Foxit PDF Reader vs Preview

Foxit PDF Reader9.4Visit Preview9.1Visit

Higher score Foxit PDF Reader #1 in PDF Readers 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Foxit

vs

Preview #3 in PDF Readers 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Apple

• Foxit PDF Reader fits best

  Free cross-platform readers with collaboration

• Preview fits best

  Apple users wanting a capable free reader

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Side by side

Feature	Foxit PDF Reader 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Preview 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.1
Ranking	#1 in PDF Readers	#3 in PDF Readers
Best for	Free cross-platform readers with collaboration	Apple users wanting a capable free reader
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	macOS
Support	Docs, Tickets	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Foxit PDF Reader 4/4 · Preview 3/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	✓	✓
Text-to-speech	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
OCR support	None	Not checked yet
Platform support	Cross-platform	Desktop
Our review
Pros	Free access across web, desktop, iOS, and Android Annotations, forms, signatures, shared reviews, and text-to-speech Integrates with major storage and business services	Annotates, signs, fills, and manages PDF pages Includes basic OCR, text search, compression, and protection Works with local files and iCloud on Apple platforms
Cons	OCR is documented for PDF Editor rather than PDF Reader Web use requires an internet connection AI document analysis excludes OCR documents	Available on macOS and iOS rather than broader platforms OCR support is basic Cloud access centers on iCloud
Our verdict	Foxit PDF Reader is a free application for personal and business users who need to open, read, print, annotate, comment on, fill, sign, and share PDF documents. Reader editions are available on the web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android,… Read the review →	Preview is Apple’s built-in utility for viewing and editing PDFs and images on Mac and iPhone. It handles multipage PDF navigation, annotations, form filling, signatures, page management, text search, exporting, compression, password… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Foxit PDF Reader — where it wins

  • Free access across web, desktop, iOS, and Android
  • Annotations, forms, signatures, shared reviews, and text-to-speech
  • Integrates with major storage and business services

  Where it doesn't

  • OCR is documented for PDF Editor rather than PDF Reader
  • Web use requires an internet connection
  • AI document analysis excludes OCR documents

• Preview — where it wins

  • Annotates, signs, fills, and manages PDF pages
  • Includes basic OCR, text search, compression, and protection
  • Works with local files and iCloud on Apple platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • Available on macOS and iOS rather than broader platforms
  • OCR support is basic
  • Cloud access centers on iCloud

• Foxit PDF Reader9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free cross-platform reader with collaboration, forms, signatures, and cloud integrations.

  Visit FoxitFull verdict →
• Preview9.1/10 · Free plan

  A capable free PDF reader for Apple users, with practical editing and signing tools.

  Visit AppleFull verdict →