Adobe Reader has been for many years the best PDF reader ever. But that hegemony is a thing of the past, although it is still very popular. There are many other very capable programs for reading this type of documents, and today we bring you the best alternatives to Adobe Reader to read PDF.
Since Adobe launched the PDF format to the world, it has become a standard. It is a combined format in which vector images, bitmaps and text can be placed, which has made it very popular among companies, governments and educational institutions.
Thanks to the fact that it is a cross-platform format and that files with this format do not lose their format when sent to other users (as happens with other text files), it is one of the best options for sharing a set of information in the same file.
Do you want to view, create and edit DOCX files? Microsoft Word is the best tool to do it and we show you how download Word for free.
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9 lightweight programs to read PDF alternatives to Adobe Reader
Foxit Reader
There are those who consider Foxit Reader as the best free pdf reader that can be used today, and they would not be far off the mark. It is a powerful free tool to read and create documents with this format.
Unlike other alternatives that we will see in this list, it is not lighter than Adobe's solution, but it does work much more fluidly, in addition to offering many other features that cannot be seen in Reader.
With Foxit Reader you can read, print, edit and create documents in PDF format easily, with an interface designed for intermediate and novice users.
The program is available for free and can be downloaded on the main platforms, Windows, Mac and Linux, so all users will be able to enjoy one of the most powerful readers that exist.
Foxit Reader – Official site
Sumatra PDF
Sumatra PDF has always been one of the main options to consider when talking about replace the Adobe program as a PDF reader.
We are talking about a small but powerful PDF reader that advocates simplicity with a very simple interface, which allows the program to open quickly, and also prevents it from slowing down when working with large files.
In addition to being able to read PDF files, Sumatra also allows you to read eBook, XPS, DjVu, CHM and Comic Book (CBZ and CBR). It is ridiculously small in size and, with support only for Windows, you can download free from its official website.
Sumatra PDF – Official site
Nitro PDF Reader
Another great option to replace Acrobar Reader from our team is Nitro PDF Reader, the free version of the popular Nitro PDF –which has now been renamed Nitro PDF Pro.
When we talk about the free option of Nitro PDF we continue to see a high quality tool, which in addition to allowing you to read this type of documents, offers many editing, review and export options.
With this program you can create PDF easily from any version of Windows, in addition to having the famous drag and drop which makes the task much easier.
Along with downloading the program you can enjoy a 2-week trial period of the version Pro. Although you have to be careful with the installer and go to the installation tab Advanced installation if you do not want different toolbars of the program to be installed in the browsers.
Nitro PDF Reader – Official site
PDF Xchange Editor
Do you need a new PDF reader? Then you must take a look at PDF-Xchange Editor. It is about the evolution of PDF-Xchange Viewer, a tool that, by the way, is still available for download on the developer's website.
This tool is free to download, although a small portion of its functions can only be used if you pay for them. Although as long as what you need is read PDF, edit the documents, add comments, insert or extract pages or sign the file You will not have to pay any money.
It is a simple and fast tool, in addition to having a very intuitive interface. Without a doubt, an option to take into account. Of course, at the time of installation it must be done in a personalized way, otherwise many unwanted programs may be installed on the computer.
PDF-Xchange Editor – Official site
Evince
Una alternative to open source Adobe Acrobat which can be enjoyed on both Windows, Mac and Linux. Evince is a simple document viewer that allows you to open and view PDF, DjVu, DVI, PostScript, TIFF and XPS.
This tool allows you to view documents in different ways, in addition to being able to enjoy viewing two pages simultaneously or making slide presentations.
In addition to viewing documents, you can also copy, convert and print DRM-protected PDF files, something that not all tools of this type can achieve.
Evince can be downloaded completely free of charge, allowing you to enjoy what is the default PDF viewer in Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu.
Evince – Official site
PDF Elements
The Wondershare company has a team that has developed solutions for all types of computer sectors. PDFelement is the alternative to the usual Reader, with a lot of capacity to replace it.
It is a cross-platform tool, which can be enjoyed on Windows 10, MacOS, iOS and Android Oreo. It has interesting options for edit PDF documents without losing credentials and without altering aspects of the original document, such as its fonts or dimensions.
It also has many other necessary options, such as searches using optical character recognition, the ability to scan documents, and the ability to create batch PDFs.
Slim PDF Reader
When talking about alternatives to Adobe Reader One of the most popular options cannot be missing when talking about lightweight options for reading PDF: Slim PDF Reader.
It is a very light and fast PDF reader that offers one of the best user experiences when we talk about the fluidity it offers when working with these files.
This tool is intended only for reading documents, not for editing them. It has a very simple interface that allows it to have a ridiculous weight: its installer weighs just over 1 MB. Nothing compared to the more than 30 MB of Adobe Reader. It is completely free and can be downloaded and used on Windows operating systems.
Slim PDF Reader – Official site
PDFPen Pro
Why settle for a PDF reader? PDFPen Pro advocates the all-in-one. A tool that will make you not miss Acrobat Reader. Not only does it allow you to read these files, but you can also edit the texts, images, brands and designs, in addition to allowing you to highlight text and even change the format when exporting.
With PDFPen Pro you will be able to edit any PDF file you receive, from its text to its digital signature, and you will be able to export it, not only in PDF but in many other formats.
This tool is available for Mac and iOS systems, and can be enjoyed for free thanks to the free trial period.
Cool Reader
Adobe Reader is a fairly heavy reader, and can be slow when working with large documents. Cool Reader is the complete opposite. A fast and lightweight PDF viewer, which is committed to simplicity although it also adds some useful tools.
With Cool Reader you can extract images and text from documents, as well as view them, and you can convert PDF files to different image formats for different purposes.
Cool Reader – Official site
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