Best Papers Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from PDF readers ranked against Papers on the same published basis.
- 1Papers vs Foxit PDF Reader
- 2Papers vs Highlights
- 3Papers vs MuPDF
- 4Papers vs KDAN PDF
- 5Papers vs Okular
- 6Papers vs StarForce Reader
- 7Papers vs Adobe Scan
- 8Papers vs Javelin PDF Reader
- 9Papers vs Kiosk
- 10Papers vs Launchpad
- 11Papers vs Mozilla PDF.js
- 12Papers vs Timeshift
- 13Papers vs Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer
- 14Papers vs Evince
- 15Papers vs Skim
- 16Papers vs Komodo PDF
- 18Papers vs QuickTime Player
- 19Papers vs SumatraPDF
- 20Papers vs Zathura
- 21Papers vs LiquidText
Papers alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foxit PDF Reader | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Highlights | 7.6 | Free plan | $2.50/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 3 | MuPDF | 7.6 | Free plan | $299/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | KDAN PDF | 7.4 | Free plan | $5/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Okular | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | StarForce Reader | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Adobe Scan | 7.2 | No | — | Android, iOS |
| 8 | Javelin PDF Reader | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Kiosk | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 10 | Launchpad | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 11 | Mozilla PDF.js | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | Timeshift | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 13 | Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 14 | Evince | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 15 | Skim | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 16 | Komodo PDF | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 18 | QuickTime Player | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 19 | SumatraPDF | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 20 | Zathura | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac |
| 21 | LiquidText | 6.4 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
Make your platform an alternative to Papers
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Papers alternatives
What is the best alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader, number 1 in PDF readers with a score of 8.1 out of 10. The others here: Highlights, MuPDF, KDAN PDF and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 18 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.