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Head-to-head · PDF Readers

SumatraPDF vs KDAN PDF

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score SumatraPDF #4 in PDF Readers 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit SumatraPDF
KDAN PDF #6 in PDF Readers 8.7/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 4 features Visit KDAN PDF

SumatraPDF leads on 0 checks, KDAN PDF on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSumatraPDF · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly KDAN PDF
  • Most featuresSumatraPDF · 4 of 4

SumatraPDF scores higher on our rubric for pdf readers: 9.0 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

SumatraPDF is the better fit for portable Windows reading with signatures. KDAN PDF is the better fit for users needing PDF editing and conversion.

  • SumatraPDF fits best

    Portable Windows reading with signatures

  • KDAN PDF fits best

    Users needing PDF editing and conversion

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Side by side

Feature SumatraPDF 9.0/10 Visit ↗ KDAN PDF 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.7
Ranking #4 in PDF Readers #6 in PDF Readers
Best for Portable Windows reading with signatures Users needing PDF editing and conversion
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $59.99/yr
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 7 days
Deployment Desktop Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Windows Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support Docs, Community Email, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Small business, Mid-market
Features SumatraPDF 4/4 · KDAN PDF 1/4
Annotation tools ✓ ✓
Form filling ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Offline access ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Text-to-speech ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
OCR support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Platform support Desktop Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Opens PDFs, ebooks, comics, images, and several document formats
  • Supports annotations, digital signatures, and Windows text-to-speech
  • Portable deployment and command-line PDF operations support local workflows
  • Combines editing, annotation, forms, OCR, conversion, and page management
  • Runs across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
  • AI+ adds redaction, summarization, review, and translation tools
Cons
  • Windows-only, with no macOS, Linux, web, or mobile versions
  • Cannot fill PDF forms, despite supporting form-field highlighting
  • Scanned pages require OCR elsewhere
  • Advanced editing and conversion require a paid plan
  • Lifetime licensing is limited to desktop use per device
  • Cloud integrations listed are iCloud and Dropbox
Our verdict

SumatraPDF is a free, open-source desktop reader for Windows. It is aimed at people who want to read PDFs and a broad set of other local formats, including EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, DjVu, XPS, CHM, and image files. Text search, document navigation,…

Read the review →

KDAN PDF is a PDF reader and editor for individuals, office workers, educators, legal professionals, and small businesses. Its free tier covers viewing PDFs, annotations, handwriting, signatures, and form filling. Across Windows, macOS,…

Read the review →
  1. SumatraPDFPDF Readers 9.0Free plan
  2. KDAN PDFPDF Readers 8.7Free plan · 7-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • SumatraPDF — where it wins

    • Opens PDFs, ebooks, comics, images, and several document formats
    • Supports annotations, digital signatures, and Windows text-to-speech
    • Portable deployment and command-line PDF operations support local workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows-only, with no macOS, Linux, web, or mobile versions
    • Cannot fill PDF forms, despite supporting form-field highlighting
    • Scanned pages require OCR elsewhere
  • KDAN PDF — where it wins

    • Combines editing, annotation, forms, OCR, conversion, and page management
    • Runs across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
    • AI+ adds redaction, summarization, review, and translation tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced editing and conversion require a paid plan
    • Lifetime licensing is limited to desktop use per device
    • Cloud integrations listed are iCloud and Dropbox
  • SumatraPDF9.0/10 · Free plan

    A portable Windows reader with broad format support, annotations, signatures, and command-line tools.

    Visit SumatraPDFFull verdict →
  • KDAN PDF8.7/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

    A flexible PDF editor with free basics, paid productivity tools, and AI workflows.

    Visit KDAN PDFFull verdict →

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update