Mozilla PDF.js vs Evince

Mozilla PDF.js8.8Visit EEvince8.6Visit

Higher score Mozilla PDF.js #5 in PDF Readers 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Mozilla PDF.js

vs

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

• Mozilla PDF.js fits best

  Web and application developers

• Evince fits best

  Linux users wanting a straightforward reader

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Side by side

Feature	Mozilla PDF.js 8.8/10 Visit ↗	EEvince 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.6
Ranking	#5 in PDF Readers	#7 in PDF Readers
Best for	Web and application developers	Linux users wanting a straightforward reader
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Web	Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features Mozilla PDF.js 2/4 · Evince 3/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Text-to-speech	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
OCR support	None	None
Platform support	Web	Desktop
Our review
Pros	Open-source PDF parsing, rendering, search, and browser viewing Annotation editing includes highlights, free text, ink, stamps, and signatures Supports npm, CDNs, APIs, self-hosting, and Firefox and Chrome extensions	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
Cons	Requires developer integration rather than serving as a conventional end-user app Its focus is PDF viewing, parsing, forms, and annotations Interactive scripting is centered on PDF form calculations and actions	Linux-only desktop availability limits cross-platform use Built-in OCR is not provided Its integration list is limited to gedit
Our verdict	Mozilla PDF.js is an open-source JavaScript library and browser-based viewer for parsing and rendering Portable Document Format files. It is aimed at web and application developers who need to embed PDF capabilities in web applications or… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Mozilla PDF.js — where it wins

  • Open-source PDF parsing, rendering, search, and browser viewing
  • Annotation editing includes highlights, free text, ink, stamps, and signatures
  • Supports npm, CDNs, APIs, self-hosting, and Firefox and Chrome extensions

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires developer integration rather than serving as a conventional end-user app
  • Its focus is PDF viewing, parsing, forms, and annotations
  • Interactive scripting is centered on PDF form calculations and actions

• 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

• Mozilla PDF.js8.8/10 · Free plan

  A developer-focused PDF viewer and rendering platform for web applications.

  Visit Mozilla PDF.jsFull verdict →
• EEvince8.6/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit GNOMEFull verdict →