If you’re looking for free PDF readers, you’re in luck, as the industry offers a large number of them capable of offering – at the very least – reading functionality for this type of format that has become the most important digital document format of its kind.

You definitely know him. Originally developed by Adobe, PDF was standardized and published in 2008 as an open standard. Since then, its use has expanded and become essential in the technology industry for storing and sharing digital documents. And that’s it its benefits are invaluableboth for its own ability to include texts, bitmaps or vector images, and for its cross-platform operation, used in any operating system (Windows, macOS and Linux) without modifying its structure.

Free PDF Readers

Like any other computer file format, it needs applications capable of working with it, and there are a large number of commercial and free applications, although their support varies greatly from just ability to read its contents (as the major web browsers on the market do) to be able to create, edit and convert them to and from other formats.

In addition to the basic one, simply functioning as a browser, there are other applications that offer advanced functions such as encryption, OCR or electronic forms. We leave you with some of the best of the free ones that – at a minimum – offer read capacity.

Chrome, Edge, Firefox…

The main web browsers on the market, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari, have integrated support for PDF and it is a good way to view this type of documents because of its speed and low resource consumption. Moreover, they work on any platform, be it Linux, Mac or mobile phones. On the other hand, not all PDFs are compatible as well They do not have access to any modifications and/or advanced features those discussed in previous dedicated applications.

In the latest versions of Windows operating systems, the default browser for viewing PDFs is Microsoft Edge, although this can be adjusted in Settings > Applications > Default applications > Choose default applications by file type. It works very well. When you launch the PDF, a separate tab opens with a toolbar and features for searching, adjusting the zoom level, printing, sharing, saving, or adding to your favorites or reading list.

Chrome’s PDF interface is very similar, while Firefox’s PDF support is just as good. The truth is that for most consumers web browsers can compete (read-only) with free PDF viewers. If you need more advanced features, to create this type of documents, edit them, combine or export them, you will definitely need to purchase one of the commercial versions, as the free ones are quite limited.

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

You need to start with an application from the company that originally developed the format. Become the de facto standard, it stands out 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, you’ll find plenty of advanced options for editing, merging, exporting, and signing documents in the tools tab, but they won’t work unless you end up buying a commercial license. Available on the Adobe website in a free and commercial “PRO” version with a free trial. It also offers extensions for use in browsers such as Chrome.

Sumatra PDF

If you are looking for (only) free PDF viewers, you definitely have the best alternative to using web browsers here. It doesn’t have editing capabilities, but it loads these types of files at tremendous speed, supports the use of tabs, and has a large number of keyboard shortcuts to manage it. In addition, it supports several other file types including e-books in ePub and Mobi formats and comics in CHM, CBZ and CBR formats. Not only is it free, it’s also open source, and it’s also available in a portable version that doesn’t even require installation. Available on their website.

PDF-XChange editor

Very similar in capacity and customization to Foxit, though perhaps with a slightly less “clean” interface and more resource consumption in execution. It offers a good set of free features (70% of the total), including editing and annotation. Other additional features are paid, although they can also be used in exchange for a watermark. The ribbon toolbar is highly customizable and includes additional features such as customizable dynamic stamps. Available on their website.

Foxit Reader

It was one of the first alternatives to Adobe’s Acrobat Reader, and its main interface features a large number of editing tabs covering various advanced options, text markers, typewriter options, form management, digital signatures, and more. Unfortunately, some of the more advanced options will be overshadowed as they are only available with a paid commercial license. Still, it may be the free reader with the most features and customizations. In addition to Windows, it supports the rest of the main platforms, Linux, Mac and mobile systems, in a very complete menu that also includes browser plugins.

Nitro PDF

If you’re using the Microsoft Office collaboration suite, you’ll feel right at home because its interface is practically a carbon copy with the ribbon in front. It has everything you can ask for in an application of this type, and advanced functions for signing forms or documents with digital identification. You can also add notes, 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 the trial version. After the trial period, you will lose many options, although there are other basic ones that can still be used for free.

STDU Browser

With fewer PDF-specific features than the previous two, it excels in browser features and presents itself as a universal reader of technical and scientific documents. In this way, and in addition to PDF, it is compatible with TXT, Comic Book Archive, DjVu, MOBI, EPub, various image formats and more. A strong point of STDU Viewer is managing several different documents at the same time. Not only can you open documents in 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.

There is no shortage of free PDF readers, as you may have read, although it is worth insisting that their capacity varies greatly between opening and reading these digital documents, the ability to create, edit and convert them between formats or other advanced features. such as CDR or encryption.