FBReader vs SumatraPDF

FBReader9.1Visit SumatraPDF9.0Visit

Higher score FBReader #3 in File Reader Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit FBReader

vs

SumatraPDF #4 in File Reader Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Sumatra PDF

• FBReader fits best

  Readers who want broad-format ebook support

• SumatraPDF fits best

  Windows users who want a capable free reader

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Side by side

Feature	FBReader 9.1/10 Visit ↗	SumatraPDF 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	9.0
Ranking	#3 in File Reader Software	#4 in File Reader Software
Best for	Readers who want broad-format ebook support	Windows users who want a capable free reader
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Windows
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features FBReader 0/4 · SumatraPDF 1/4
Annotations	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Text search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Accessibility support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Cloud sync	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported formats	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Reads EPUB, FB2, MOBI, HTML, RTF, and plain text Offers bookmarks, synced reading position, and customizable layouts Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android	Opens PDFs, ebooks, comics, DjVu, XPS, CHM and images Supports PDF annotations, form filling, search and read-aloud Portable build runs without installation or registry writes
Cons	PDF and comics support is included with Android Premium The free iOS edition limits the library to ten books Some mobile features, including network translators, require a paid edition	Available for Windows only OCR support is not included Some editing and accessibility features are documented for pre-release 3.7
Our verdict	FBReader is an ebook reader for people who want to read across desktop and mobile devices without being tied to a single book format. It supports EPUB and FB2, along with MOBI, HTML, RTF, and plain text, and it can open Readium… Read the review →	Sumatra PDF is a free, open-source desktop reader for Windows, suited to people who want one lightweight app for PDFs and a range of other reading formats. It opens EPUB, MOBI, comic-book files, DjVu, XPS, CHM and images as well as PDFs.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• FBReader — where it wins

  • Reads EPUB, FB2, MOBI, HTML, RTF, and plain text
  • Offers bookmarks, synced reading position, and customizable layouts
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android

  Where it doesn't

  • PDF and comics support is included with Android Premium
  • The free iOS edition limits the library to ten books
  • Some mobile features, including network translators, require a paid edition

• SumatraPDF — where it wins

  • Opens PDFs, ebooks, comics, DjVu, XPS, CHM and images
  • Supports PDF annotations, form filling, search and read-aloud
  • Portable build runs without installation or registry writes

  Where it doesn't

  • Available for Windows only
  • OCR support is not included
  • Some editing and accessibility features are documented for pre-release 3.7

• FBReader9.1/10 · Free plan

  A format-flexible ebook reader with free desktop editions and optional paid mobile features.

  Visit FBReaderFull verdict →
• SumatraPDF9.0/10 · Free plan

  A format-flexible Windows reader with annotations, forms and portable operation at no cost.

  Visit Sumatra PDFFull verdict →