Foxit PDF Reader alternatives: 10 PDF reader tools compared
Foxit PDF Reader costs nothing to install, so the reasons for looking elsewhere are about scope. Editing sits in a separate Foxit product, the Mac build list stops at macOS 14, and the free app is the front of a wider catalogue of paid products. The tools below include open source viewers, Apple-first readers and paid suites.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to Foxit PDF Reader in our PDF reader software ranking are Okular, SumatraPDF and Skim. Smaller vendors fill the top three places where the category offers them, and the household names start at place 4. Choose Okular if you want a community-written reader that also checks signatures. The 10 entries that follow are all ranked in Best PDF Reader Software in 2026; each one explains what sets it apart from Foxit PDF Reader.
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Pricing: Free reader; the separate editor starts on a 14-day trial, with volume licensing; plan prices unseen
Established in: Not stated by the vendor
Built for: IT teams deploying a no-cost reader through Group Policy or MSI
Not for: Buyers needing a posted price for the editing step
01
Why buyers look past Foxit PDF Reader
01
Editing is a different product
Foxit's reader page points people who want to create and edit PDFs to Foxit PDF Editor, offered on a 14-day trial. Its product pages show Editor starting at $10.99 per month and Editor+ at $159.99 per user per year, with a perpetual option sold once. A reader-only user is fine, but anyone who needs to change text meets a second purchase.
02
Mac support is listed up to macOS 14
The FAQ on the reader page names Windows 10 and 11, macOS 10.15 through macOS 14, iOS, Android and the web. A Mac on a newer release is outside the range the page states, and Windows 7 or 8 machines are not listed either. Check the version before standardising a fleet.
03
The free reader sits in a larger catalogue
The same page carries a menu of Workspace, eSign, PDF AI Assistant and server products, and the reader's AI features run through a ChatGPT integration. Teams that wanted a plain viewer for files often pick a tool with a narrower purpose and fewer prompts to upgrade.
your counterparties send files assuming Adobe's tools
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03
What each one does differently
1
Okular
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Okular is written by KDE and released under GPLv2+, with source on KDE's GitLab. It opens comic, EPub, DjVU, TIFF and WebP files as well as PDF. Annotation covers notes, highlighting and underlining, and it can verify digital signatures and sign PDFs. The page names no operating systems, so check yours first.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if you want a community-written reader that also checks signatures.
SumatraPDF comes from one named author, Krzysztof Kowalczyk, and promises no ads, no bundled software and no subscription. It runs on Windows 7 to 11 in 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 builds, and a portable version starts from removable media. Mac and Linux users cannot run it, and the pages name no specific licence.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if your staff are all on Windows and want a light portable viewer.
Skim is for people who read papers with a pen in hand: notes, highlights, snapshots and bookmarks, with navigation by table of contents or thumbnails. It links to LaTeX through SyncTeX, PDFSync and BibDesk and supports AppleScript. Version 1.7.19 needs macOS 10.13 or newer, and the SourceForge page labels it free open source software.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if you read and annotate research papers on a Mac.
Xodo is presented as Xodo by Apryse. Xodo Web offers over 30 tools to annotate, redact, compress, organise, fill and convert PDFs inside the browser, with desktop, iOS and Android apps as well. Free use stops at a daily limit the page never quantifies, and the paid offer is a discounted lifetime Document Suite.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if you want to handle PDFs from a browser tab on any machine.
Drawboard PDF is aimed at marking up documents with a pen, on Windows, iOS, macOS, Android and in a browser. A free tier is labelled as all the essentials. PRO adds storage and advanced tools, and Pro Plus and Pro Unlimited serve teams without a price shown. Its 30-day trial belongs to Drawboard Projects.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if markup with a stylus on tablets matters most.
PDF-XChange Editor is bought once, in single-user and multi-user packs with a year of maintenance included, and renewing maintenance is a separate purchase. A restricted free version states that 70% of features are unrestricted. PDF-XChange Co Ltd owns Tracker Software Products, registered in England, while the parent's location is not stated.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if you need editing tools and prefer a perpetual licence.
PDF Expert lists a yearly Premium plan at EUR 84.99 covering iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a Mac-only lifetime Premium at EUR 149.99, both with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Only Apple devices appear in its plan descriptions. Readdle Limited holds the copyright, and the pages give no country.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if your team uses Apple devices and wants a refund window.
MuPDF is a library from Artifex Software Inc. rather than a viewer app, with bindings for C, Python through PyMuPDF, Node.js and C#, plus a web viewer. It renders, extracts text and images, redacts, annotates, merges and signs across PDF, ePUB, XPS and CBZ. A commercial licence without source disclosure goes through Contact Sales.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if a developer on your team will build the viewing into software.
Nitro PDF offers Standard as a per-user subscription billed annually, Plus for large organisations through sales, and Classic as a one-time payment covering three years on Windows. A 14-day trial needs no card and leaves no watermarks. Online purchase stops at 20 subscription licences, and larger orders go through sales. No prices appear.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if you want a managed suite with eSign included and buy by the seat.
Adobe's Acrobat Reader is a free app with basic PDF tools, and the paid ladder is Standard, Pro and Studio, priced in CHF on the page, with Pro at 23.80 per month on an annual plan billed monthly. Cancelling that plan after 14 days carries a fee. Trials cover Pro and Studio but not Standard.
Switch from Foxit PDF Reader if your counterparties send files assuming Adobe's tools.
Okular: It is released under GPLv2+, opens EPub, DjVU and comic files, and can verify and apply signatures.
02
You only use Windows and want a portable viewer
SumatraPDF: It runs on Windows 7 to 11 in 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 builds, and a portable version starts from removable media.
03
You annotate papers and write in LaTeX on a Mac
Skim: It links to LaTeX through SyncTeX and PDFSync and needs macOS 10.13 or newer.
04
You want a perpetual licence with editing
PDF-XChange Editor: It is bought once, with a year of maintenance, and a restricted free version exists.
05
You use iPhone, iPad and Mac
PDF Expert: A yearly Premium at EUR 84.99 covers all three, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
04
When Foxit PDF Reader is still the right choice
Foxit PDF Reader stays the better choice when one free app has to cover Windows, Mac, phones and browsers, and the IT team deploys it centrally. The reader page lists an MSI installer, Group Policy settings, an SCUP catalogue for updates and Citrix verification, fills both standard and XFA forms, and offers Protected View. If forms and mass deployment decide your choice, many lighter viewers will not match that.
05
What moving off Foxit PDF Reader involves
01
List who actually edits
Count the people who change PDF text rather than read and annotate. They are the only ones who need a paid editor, and the rest can go to a plain viewer or the browser.
02
Check forms and signatures first
Open your real XFA and signed forms in the new reader before rolling it out. Support for XFA is a Foxit selling point, and not every alternative names it.
03
Redo the deployment package
If you pushed Foxit with Group Policy or an MSI, rebuild the package for the new tool and set the default PDF handler. Pilot with one department for a week.
06
Questions about replacing Foxit PDF Reader
6 answers
What is the best alternative to Foxit PDF Reader?
Okular ranks first in our list for people who want an open source reader that also verifies signatures.
SumatraPDF follows for Windows, Skim for annotating papers on a Mac, then Xodo and Drawboard PDF. The right choice depends on your operating system more than on features.
Is Foxit PDF Reader free?
Foxit describes the reader as free. Editing sits in Foxit PDF Editor, which offers a 14-day trial, with Editor+ listed at $159.99 per user per year and a perpetual licence sold once. Check the live pricing page for your region.
Which operating systems does Foxit PDF Reader support?
Its reader page lists Windows 10 and 11, with Citrix verification, macOS 10.15 through macOS 14, iOS, Android and the web. Linux is not named there. Okular's page names no systems, so Linux users should check that tool directly.
Can I edit PDFs without Foxit's paid editor?
PDF-XChange Editor sells a perpetual licence and a restricted free version. Nitro PDF and Adobe's paid plans also edit. Xodo Web offers browser tools for annotating, redacting and converting, though its free use stops at an unquantified daily limit.
Which alternative is best on a Mac?
Skim suits note-taking on macOS 10.13 or newer, and PDF Expert lists a yearly Premium at EUR 84.99 and a Mac-only lifetime Premium at EUR 149.99. Drawboard PDF also lists macOS. Okular's page does not say whether it runs on a Mac.
Are there readers with a lifetime licence?
PDF Expert sells a Mac-only lifetime Premium, PDF-XChange Editor a perpetual licence with a year of maintenance, Nitro Classic a three-year Windows licence and Xodo a discounted lifetime Document Suite.
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Sources
Checked 10 November 2026
Foxit PDF Reader: Free reader, platforms, macOS 10.15 to 14, XFA forms, MSI, Group Policy, SCUP, Protected View, ChatGPT integration, 14-day Editor trial.
Foxit PDF Editor: Editor from $10.99 per month, Editor+ $159.99 per user per year, perpetual licence, 14-day trial.
SumatraPDF: Windows 7 to 11, builds, portable version, no ads or subscription.
Skim: macOS 10.13 or newer, version 1.7.19, LaTeX links, notes and snapshots.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Checked and edited by Sebastiaan Smits, last on 10 November 2026. The editorial process explains the method.
