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 MuPDF
- 3Papers vs KDAN PDF
- 4Papers vs Okular
- 5Papers vs StarForce Reader
- 6Papers vs Adobe Scan
- 7Papers vs Javelin PDF Reader
- 8Papers vs Launchpad
- 9Papers vs Mozilla PDF.js
- 10Papers vs Evince
- 11Papers vs SumatraPDF
- 12Papers vs LiquidText
- 13Papers vs Adobe Acrobat Reader
- 14Papers vs GoodReader
- 15Papers vs Kiosk
- 16Papers vs QuickTime Player
- 17Papers vs Highlights
- 19Papers vs Preview
- 20Papers vs Timeshift
- 21Papers vs Zathura
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 | MuPDF | 7.6 | Free plan | $299/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | KDAN PDF | 7.4 | Free plan | $5/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Okular | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | StarForce Reader | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Adobe Scan | 7.2 | No | — | Android, iOS |
| 7 | Javelin PDF Reader | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Launchpad | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 9 | Mozilla PDF.js | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Evince | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 11 | SumatraPDF | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 12 | LiquidText | 6.4 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
| 13 | Adobe Acrobat Reader | 6.3 | No | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 14 | GoodReader | 6.3 | No | — | iOS, Mac |
| 15 | Kiosk | 6.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 16 | QuickTime Player | 6.1 | No | — | Mac |
| 17 | Highlights | 5.9 | No | — | Mac, iOS |
| 19 | Preview | 5.9 | No | — | — |
| 20 | Timeshift | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | Zathura | 5.9 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
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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: MuPDF, KDAN PDF, Okular and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Papers?
Foxit PDF Reader is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 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.