Best Papers Alternatives in 2026
The top Papers alternatives are Foxit PDF Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Okular: 15 PDF readers our editors would look at instead of Papers, in our ranking order.
Papers: A free Linux document viewer with useful PDF, form, annotation, and comic support. Where it falls short: designed for linux desktop environments rather than multiple platforms.
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Best forFree cross-platform readers with collaboration
A free cross-platform reader with collaboration, forms, signatures, and cloud integrations.
- Text-to-speech
- Offline access
- Form filling
9.8/10★★★★★Visit Foxit -
Best forMainstream PDF reading and accessibility
A broadly available free PDF reader with useful accessibility, form, signature, and review tools.
- Text-to-speech
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Adobe -
Best forFree open-source desktop PDF reading
A capable open-source desktop reader with annotations, forms, signatures and accessibility tools.
- Text-to-speech
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit KDE -
Best forApple users wanting a capable free reader
A capable free PDF reader for Apple users, with practical editing and signing tools.
- Offline access
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Apple -
Best forUsers needing PDF editing and conversion
A flexible PDF editor with free basics, paid productivity tools, and AI workflows.
- Annotation tools
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit KDAN PDF -
Best forPortable Windows reading with signatures
A portable Windows reader with broad format support, annotations, signatures, and command-line tools.
- Text-to-speech
- Offline access
- Form filling
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit SumatraPDF -
Best forWeb and application developers
A developer-focused PDF viewer and rendering platform for web applications.
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Mozilla PDF.js -
Best forLinux users wanting a straightforward reader
A capable free Linux reader for PDFs, forms, annotations, and more.
- Offline access
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit GNOME -
Best forReaders of authorized protected documents
A free reader for standard PDFs and protected Drumlin documents across four platforms.
- Text-to-speech
- Offline access
- Form filling
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Javelin -
Best forDevelopers needing a powerful open-source viewer
A developer-focused PDF engine with broad document tooling and cross-platform support.
- Annotation tools
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit MuPDF -
Best foriOS users needing file-heavy PDF workflows
A capable Apple-focused PDF workspace for reading, editing, signing, and file organization.
- Text-to-speech
- Form filling
- Annotation tools
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit GoodReader -
Best forMac users reading and annotating research PDFs
A focused, open-source Mac reader for searching, annotating, and organizing research PDFs.
- Annotation tools
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Skim -
Best forReaders of protected PDF and EPUB content
A free cross-platform reader for PDF, EPUB, and StarForce-protected files.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit StarForce -
Best forResearchers managing connected PDF notes
A connected workspace for reading, annotating, comparing, and organizing research documents.
- Offline access
- Annotation tools
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit LiquidText -
Best forBasic Windows PDF viewing
A straightforward free Windows PDF viewer for reading, navigating, and printing documents.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Aiseesoft
Papers Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader: #1 in our PDF Readers ranking, with an editor score of 9.8 out of 10. A free cross-platform reader with collaboration, forms, signatures, and cloud integrations.
Is there a free alternative to Papers?
Yes. Foxit PDF Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Okular, Preview and KDAN PDF have a free plan or a free tier (14 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
Papers vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Annotation tools | OCR support | Form filling | Offline access | Platform support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Papers | Yes | None | Yes | None | Yes | Yes | Desktop | 6.5 |
| 1 | Foxit PDF Reader | Yes | None | Yes | None | Yes | Yes | Cross-platform | 9.8 |
| 2 | Adobe Acrobat Reader | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | Cross-platform | 8.5 |
| 3 | Okular | Yes | None | Yes | — | Yes | — | Cross-platform | 7.7 |
| 4 | Preview | Yes | None | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Desktop | 7.4 |
| 5 | KDAN PDF | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | — | — | 7.2 |
| 6 | SumatraPDF | Yes | None | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Desktop | 7.1 |
| 7 | Mozilla PDF.js | Yes | None | Yes | None | Yes | — | Web | 6.9 |
| 8 | Evince | Yes | None | Yes | None | Yes | Yes | Desktop | 6.6 |
| 9 | Javelin PDF Reader | Yes | None | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Cross-platform | 6.6 |
| 11 | MuPDF | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | — | Cross-platform | 6.5 |
| 12 | GoodReader | No | — | Yes | None | Yes | — | Mobile | 6.4 |
| 13 | Skim | Yes | None | Yes | — | — | — | Desktop | 6.3 |
| 14 | StarForce Reader | Yes | None | — | — | — | — | — | 6.0 |
| 15 | LiquidText | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | Cross-platform | 5.9 |
| 16 | Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer | Yes | None | — | — | — | — | Desktop | 5.8 |
Guides on PDF Readers
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
Last updated · How we research and update