Best Free PDF Reader in 2026: 10 Free Options Ranked

Last verified 4 October 2026. The best free PDF reader for most people is Adobe Acrobat Reader: it costs nothing, needs no subscription, and lets you annotate, fill in forms and sign on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. If you only read the occasional file, the viewer already built into Microsoft Edge, Apple Preview or Chrome is enough, and you do not need to install anything. Below are 10 free readers we checked against each vendor's own pages this week, ranked on what the free version actually does: annotation, forms and signatures, platforms, upsells and privacy.

Toolradar data: Toolradar has no dedicated PDF reader category, so the closest match is file management, which lists 113 published tools, of which 31 are free and 40 are freemium. That category mixes PDF apps with file managers, so treat the table below as the shortlist for readers.

Quick Comparison

Our picks: the best free PDF readers, ranked

1. Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to download and use, with no subscription. Adobe says you can view, print, annotate, fill out forms and sign PDFs at no cost on desktop and mobile. Annotation covers sticky notes, typed text, highlight, underline, strikethrough and freehand drawing. To sign, click Sign in the toolbar and draw, type or upload an image of your signature. The Fill and Sign tool detects whether a PDF has fillable fields.

It runs on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 10.15 and later, iOS 16 and later and Android 8.0 and later. Adobe does not list Linux. The upsell is the line between reader and editor: Adobe says Acrobat Pro adds editing of text and images, creating and converting PDFs, tracking unlimited e-signatures, compression and document security.

Pick it if you fill in forms and sign documents often and want one reader on your computer and your phone.

2. Microsoft Edge

The PDF reader in Microsoft Edge opens local, online and embedded PDFs, and Microsoft's documentation describes it as working across Windows and macOS desktops. You can ink on a PDF, add highlights in a choice of colors and attach text notes through the right-click Add Comment option. There is also read aloud and a table of contents pane.

Forms are the limit. Microsoft says basic form filling works, but JavaScript forms are not supported, and XFA, a legacy form format, is not supported either. Ink is the way to sign, and Edge can also view and validate certificate-based digital signatures.

Pick it if you are on a Windows or Mac machine already running Edge and you mostly read, highlight and fill simple forms.

3. Apple Preview

Preview ships with every Mac and needs no download. Apple's guide covers highlighting, underlining and striking out text, adding notes and speech bubbles, and filling in forms by clicking a field and typing. Enhanced AutoFill can complete contact details from your Contacts app.

The signature tools are the best of any built-in reader. Preview captures a signature from the trackpad, the Mac's camera held up to a signed sheet of paper, or an iPhone or iPad where you sign with a finger or Apple Pencil (Continuity requirements apply). Signatures sync across your Macs through iCloud Drive. The catch is simple: it is Mac only.

Pick it if you use a Mac and want to sign paperwork without a printer or an extra app.

4. Google Chrome

Chrome's built-in viewer is the best option on Linux and ChromeOS, where Adobe lists no desktop app. Google's help page says you can highlight, annotate or draw with a pen or highlighter, add text, and fill out and sign paperwork. Scanned PDFs are converted to searchable, selectable text with OCR, and Google says the conversion happens on your device without sending data to Google or third parties. You can save a marked-up file straight to Google Drive, except in Incognito mode or a Guest profile.

Google documents the viewer for Windows, Linux, ChromeOS and macOS, with an Android version separately. It is a viewer with annotation, not a document tool, so there is no page management or editing.

Pick it if you work across several computers, including Linux or a Chromebook, and want the same PDF tools everywhere with no install.

5. Foxit PDF Reader

Foxit PDF Reader is free and covers viewing, annotating, form filling and signing across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web. It fills both standard AcroForms and XFA forms, which Edge cannot do. You can sign with a handwritten signature or a saved image, and verify digital signatures. For safety it offers Protected View, a Safe Mode and the option to disable JavaScript.

The catches are on the page itself. Foxit lists macOS 10.15 through macOS 14, so check your version before installing on a recent Mac. The product page also promotes a 14-day trial of the paid Foxit PDF Editor, and it integrates ChatGPT for AI features.

Pick it if you need XFA form support or a free alternative to Adobe on a Windows PC.

6. SumatraPDF

SumatraPDF is the lightweight option for Windows: free, open source, with no ads and no bundled software. It opens PDF, EPUB, MOBI, comic book files, DjVu and more, runs from a USB drive, and has 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 builds for Windows 7 through 11. The current stable release is 3.6.1.

Annotation has been available since version 3.3: highlight, underline, notes, stamps, images and ink, saved back into the PDF. Form filling and digital signing are documented, but only as available in the 3.7 pre-release. There is no Mac or Linux version.

Pick it if you want a fast, no-nonsense reader on an older or low-powered Windows PC.

7. PDFgear

PDFgear goes beyond reading: it is free to read, edit, convert, merge, sign and OCR on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, with no sign-up. Its site says there are no ads, product promotions or premium versions. PDFgear also says it processes files locally without storing user data.

Two caveats. The company's FAQ says the app is free "for the moment," so the business model could change. And its AI features send data off your computer: the privacy policy says the content of PDFs you upload and the text you type go to Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, but only after you give consent in the app.

Pick it if you want a free reader that also edits and converts, and you will leave the AI features switched off.

8. Okular

Okular, from KDE, is free software under the GPLv2 or later. It annotates with inline and popup notes, highlight, underline and typed text, and it can view and verify digital signatures and sign PDFs itself. It also opens EPUB, comics, images and Markdown. Version 26.08 was released on 20 August 2026.

It is the natural choice on Linux, where it is in most distributions' software stores and on Flathub. On Windows, KDE recommends the Microsoft Store build. For macOS, KDE offers only untested nightly builds.

Pick it if you run Linux and want a reader with real annotation and signature support.

9. PDF-XChange Editor (free version)

PDF-XChange Editor is a Windows 10 and later editor with a free download, and the vendor says 70 percent of its features are unrestricted. Its FreeSign tool for adding signatures and initials is marked free. Features marked with a PRO symbol can be tried, but output carries a watermark that cannot be removed without a license.

A paid license is a one-time purchase starting at 57 euros plus VAT for Editor and 72 euros plus VAT for Editor Plus, the tier that adds fillable form creation and document comparison. Its AI Assistant works only with an API key you supply.

Pick it if you want a feature-heavy Windows reader and are happy to stay inside the free feature set.

10. Skim

Skim is a free, open-source (BSD) PDF reader and note-taker for Mac, built for reading scientific papers. It supports notes and highlights, snapshots for keeping a figure in view, a reading bar, a magnifier, cropping tools and AppleScript. It talks to LaTeX through SyncTeX and to BibDesk. The current version is 1.7.17, for macOS 10.13 or later.

It does not advertise form filling or signing, so it complements Preview rather than replacing it.

Pick it if you read papers and books on a Mac and want notes and highlights that stay out of your way.

How to choose a free PDF reader

Decide whether you need a reader or an editor. Adobe's own split is a good guide: a reader views, annotates, fills forms and signs, while an editor changes text and images, converts, compresses and tracks signatures. Every free reader above stops at roughly that line. If you must change the words in a PDF, see our guides to the best free PDF editors for Mac and the best PDF editors.

Check your forms. Simple fillable forms work in every reader here that lists form filling. Some older forms use XFA, a legacy format that Foxit supports and Edge does not. For signatures, Adobe, Preview and Foxit give the most options.

Match the reader to your system. Windows: Adobe, Edge, Sumatra or Foxit. Mac: Preview, Adobe or Skim. Linux: Okular or Chrome. Phones: Adobe, Foxit or PDFgear.

Watch for upsells. Adobe and Foxit are free readers that sit above a paid editor, so expect prompts toward the paid tier. SumatraPDF says it has no ads, bundled software or subscription, Okular is donation-funded free software, and PDFgear says it shows no promotions.

Think about privacy. Chrome's OCR runs on your device, and PDFgear processes files locally. If you use AI features in any reader, read what leaves your machine first.

FAQ

What is the best free PDF reader for Windows?

Adobe Acrobat Reader is the best overall pick for Windows 10 and 11 because annotation, forms and signing are all free. If you want something lighter, SumatraPDF is free with no ads. Edge is already installed and handles everyday reading.

Is there a free PDF reader for Mac?

Yes. Preview is built in and handles annotation, forms and signatures. Adobe Acrobat Reader supports macOS 10.15 and later, and Skim is a free open-source option for reading and annotating papers.

Can I sign a PDF for free?

Yes. Adobe Reader lets you draw, type or upload a signature. Preview signs from the trackpad, camera or an iPhone or iPad. Chrome and Edge support filling and signing through their built-in tools, and PDF-XChange Editor includes a free FreeSign tool.

What is the best free PDF reader for Linux?

Okular is the best option, with annotations and digital signatures, available through most distributions and Flathub. Chrome also works if you only need to view, highlight and fill forms.

Is Adobe Acrobat Reader really free?

Yes. Adobe says it is free to download and use with no subscription. Editing text and images, creating and converting PDFs, and sending trackable e-signatures need Acrobat Pro.

Are free PDF readers safe?

The ones here are from established vendors or open-source projects. Foxit offers Protected View and the option to disable JavaScript, and Edge isolates PDFs opened from different sites in separate processes. Download only from the vendor's own site, and be careful with any AI feature that uploads your document.

Bottom line

Install Adobe Acrobat Reader if you fill in forms or sign documents, because it covers annotation, forms and signing for free on four platforms. If you only read and highlight, use what you already have: Edge on Windows, Preview on a Mac, Chrome on Linux. Add SumatraPDF for a fast Windows reader or Okular for Linux, and pay for an editor only on the day you need to change the text itself.