Evince vs Adobe Acrobat Reader

EEvince8.6Visit Adobe Acrobat Reader8.5Visit

Higher score E Evince #7 in PDF Readers 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit GNOME

vs

Adobe Acrobat Reader #8 in PDF Readers 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Adobe

• Evince fits best

  Linux users wanting a straightforward reader

• Adobe Acrobat Reader fits best

  Mainstream PDF reading and accessibility

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Side by side

Feature	EEvince 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#7 in PDF Readers	#8 in PDF Readers
Best for	Linux users wanting a straightforward reader	Mainstream PDF reading and accessibility
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop, Mobile, Cloud
Platforms	Linux	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
Features Evince 3/4 · Adobe Acrobat Reader 3/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Text-to-speech	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
OCR support	None	Not checked yet
Platform support	Desktop	Cross-platform
Our review
Pros	Reads PDF, PostScript, DjVu, DVI, XPS, and comic-book archives Supports annotations, forms, bookmarks, outlines, and document search Free and open source with offline desktop access	Free reading, printing, search, forms, signatures, and annotations Available across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web Includes text-to-speech and screen-reader and magnifier support
Cons	Linux-only desktop availability limits cross-platform use Built-in OCR is not provided Its integration list is limited to gedit	Advanced PDF editing is provided through paid Acrobat products PDF conversion is outside the core Reader application OCR is provided through paid Acrobat products rather than Reader
Our verdict	Evince is a free, open-source document viewer for the GNOME desktop, aimed at Linux users who need a straightforward way to read and manage common document formats. It opens PDFs alongside PostScript, DjVu, DVI, XPS, and comic-book archive… Read the review →	Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free PDF application for individuals, students, office workers, and organizations that need to view, print, search, share, annotate, sign, and complete PDF documents. Its free Reader plan supports desktop and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Evince — where it wins

  • Reads PDF, PostScript, DjVu, DVI, XPS, and comic-book archives
  • Supports annotations, forms, bookmarks, outlines, and document search
  • Free and open source with offline desktop access

  Where it doesn't

  • Linux-only desktop availability limits cross-platform use
  • Built-in OCR is not provided
  • Its integration list is limited to gedit

• Adobe Acrobat Reader — where it wins

  • Free reading, printing, search, forms, signatures, and annotations
  • Available across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web
  • Includes text-to-speech and screen-reader and magnifier support

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced PDF editing is provided through paid Acrobat products
  • PDF conversion is outside the core Reader application
  • OCR is provided through paid Acrobat products rather than Reader

• EEvince8.6/10 · Free plan

  A capable free Linux reader for PDFs, forms, annotations, and more.

  Visit GNOMEFull verdict →
• Adobe Acrobat Reader8.5/10 · Free plan

  A broadly available free PDF reader with useful accessibility, form, signature, and review tools.

  Visit AdobeFull verdict →