Head-to-head · File Reader Software
SumatraPDF vs Papers
SumatraPDF leads on 0 checks, Papers on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreSumatraPDF · 7.4/10
- Free planboth
SumatraPDF scores higher on our rubric for file reader software: 7.4 against 6.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.
SumatraPDF is the better fit for windows users who want a capable free reader. Papers is the better fit for linux users reading and annotating documents.
- SumatraPDF fits best
Windows users who want a capable free reader
- Papers fits best
Linux users reading and annotating documents
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Side by side
| Feature | SumatraPDF 7.4/10 Visit ↗ | Papers 6.8/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Ranking | #4 in File Reader Software | #7 in File Reader Software |
| Best for | Windows users who want a capable free reader | Linux users reading and annotating documents |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Platforms | Windows | Linux |
| Support | Docs, Community | Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business |
| Features SumatraPDF 1/4 · Papers 1/4 | ||
| Annotations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text search | Not published | Not published |
| Accessibility support | Not published | Not published |
| Cloud sync | Not published | Not published |
| Specs | ||
| Supported formats | Not published | Not published |
| Platforms | Not published | Not published |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Sumatra PDF is a free, open-source desktop reader for Windows, suited to people who want one lightweight app for PDFs and a range of other reading formats. It opens EPUB, MOBI, comic-book files, DjVu, XPS, CHM and images as well as PDFs.… Read the review → |
Papers is a free, open-source desktop document viewer from the GNOME Project for Linux users who read and annotate documents on the GNOME desktop. It opens PDF, DjVu, TIFF, and comic-book archive files, with controls to navigate, scroll,… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
SumatraPDF — where it wins
- Opens PDFs, ebooks, comics, DjVu, XPS, CHM and images
- Supports PDF annotations, form filling, search and read-aloud
- Portable build runs without installation or registry writes
Where it doesn't
- Available for Windows only
- OCR support is not included
- Some editing and accessibility features are documented for pre-release 3.7
Papers — where it wins
- Supports PDF, DjVu, TIFF, and comic-book archives
- Adds PDF text annotations, highlights, and annotation bookmarks
- Fills interactive forms and prints documents or booklets
Where it doesn't
- Linux-only desktop deployment limits cross-platform use
- Support is documented through a docs channel
- No AI-assisted features are included
- SumatraPDF7.4/10 · Free plan
A format-flexible Windows reader with annotations, forms and portable operation at no cost.
Visit Sumatra PDFFull verdict → - Papers6.8/10 · Free plan
A free Linux reader for viewing, searching, annotating, and printing documents.
Visit GNOME PapersFull verdict →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
Last updated · How we research and update