Preview vs Mozilla PDF.js

Preview9.1Visit Mozilla PDF.js8.8Visit

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

vs

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

• Preview fits best

  Apple users wanting a capable free reader

• Mozilla PDF.js fits best

  Web and application developers

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Side by side

Feature	Preview 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Mozilla PDF.js 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.8
Ranking	#3 in PDF Readers	#5 in PDF Readers
Best for	Apple users wanting a capable free reader	Web and application developers
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Self-hosted
Platforms	macOS	Web
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Preview 3/4 · Mozilla PDF.js 2/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Text-to-speech	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
OCR support	Not checked yet	None
Platform support	Desktop	Web
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	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
Cons	Available on macOS and iOS rather than broader platforms OCR support is basic Cloud access centers on iCloud	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
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 →	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 →

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

• 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

• Preview9.1/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit AppleFull verdict →
• Mozilla PDF.js8.8/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Mozilla PDF.jsFull verdict →