Zaya

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What Zaya is

Zaya is an open-source PDF reader that presents documents with 3D page-turning effects. A PDF can be opened from a URL, a local file, or a default document configured for a site. The reader offers single- and double-page views, right-to-left reading, selectable page text, and full-text search with highlighted results. For scanned pages, Arabic and English OCR runs in the reader’s browser; the project says recognized text is not uploaded. Reading tools include thumbnails, outline and bookmark panels, local notes, quotes, and printing of a page, the full document, or a selected range. Zaya includes more than 50 themes and a media player for YouTube videos, playlists, and local audio. Its interface is available in English and Arabic. As a static-site progressive web app, it can work offline after a visit and open locally stored PDFs without a connection. Remote PDFs require the serving site to allow CORS. The code is MIT-licensed, and deployment documentation describes a static site with no runtime CDN.

Who it suits

Zaya suits readers who want PDF search, annotation, OCR, and offline access in a browser-based reader. Its English and Arabic interface and right-to-left reading support may suit readers of either language.

What it does well

Opens PDFs from URLs, local files, or site defaults
Offers Arabic and English on-device OCR
Includes more than 50 color themes
Supports offline use after a visit
Exports quotes and preferences to JSON

What to know first

Remote PDF servers must enable CORS
OCR support is listed for Arabic and English
Offline use requires an initial visit

Limits

Remote PDFs need CORS enabled for cross-origin loading, and the listed OCR packs recognize Arabic and English.

Getting started

Visit https://zaya.ibra.codes/.
Open a PDF from a URL or choose a local file.
For a deployment with a default document, configure it through config.js.
Use the reader’s settings and panels to choose a layout, language, or theme.

Verdict

Zaya combines PDF reading and annotation tools with offline support and browser-based OCR. Remote documents depend on CORS being enabled, while local PDFs can be opened without a connection.

Questions

Is Zaya free?

Yes. Zaya is free and open source, and its code is MIT-licensed.

Which platforms does it support?

The listed platforms are web and self-hosted. It is a static-site progressive web app.

Can it open PDFs offline?

It works offline after a visit and can open locally stored PDFs without a connection.

Does Zaya recognize scanned PDFs?

Yes. On-device OCR recognizes scanned pages in Arabic and English; recognized text is not uploaded.

Can readers print or save notes?

Readers can save notes locally with a document and print the current page, the whole document, or a selected page range.

Can Zaya load remote PDFs?

Yes, when the remote PDF server enables CORS for cross-origin loading.

Facts from Zaya's own pages

Deployment: The project README describes Zaya as a static site with no build step at deploy time and no runtime CDN, and documents setting a default PDF through config.js. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Founded: 2024 · zaya.ibra.codes, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: The README identifies YouTube videos and playlists as supported media and documents shareable URL parameters for reader settings. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Languages: The interface is available in English and Arabic, with right-to-left reading support. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
License: The repository README states that Zaya’s code is MIT-licensed and its vendored third-party code is permissively licensed. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Maker: The maker’s GitHub profile identifies Farouq as a computer scientist and web application engineer and lists Asia as the location. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Media: Its built-in media player supports YouTube videos and playlists, as well as local audio. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Notes and bookmarks: Users can save notes locally with the document, and the reader includes thumbnails and outline or bookmark panels. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Offline: Zaya is a static-site PWA that the README says works offline after a visit and can open locally stored PDFs without a connection. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Offline use: The repository says the reader works offline as a progressive web app after one visit and can open a book from disk without a connection. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Page display: The reader supports single- and double-page modes, right-to-left reading, and a CSS fallback for its WebGL page-turning display. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
PDF input: It accepts PDFs from a URL, a local file, or a default configured for the site. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
PDF sources: It can open a PDF from a URL, a local file, or a default configured for a deployment. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Printing: Users can print the current page, the whole document, or a selected range of pages. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Product: Zaya is a PDF reader that presents documents as realistic 3D page-turning flipbooks. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Reading features: It supports thumbnails, outlines and bookmarks, notes, quotes, selectable page text, page-range printing, and more than 50 themes. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Remote PDF constraint: A remote PDF server must enable CORS for cross-origin loading to work. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Scanned PDFs: On-device OCR recognizes scanned pages in Arabic and English, and the repository says the recognized text is not uploaded. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Search and OCR: It searches PDF text and can recognize text on scanned pages in the reader’s browser using Arabic and English OCR packs; the README says this processing is not uploaded. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Search and text: It supports full-text PDF search with highlighted results and selectable page text. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Security: The README lists a strict Content Security Policy, URL validation, and escaped output, and says scanned-page text recognition runs on-device. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Sharing and backup: Users can export quotes and preferences to JSON, import them on another device, and share links with reader settings such as theme, search, and language. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Themes: The reader includes more than 50 color themes. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026

Where Zaya stands on Freedom251

PDF Flipbook Software#24 of 30