List of PDF software
This is a list of links to articles on software used to manage Portable Document Format documents. The distinction between the various functions is not entirely clear-cut; for example, some viewers allow adding of annotations, signatures, etc. Some software allows redaction, removing content irreversibly for security. Extracting embedded text is a common feature, but other applications perform optical character recognition to convert imaged text to machine-readable form, sometimes by using an external OCR module.
Terminology
- Creators — to allow users to convert other file formats to PDF.
- Readers — to allow users to open, read and print PDF files.
- Editors — to allow users to edit or otherwise modify PDF files.
- Converters — to allow users to convert PDF files to other formats.
Multi-platform
Development libraries
These are used by software developers to add and create PDF features.| Name | License | Description |
| Adobe PDF Library | C++,.NET, Java API with support for PDF editing, viewing, printing and text extractions. | |
| Apache PDFBox | Java developer library for creating, view, extract, print PDF files. | |
| Formatting Objects Processor | Open-source print formatter driven by XSL Formatting Objects and an output independent formatter; main output target is PDF. | |
| iText | Library to create and manipulate PDF, RTF, HTML files in Java, C#, and other.NET languages. | |
| JasperReports | Open-source Java reporting tool that can write to screen, printer, or into PDF, HTML, Microsoft Excel, RTF, ODT, comma-separated values and XML files. | |
| JPedal | Java developer library for viewing, extracting, and printing PDF files. | |
| libHaru | Open-source, cross-platform C library to generate PDF files. | |
| OpenPDF | Open source library to create and manipulate PDF files in Java. Fork of an older version of iText, but with the original LGPL / MPL license. | |
| PDFsharp | C# developer library to create, extract, edit PDF files. | |
| PDFTron Systems | C, C++, C#.NET, JAVA, Objective-C, Python, Ruby and PHP library for creating, editing, annotating, optimizing and viewing PDF files. | |
| podofo | Open-source C++ library to read and write the PDF files. | |
| Poppler | Open-source multi-backend C++ library derived from Xpdf; no bundled viewer; incl. pdftohtml converter. | |
| TCPDF | Open-source PHP library to create PDF files. |
Creators
These create files in their native formats, but then allow users to export them to PDF formats.| Name | License | Platforms | Description |
| Adobe Acrobat | Windows, macOS | Desktop PDF authoring suite. | |
| Adobe Illustrator | Windows, macOS | Illustrator can save as PDF, and can recognize and edit text and graphics. | |
| FineReader | Windows, macOS, Linux | OCR tool; can save as PDF, and recognize text from PDF. | |
| Ghostscript | Linux, Windows, macOS, UNIX | Viewer, creator, converter; supports also PDF/X-3; used by PdfCreator, WinPdf, BullzipPdf, CutePDF freeware version and others. | |
| Microsoft Office | Windows, macOS | All Microsoft Office products from 2007 version allow users to Save as PDF. | |
| OpenOffice.org | Linux, Windows, macOS | All OpenOffice.org applications allow PDF export; supports also PDF/A-1a; since many import formats are supported conversion is also possible. | |
| LibreOffice | Linux, Windows, macOS | All LibreOffice applications allow PDF export; supports also PDF/A-1a; since many import formats are supported conversion is also possible. | |
| Serif PagePlus | Windows | Desktop publishing application; Allows compatible saving as PDF 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.7 and supports also PDF/X-1, PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3. | |
| PageStream | Cross-platform desktop publishing application to open, edit, export. | ||
| Prince | Linux, macOS, Windows, Solaris, | Converts HTML, XML, SVG, and MathML to PDF by way of CSS. | |
| Scribus | Linux/UNIX, macOS, OS/2 Warp 4/eComStation and Windows desktops | Cross-platform desktop publishing application; supports also PDF/X-3. | |
| LaTeX, TeX | Mark-up language and tools to write technical reports, books, magazines, almost any publication type. | ||
| LuaTeX | TeX typesetting system that creates PDF documents. | ||
| pdfTeX | TeX typesetting system that creates PDF documents. | ||
| XeTeX | TeX typesetting system that creates PDF documents. |
Viewers
These allow users to view any existing PDF file.| Name | License | Description |
| Adobe Reader | Adobe's PDF reader | |
| DigiSigner | PDF viewer with added function to digitally sign PDF documents. | |
| Evince | Universal viewer for GNOME. | |
| Foxit Reader | PDF Viewer / Reader for Desktop computer and Mobile Devices. Allows users to add many elements to PDFs. | |
| Ghostview | A graphical interface for Ghostscript. | |
| Chromium | Browser includes PDF viewer functionality. Google Chrome uses the same PDF viewer. | |
| MuPDF | PDF conversion and rendering with anti-aliased graphics. | |
| Okular | Universal viewer by KDE. | |
| PDF.js | A JavaScript library to convert PDF files into HTML5, usable as a web-based viewer that can be included in web browsers. Firefox has PDF.js built-in by default. | |
| Qiqqa | View PDFs in a variety of zoom layouts, annotate, tag, search, cross-reference. | |
| Utopia Documents | Semantic scientific PDF reader, allows public comments on PDFs, generates on-the-fly link-outs to scientific databases and resources when used while online. | |
| Xpdf | Multi-platform viewer; source and binaries available for Linux, Windows and Macintosh. |
AmigaOS
Converters
- Antiword: A free Microsoft Office Word reader for various operating systems; converts binary files from Word 2, 6, 7, 97, 2000, 2002 and 2003 to plain text or PostScript; available for AmigaOS 4, MorphOS, AROS x86
- dvipdfm: a DVI to PDF translator with zlib support
Viewers
- Xpdf: a multi-platform viewer for PDF files, Amiga version uses X11 engine Cygnix.
Linux and Unix
macOS
Converters
- deskUNPDF for Mac: proprietary application from Docudesk to convert PDF files to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, image, and data file formats
Editors
- Adobe Acrobat: Proprietary PDF authoring suite
- PDF Expert: Proprietary PDF viewer and editor.
- PDF Studio: Proprietary software to view and edit PDF documents.
- PDF Signer: Proprietary; fills forms and embeds image signatures in PDF documents
Creators
- macOS: Creates PDF documents natively via print dialog
Viewers
- Safari: This bundled web browser has built-in support for reading PDF documents.
- Firefox: Includes a PDF viewer
- Google Chrome: Includes a PDF viewer
- Preview: macOS's default PDF viewer
- Adobe Reader: Adobe Systems's reader which is also available for Macintosh; Safari plug-in available
- Skim, an open source PDF reader and note-taker for macOS
- Foxit Reader: Proprietary, freeware. Allows users to add elements to PDFs
Microsoft Windows
Converters
- Adobe Acrobat: Can convert files into PDF or convert PDF files into other formats
- ABBYY FineReader: Commercial PDF converter which converts PDF into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more
- deskUNPDF: PDF converter to convert PDFs to Word, Excel,,, more
- GSview: File:Convert menu item converts any sequence of PDF pages to a sequence of images in many formats from bit to tiffpack with resolutions from 72 to 204 × 98
- Google Chrome: convert HTML to PDF using Print > Save as PDF.
- gDoc Fusion: Proprietary, shareware; PDF views, edits, converts documents into PDF, XPS or Microsoft Word document; after 30 days a watermark is placed on documents in shareware version
- OmniPage: Converts to and from PDF and other formats with many options.
- Nitro PDF Reader: Extracts Images in original resolution.
- PDF-XChange: PDF Tools and PDF-XChange print driver allow conversion from many formats to PDF. A "lite" version of the print driver is free for non-commercial but places a watermark on documents
- Qiqqa: Converts Microsoft Word document and Web Pages to PDF.
- SWFTools: 'pdf2swf component converts PDF to SWF – command line with GUI wrapper
- poppler-utils a collection of tools builds on poppler to convert PDF contents to everything
- GraphicsMagick: Can convert PDF to PNG or other formats.
Creators
Editors
| Name | License | Description |
| Adobe Acrobat | Adobe Systems's proprietary desktop PDF authoring suite. | |
| Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Systems's Graphic Design software and image editor. | |
| Bluebeam Revu | A commercial PDF editor, markup and collaboration product aimed at engineering and architectural markets. | |
| Foxit Reader | Freeware | Highlight text, draw lines, measure distances of PDF documents. |
| gDoc Fusion | /Shareware | desktop product to create, review, edit, share or archive PDF and XPS documents. After 30 days a watermark is placed on documents in shareware version. |
| LibreOffice | GUI tools to manipulate, split, merge, encrypt and decrypt PDF files. | |
| Microsoft Word 2013 | Desktop software. The 2013 edition of Office allows PDF files to be converted into a format that can be edited. | |
| Nitro PDF Reader | Freeware | Text highlighting, draw lines and measure distances in PDF files. |
| Nitro PDF Pro | a proprietary commercial PDF creator/editor with an interface styled after Microsoft Office; replicates most or all features of the Adobe Acrobat full commercial version; offers a separate freeware reader ; Ghostscript not additionally needed. | |
| PDF Studio | Proprietary software for viewing and editing PDF documents. | |
| pdftk | command-line tools to manipulate, edit and convert documents; supports filling of PDF forms with FDF/XFDF data. | |
| PDF-XChange Viewer | Freeware | Freeware PDF reader, tagger, editor and converter. Allows edit of text, draw lines, highlighting of Text, measuring distance. |
| Solid PDF Tools | Convert PDFs into editable documents and create PDFs from a variety of file sources. |
Viewers
- Adobe Reader: Adobe's PDF reader is free for personal use.
- Evince: a free, open source PDF reader. Part of the GNOME desktop environment. A Windows port was available from version 2.28 to version 2.32.
- Foxit Reader: Proprietary/freeware PDF reader, supports FDF import/export, saving filled forms; other extended functionality available via purchasable plugins.
- gDoc Fusion: Proprietary/shareware to view PDF, XPS, Microsoft Word document, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or image files, included in the evaluation version of the product. Shareware version places a watermark on documents after 30 day eval.
- Google Chrome: Includes a PDF viewer.
- GSview: Open source software and Ghostscript's viewer for Windows.
- Javelin PDF Reader: A full functionality PDF reader with support for DRM using encoded and encrypted PDF files in Drumlin's DRMX and DRMZ formats.
- Microsoft Edge: Includes a PDF viewer.
- Microsoft Reader: A discontinued PDF viewer in Windows 8.1.
- Mozilla Firefox: Includes a PDF viewer.
- MuPDF: Free lightweight document viewer.
- Nitro PDF Reader: Freeware PDF reader and creator. Supports three methods of PDF creation, saving filled forms, text typewriter, markup/collaboration, and stamp signature.
- PDF-XChange Viewer: Freeware viewer with free OCR, supports FDF/XFDF import/export, saving filled forms, extended markup and export to image capabilities.
- Qiqqa: Freeware PDF reader, indexer, tagger and annotator. Supports OCR and export of PDF text and images.
- Sumatra PDF: A free, open source PDF reader based on MuPDF. It also supports DjVu, XPS, CHM, Comic Book and eBook, TXT and image file formats. Supports automatic.pdfsync &.synctex reloading of PDF files so is well favoured as a LaTeX / pdfTeX viewer with forward - inverse synchronization. Using Ghost script it supports PostScript files.
- STDU Viewer: A freeware for non-commercial usage PDF reader. It also supports DjVu, Comic Book Archive, XPS, TIFF, TXT and image file formats.
- PDF24 Creator: The lightweight PDF24 Reader is part of the PDF24 Creator.
Mobile
Web-based
Converters
- Zamzar: Online file converter
- Smallpdf: Offers free online PDF conversion
Editors
- PDFescape: an advertising and fee supported web service to view, create forms, fill out forms, and edit PDF documents from a web browser
- PDFVue: a free web application that allows the user to view PDFs, comment and fill PDF forms from a web browser. Generates a watermark.
- Smallpdf: Free web-based PDF software for editing, signing, compressing, merging, splitting, rotating, unlocking and protecting PDF files.
Viewers
- A.nnotate: a web service which views PDF documents as HTML in the browser, with annotation features.
- DigiSigner: free online PDF viewer java applet with additional function to digitally sign PDF documents.
- Docstoc: a web service which allows viewing PDF documents online.
- Issuu: a web service which allows viewing PDF documents online.
- Google Docs: a web service which views PDF documents as PNG images in the browser.
- Scribd: a web service which renders PDF documents as HTML5 in the browser.
- PDF.js: A Javascript-based library, with viewer, and browser extension.
- PDFTron Systems: WebViewer. A free JavaScript viewer and annotator for self-hosting of web optimized PDFs.