Side by side
Adobe Acrobat Reader vs XpdfReader
Both stand on pdf readers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+2
Acrobat Reader covers common PDF reading, review and form-filling tasks, with a free plan and broad platform support. It may suit readers who need those tools across desktop and mobile.
Visit Adobe Acrobat Reader Free plan LinuxMacWindows
XpdfReader combines a desktop PDF viewer with a broad set of command-line utilities at no listed cost. Its GPL terms and redistribution requirements matter for developers and distributors.
Visit XpdfReaderThe facts
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | XpdfReader | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone, Mac, Web, Windows | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | adobe.com | xpdfreader.com |
| On pdf readers | #12 of 24 | #16 of 24 |
Adobe Acrobat Reader: what it does well
- Free plan is available.
- View, print, share and comment on PDFs.
- Includes annotation tools and form filling.
- Text-to-speech is available.
- Supports Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows.
What to know first
- No price is listed for the Reader plan.
- The listed plan covers PDF reading and document tasks.
XpdfReader: what it does well
- Free plan and offline access.
- Viewer and utilities run on Linux, Windows, and macOS.
- Includes text, image, font, and attachment tools.
- Command-line tools can work on systems with a C++ compiler.
What to know first
- No OCR support is listed.
- Commercial source licensing may be needed for some distributed programs.
- Redistributed unmodified binaries require specified documentation files.
Alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader Alternatives to XpdfReader The whole list