PDF is one of formats for storing digital documents most important in the technology industry. Like every format, it needs applications that can handle it, and there is no shortage of possibilities, as you will see in this post, where we will offer you some of the best free PDF viewers for Windows and other platforms.

You must know that PDF was originally developed by Adobe as a document format and later approved as an open standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Since then, its popularity has grown thanks to its advanced features, such as the ability to incorporate any combination of text, multimedia elements or hyperlinks; cross-platform support, because its structure and appearance does not change when used weakly on major systems (Windows, Mac, Linux …) or its security features, such as the possibility of digital encryption and signing.

Free PDF viewers

There is a wide range of solutions (both free and commercial) capable of handling this format, although it should be noted that their support ability to read its contents (as well as the major web browsers on the market and the free solutions we introduce) to the ability to create, edit and convert them to and from other formats.

In addition to the basics, there are other applications that offer advanced features such as encryption, OCR or electronic forms. We’ll leave you with some of the best free ones that – at least – offer reading capacity.

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Start with an application from the company that originally developed the format. Converted to the de facto standard, it excels with its clean and elegant interface and maximum performance capacity. In general, if a PDF doesn’t work with Acrobat, it won’t work with any of the alternatives. In addition to reading in the tools tab, you’ll find plenty of advanced options for editing, combining, exporting, and signing documents, but they won’t work unless you eventually purchase a commercial license. Available on Adobe as a free and commercial “PRO” version with a free trial. It also offers extensions for use in browsers such as Chrome.

Sumatran PDF

If you are looking for (only) free PDF browsers, you certainly have the best alternative to using web browsers. It has no editing capabilities, but is very fast, loads this type of file at enormous speeds, supports the use of tabs and has a large number of keyboard shortcuts for manipulating it. In addition, it supports other file types, including ePub and Mobi e-books and comics in CHM, CBZ and CBR formats. It is not only free but also open source and is also available in a portable version that does not require installation. Available on their website.

Foxit Reader

It was one of the first alternatives to Adobe’s Acrobat Reader, and its main interface includes a wealth of tabs for editing, covering various advanced options, text tags, typewriter options, form manipulation, digital signatures, and more. Unfortunately, some more advanced options will be overshadowed because they are only available with a paid commercial license. Still, it can be the free reader with the most features and customization. In addition to Windows, it supports the rest of the major platforms, Linux, Mac and mobile systems, in a very complete menu, which also includes browser add-ons.

Nitro PDF

If you use the Microsoft Office Collaboration Kit, you will feel at home because its interface is practically a copy with a ribbon in front of it. It has everything you can ask for from an application of its kind, and advanced features for forms or signing documents with digital identification. You can also add annotations, extract images, or convert a PDF to a plain text document. Although Nitro PDF Reader is free, you cannot get this version directly. You must download a trial version. After the trial period, you will lose many options, although there are other basics that can still be used for free.

STDUViewer

With fewer PDF-specific features than the previous two, it excels with its browser features and is presented as a universal reader of technical and scientific documents. This way and in addition to PDF it is compatible with TXT, Comic Book Archive, DjVu, MOBI, EPub, various image formats and more. The strength of STDU Viewer is the management of several different documents at the same time. Not only can you open documents on tabs and expand the navigation bar, but you can also create and browse bookmarks and highlights, display thumbnails of open documents, and split windows to compare different pages within the same document.

PDF-XChange editor

Very similar to Foxit in terms of capacity and customization, although perhaps with a somewhat less “clean” interface and higher power consumption at runtime. It offers a good set of free features (70% of the total), including editing and annotations. Other features are paid, but can also be used in exchange for a watermark. The ribbon-like toolbar is highly customizable and includes additional features such as customizable dynamic stamps. Available on their website.

internet browsers

The main web browsers on the market, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, have built-in PDF support and it’s a good way to view this type of document due to its speed and low resource consumption. In addition, they work on any platform, be it Linux, Mac or mobile. On the other hand, not all PDFs are compatible as well they do not have access to any customizations and / or advanced features of those commented on previous reserved applications.

In the latest versions of Windows operating systems, Microsoft Edge is the default browser for viewing PDFs, although this can be changed in Settings> Applications> Default Applications> Select Default Applications by File Type. It works very well. When you run a PDF, a separate tab opens with a toolbar and features for searching, adjusting the zoom level, printing, sharing, saving, or adding to favorites or reading lists.

Chrome’s PDF interface is very similar, while Firefox’s PDF file support is just as good. The truth is that for most consumers, web browsers can compete (read-only) with free PDF browsers. If you are looking for something else, any of the above applications will suffice. If you need to create, edit, combine, export, and other advanced document types, you’ll need to purchase one of the commercial versions.