Preview vs Evince

Preview9.1Visit EEvince8.6Visit

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

vs

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

• Preview fits best

  Apple users wanting a capable free reader

• Evince fits best

  Linux users wanting a straightforward reader

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Side by side

Feature	Preview 9.1/10 Visit ↗	EEvince 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.6
Ranking	#3 in PDF Readers	#7 in PDF Readers
Best for	Apple users wanting a capable free reader	Linux users wanting a straightforward reader
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	macOS	Linux
Support	Docs	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features Preview 3/4 · Evince 3/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	✓	✓
Text-to-speech	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
OCR support	Not checked yet	None
Platform support	Desktop	Desktop
Our review
Pros	Annotates, signs, fills, and manages PDF pages Includes basic OCR, text search, compression, and protection Works with local files and iCloud on Apple platforms	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	Available on macOS and iOS rather than broader platforms OCR support is basic Cloud access centers on iCloud	Linux-only desktop availability limits cross-platform use Built-in OCR is not provided Its integration list is limited to gedit
Our verdict	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 →	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

• 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

• 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

• Preview9.1/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit AppleFull verdict →
• EEvince8.6/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit GNOMEFull verdict →