popular!
Updated on Apr 30, 2024 06:46
In a world where digital documents are the norm, finding the right PDF reader can be a game-changer for both efficiency and user experience. Whether it's for professional use or casual reading, the functionality and usability of a PDF reader greatly influence how we interact with digital content. This is why knowing which PDF readers are favored by most users can be incredibly beneficial.
By participating in voting for the most preferred PDF readers, you contribute to a clearer understanding of what features and functionalities are most important to users. This not only helps new users choose the best tool for their needs but also encourages developers to enhance their software. Let your voice be heard, and help shape the future of digital document handling by casting your vote today.
What Is the Most Popular PDF Reader?
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168votes
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Systems IncorporatedAdobe Acrobat Reader is the most popular PDF reader used by millions of users worldwide. It has a user-friendly interface and allows easy navigation through the document. It also supports various file formats and has several features such as highlighting, commenting, and filling forms.Adobe Acrobat Reader is a widely used software for viewing, printing, and commenting on PDF documents. It is developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated.- Platform: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- File Compatibility: Supports PDF files including forms and multimedia
- Annotations: Allows adding comments, highlighting, and drawing on PDFs
- Security: Supports password protection and encryption for PDF documents
- Accessibility: Includes features for screen readers and customizable display settings
Adobe Acrobat Reader in other rankings- Position 2 of 10 in Most popular Adobe app
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218votes
Foxit Reader
Foxit Software IncorporatedFoxit Reader is a lightweight PDF reader known for its fast performance and security features. It allows users to view, edit, and annotate PDF files. It also has a user-friendly interface and supports various file formats.Foxit Reader is a popular PDF reader software known for its fast performance and wide range of features. It was developed by Foxit Software Incorporated.- Fast performance: Foxit Reader is known for its fast and efficient performance, allowing users to open and navigate through PDF files quickly.
- Annotation tools: It provides a variety of annotation tools, such as highlighting, underlining, and commenting, allowing users to add notes and mark important sections in PDFs.
- Multi-platform support: Foxit Reader is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, providing cross-platform compatibility.
- Security features: It offers robust security features, including password protection, certificate-based encryption, and digital signatures, ensuring the safety of sensitive documents.
- Text-to-speech: Foxit Reader has a built-in text-to-speech feature that can read aloud PDF documents, making it useful for people with visual impairments or for multitasking.
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328votes
Sumatra PDF
Krzysztof KowalczykSumatra PDF is a free, open-source PDF reader known for its simplicity and speed. It is lightweight and does not require much disk space. It also supports various file formats and has basic features such as zooming and searching.Sumatra PDF is a lightweight and open-source PDF reader known for its simplicity and fast performance. It is designed specifically for Windows operating systems and focuses on providing a minimalistic user interface without compromising on essential features. Sumatra PDF supports a wide range of document formats, including PDF, XPS, eBook (ePub, Mobi), CHM, DjVu, and Comic Book (CBZ and CBR). It offers a straightforward and intuitive user experience, focusing on quick loading times and smooth navigation.- Operating System Support: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
- License: GNU GPLv3 license
- File Format Support: PDF, XPS, eBook (ePub, Mobi), CHM, DjVu, Comic Book (CBZ, CBR)
- Interface: Minimalistic and straightforward
- Performance: Fast loading times and smooth navigation
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419votes
Nitro PDF Reader
Nitro Software, Inc.Nitro PDF Reader is a free PDF reader that allows users to view, create, and edit PDF files. It also supports various file formats and has several features such as highlighting, commenting, and filling forms. It also has a user-friendly interface and is easy to use.Nitro PDF Reader is a popular software for reading, viewing, and editing PDF files. It offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features to enhance the PDF reading experience. With Nitro PDF Reader, users can easily open, view, and navigate through PDF documents, as well as perform various editing functions such as highlighting, adding comments, and filling out forms. It also supports converting PDFs into other formats and integrates with cloud storage services for easy file sharing and collaboration.- Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10
- File Support: PDF
- Editing Features: Highlighting, Commenting, Form filling
- Conversion Options: PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and image formats
- Integration: Integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive
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525votes
PDF-XChange Viewer
Tracker Software Products Ltd.PDF-XChange Viewer is a free PDF reader known for its advanced features such as OCR, form filling, and digital signature support. It also has a user-friendly interface and allows easy navigation through the document. It supports various file formats and is easy to use.PDF-XChange Viewer is a popular PDF reader that offers a variety of features and functionalities for viewing, editing, and annotating PDF documents. It provides users with a user-friendly interface and a range of tools to enhance their PDF reading experience.- Platform: Windows
- Supported file formats: PDF, XPS, TXT, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
- Viewing modes: Single Page, Continuous, Facing, Book View
- Annotations: Text highlighting, freehand drawing, sticky notes, stamps, shapes
- Editing capabilities: Erase content, add text, images, watermarks, merge and split documents
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69votes
Megamanfan3 · CC BY-SA 4.0Google Chrome
GoogleGoogle Chrome is a web browser that also has a built-in PDF viewer. It is free and does not require any additional software to view PDF files. It also supports various file formats and has basic features such as zooming and searching.Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and customizable web browser developed by Google. It provides a user-friendly browsing experience with features like quick access to popular websites, a minimalist design, and seamless synchronization across devices.- Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- Engine: Blink (WebKit-based)
- Release Date: September 2, 2008
- Latest Version: 87.0.4280.88 (as of December 2020)
- Tab Management: Supports multiple tabs, tab grouping, and tab pinning
Google Chrome in other rankings- Position 2 of 10 in Most useful computer program
- Position 3 of 10 in Most popular computer software
- Position 6 of 10 in Most popular Google products
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76votes
Softhard23039402lf · CC BY-SA 4.0Microsoft Edge
Microsoft CorporationMicrosoft Edge is a web browser that also has a built-in PDF viewer. It is free and does not require any additional software to view PDF files. It also supports various file formats and has basic features such as zooming and searching.Microsoft Edge is a popular web browser developed by Microsoft. It was introduced in 2015 as the successor to the Internet Explorer. Edge is built on the Chromium project, which provides a fast and modern browsing experience. It offers a host of features and integrations with Microsoft services, making it a compelling choice for users in China.- Release Date: July 29, 2015
- Based on: Chromium
- Operating System: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- Default Search Engine: Bing
- Privacy Features: Tracking prevention, InPrivate browsing
Microsoft Edge in other rankings- Position 4 of 10 in Most popular Microsoft product
- Position 10 of 10 in Most popular browser in China
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83votes
Apple Preview
Apple Inc.Apple Preview is a built-in PDF viewer for macOS that allows users to view and edit PDF files. It also supports various file formats and has several features such as highlighting, commenting, and filling forms. It is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.Apple Preview is a built-in PDF reader for Apple devices, including Mac computers and iOS devices. It allows users to view, annotate, and edit PDF documents with its simple and intuitive interface. With a wide range of features, it provides a convenient way to read and interact with PDF files.- Platform: MacOS, iOS
- Annotation Tools: Highlight, underline, strikethrough, add text, shapes, and signatures
- Editing Capabilities: Merge PDFs, rearrange pages, crop, rotate, and adjust color
- Search Function: Allows searching for keywords within a PDF document
- Bookmarking: Create, manage, and navigate through bookmarks
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98votesEvince is a free, open-source PDF reader for Linux. It is lightweight and allows users to view PDF files. It also supports various file formats and has basic features such as zooming and searching. It is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.Evince is a popular PDF reader for the Linux desktop environment. It is designed to be lightweight, easy to use, and offer a wide range of features for viewing and interacting with PDF documents.
- Platform: Linux
- License: GNU General Public License
- Supported Document Formats: PDF, PostScript, DjVu, TIFF, XPS, DVI
- Annotation and Highlighting: Yes
- Search Functionality: Yes
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1014votesOkular is a free, open-source PDF reader for Linux. It supports various file formats and has several features such as highlighting, commenting, and filling forms. It also allows users to view and edit PDF files. It is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.Okular is a popular PDF reader application that offers a range of features for viewing, annotating, and managing PDF documents. It is primarily designed for the KDE desktop environment, but can also be used on other platforms. Okular provides a user-friendly interface and supports various functionalities to enhance the reading experience.
- Platform Compatibility: Linux, Windows, macOS
- Annotation Tools: Highlighting, underlining, adding comments
- Support for Multiple Document Formats: PDF, ePub, DjVu, CHM, and more
- Text Selection and Copying: Allows selecting and copying text from PDFs
- Search Functionality: Enables searching for keywords within documents
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Ranking factors for popular reader
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CompatibilityThe PDF reader should be compatible with multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as various devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
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User Interface/User ExperienceThe PDF reader should have a user-friendly interface, enabling users to read, navigate, and search documents easily.
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Features and FunctionalityThe PDF reader should have a comprehensive set of features, such as zoom, search, annotation, digital signature, form-filling, and OCR capabilities. It should also support various file formats, including images, text documents, and multimedia elements.
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Speed and PerformanceThe PDF reader should be fast and efficient, enabling users to load and view documents quickly without lag or crashing.
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File SizeThe PDF reader should have a small file size, making it easy to download and install while not occupying a significant amount of storage space on a device.
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SecurityThe PDF reader should have built-in security features, such as encryption of data, password protection, and the ability to prevent unauthorized editing of files.
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AccessibilityThe PDF reader should have accessibility features for users with disabilities, such as color contrast options, text-to-speech functionality, and support for screen readers.
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Customer SupportThe PDF reader should offer reliable customer support options, including user guides, FAQs, forums, email support, and live chat.
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PriceThe PDF reader should be free or priced competitively, ensuring affordability for individual users and businesses.
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Reputation and User ReviewsThe PDF reader should have an established reputation and positive user reviews, demonstrating a history of reliability, performance, and user satisfaction.
About this ranking
This is a community-based ranking of the most popular PDF reader. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or reader is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!
Statistics
- 1792 views
- 196 votes
- 10 ranked items
Voting Rules
A participant may cast an up or down vote for each reader once every 24 hours. The rank of each reader is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.
More information on most popular pdf reader
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems in the 1990s. It was created to allow users to share documents across different operating systems, without losing formatting or fonts. Today, PDFs are widely used for digital documents such as ebooks, manuals, and forms.
As PDFs became more popular, so did the need for reliable PDF readers. A PDF reader is a software application that allows users to view, print, and annotate PDF files. There are many PDF readers available, each with its own unique set of features and benefits.
In this article, we will explore the most popular PDF readers on the market, comparing their features and user experience to help you make an informed decision about which one is right for you.
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