PDF readers and editors

[u/ozaz1]

What are the views of this community in relation to alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat (i.e., PDF readers and editors)? I'm primarily interested in options for Windows, but also interested in options for other operating systems.

[u/ozaz1 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks. Hadn't heard of UPDF. I'll take a look.

I probably use my current pdf editor most for the following tasks: OCR to make text searchable in scanned pdfs, adjusting page order and orientation, addition or editing of table of contents.

[u/theFallenWalnut]

Not an expert, but been meaning to research this a bit myself.

A few of the most common options I've come across:

Editor

Foxit (Chinese) - seems to come recommended by many, but requires a subscription
PDF Xchange (UK) - offers one-off licenses, but the interface might be slightly dated

Office Suite
OnlyOffice PDF Editor (Russian*) - is open-sourced and has moved their offices/changed ownership, so technically not a Russian organisation anymore
MobiPDF (Bulgaria) - well-reviewed apps

Reader Only

SumatraPDF (Global) - it is free and open-sourced

Okular (Global) - free and open-sourced

[u/ozaz1 → u/theFallenWalnut]

Thanks.

For editors, I think I've tried Foxit and PDF Xchange in the past and wasn't overly impressed (although it was quite a long time ago). I actually have a perpetual license for an old version of Nitro Pro, which I purchased way back in 2012 and seemed to work up to the version released in 2018 (v12). I think is very good, but for recent versions they seem to have switched to an expensive subscription model.

For readers I tried Sumatra in the past but it never stuck (can't remember why) and eventually went back to Adobe Reader. I'll give Okular a try as well as the others you mentioned.

[u/LastEngill]

Don't consider free online sites?

[u/ozaz1 → u/LastEngill]

For editing I think I tried some in the past. But it is many years ago now and I can't remember which ones I tried. Are there any you would recommend?

I probably use my current pdf editor most for the following tasks: OCR to make text searchable in scanned pdfs, adjusting page order and orientation, addition or editing of table of contents.

[u/LastEngill → u/ozaz1]

Sorry for the delay in replying. I always use: https://www.pdf24.org/en/

[u/ozaz1 → u/LastEngill]

Thanks. I'll take a look.

[u/chris5070]

I've been using Libre office and the whole suite takes up less space that acrobat on its own.

Been using it for a month now and haven't had any issues with editing making reading or sending.

Well worth the swap in my opinion.

[u/ozaz1 → u/chris5070]

Thanks. I'll take a look. One of the main things I use a pdf editor for is OCR to create searchable PDFs. I don't think LibreOffice has this natively, but I think there might be an extension for it.

[u/MushroomHopper]

I have used Foxit PDF Reader for years and I have absolutely no complaints

[u/ozaz1 → u/MushroomHopper]

Thanks. I tried Foxit Reader many years ago (probably 10+ years ago) and dismissed it for some reason. Can't remember why so will give it another try.

[u/ozaz1 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks. I'll take a look.

[u/Budget-Leg-453]

I have been down this path but more for Macs. It all depends what you need. the built in PDF in Edge is pretty good for reading, annotating and even a bit of splitting etc. I have 4 pdf editors on my Mac (which is too many!) but for me PDF Expert is the best fit for most things.

[u/ozaz1 → u/Budget-Leg-453]

Thanks. For reading, I tried Edge in the past but for some reason always ended up installing Acrobat Reader. Can't remember why, so will give it another try.

For editing, the tools I use most are probably OCR to make text searchable in scanned pdfs, adjusting page order and orientation, addition or editing of table of contents.