PDFsam Basic
Open Sourceby Sober Lemur
Split, merge, rotate and extract PDF pages offline.
- Merge and split PDF documents
- Rotate and extract specific pages
- Works fully offline
Free alternatives to SumatraPDF
3 pdf tools programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — SumatraPDF.
Alternatives to SumatraPDF
Foxit PDF Reader
Freeby Foxit Software
Fast, full-featured PDF reader with annotation tools.
- Annotation and commenting tools
- PDF form filling and signing
- Noticeably lighter than Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Free tierby Adobe
The reference PDF reader, from the format's creator.
- Reference-quality PDF rendering
- Fills and submits interactive forms
- Comment and annotate documents
About SumatraPDF
SumatraPDF opens documents almost instantly and stays out of the way, reading PDF, ePub, MOBI, CBZ, DjVu and XPS. A refreshing alternative to heavyweight readers when all you need is to read a document.
It is open source and runs on Windows. Below are 3 pdf tools programs that cover the same ground — some open-source, some cross-platform, each free to use.
SumatraPDF alternatives compared
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFsam Basic | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Merge and split PDF documents |
| Foxit PDF Reader | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Annotation and commenting tools |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | Free tier | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Reference-quality PDF rendering |
The alternatives in detail
PDFsam Basic Open Source
PDFsam Basic performs the core PDF manipulation tasks — splitting, merging, rotating, extracting and mixing pages — entirely on your own machine, so confidential documents never get uploaded to a web service. Notable for merge and split pdf documents and rotate and extract specific pages. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Foxit PDF Reader Free
Foxit PDF Reader is a lighter, faster alternative to Adobe's reader while still supporting annotation, commenting, form filling and digital signatures — the usual pick when Acrobat Reader feels too heavy. Notable for annotation and commenting tools and pdf form filling and signing. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
Adobe Acrobat Reader Free tier
Acrobat Reader is the official reader from the company that created the PDF format, giving it the most reliable rendering of complex documents, interactive forms and digital signatures. Notable for reference-quality pdf rendering and fills and submits interactive forms. Runs on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS.
How to choose
If you want fully auditable, open-source code, PDFsam Basic is the one to try first. For the widest platform coverage, PDFsam Basic, Foxit PDF Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader run on three or more operating systems. On Linux, PDFsam Basic, Foxit PDF Reader have native builds.
All 3 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.