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Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
I’ve been using the Adobe Reader for a long time and have always liked it – up until they came out with the DC version. Now it won’t even update itself. So I’m looking for a good reliable, hopefully less bloated alternative. Suggestions would be very much appreciated.
@Charlie, I’ve been using PDF-XChange Viewer (Free portable version) for years without any issues. Has a MUCH smaller footprint than adobe products and no bloatware.
(Ideal for reading, notating pdf files in the free version)
In the link below, once there use the down arrow at the side of the ‘Download’ button to select the type of installation required (portable is best IMO) If you do go for this, once you run it, adjust the settings/ preferences within the program itself. I created a firewall rule for it as I use it for offline reading and the integrated firefox pdf reader whilst online 😉
Microsoft Edge is the best PDF reader (IMHO).
Could be available for Windows 7 quite soon.
Will Edge overwrite IE 11?
No. I use both.
Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD
I got rid of ADOBE and went with Foxit Reader. It’s a bit bloated but I like the tabbed interface, especially when I was doing my taxes.
Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).
I advise anyone to avoid Adobe’s Reader. Major security holes over the years, plus a very bloated app.
Alex’s Sumatra has a good rep.
If you only want to read, I used Foxit reader for a few years, nice and light. They used to bundle some crapware with the install, so watch out for that when installing—always select ‘Custom Install’ when offered and untick any boxes for extra software.
If you want more than reading—editing, annotating, OCR etc—as I do, I highly recommend PDF-XChange Editor. The free version does all I need.
Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD
I have been using Sumatra for several years now, with Windows 7. No complaints. I have Win 7 in dual boot with Linux Mint, just installed three weeks ago and pretty much customized to my liking since. I have not installed any PDF reader for Mint, because it came with its own PDF reader, which seems to work OK, so far.
Same situation with my Mac, where the built-in application “Preview” does also a decent job of looking at PDF (and also looking, and editing, GIF, PNG, JPEG…) and even allows writing in the entry fields of editable PDF forms (such as IRS tax forms).
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV
Well I usually use Evince but that’s not very relevant because Windows binaries for current versions aren’t easily available…
Sumatra is a good one. Foxit is another. Which is better for whom, will depend on specifics.
Adobe Reader DC / continuous even with all its faults is at the moment the best no-additional-cost one if you need interoperability with Microsoft Azure Information Protection. (That’s an optional extra feature you can purchase for Foxit, though.)
I’d expect applications with more than just viewer and maybe form fill and overlay capabilities may be out of scope here. Anyway… the PDF24 suite looks good, but I haven’t put that one through a good test suite yet. Includes a viewer but it’s probably the other features you may want this one for. And for serious editing, as in more than just page rearranging, form fill and occasional overlay element, there’s LibreOffice’s PDF import, and then Inkscape.
I regretfully stopped using Adobe Reader a few years ago, when that company started pushing hard their Cloud version (Adobe Reader DC) and getting the one that would run entirely in my machine got harder and harder to find. That is why, after looking around for alternatives, I chose to adopt Sumatra. It is a little clunkier than Adobe Reader, but it gets the job done and, so far, it has caused me no problems. And I do a lot of downloads o technical papers in PDF, which I first check out in the sites that offer them, to see if they are really what I am after, before downloading them. So Sumatra works just fine both online and offline.
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV
@YP
Charlie,
I have used Sumatra and Foxit. I like PDF-XChange Viewer best; in fact, I use the portable version.
https://portableapps.com/apps/office/pdf-xchange-portable
No installs, set it up once and use it on any machines. What I like best is you can edit your PDF’s. Also, I use the portable version on Linux, running with Wine.
I use Foxit reader because I like the annotation ability.
cheers, Paul
Why not download all of the above (and any other free ones) and see for yourself which you prefer. It won’t cost you and you will be more likely to get something that suits your needs.
Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell
The top three seem to be Sumatra, Foxit, and PDF-XChange viewers. I’ll check them all out but I’m sort of leaning toward Sumatra, providing it works with Firefox smoothly.
Thanks again for all the advice!
I also use Sumatra. Simple, not bloated, and gets the job done.
Yes, Adobe is entirely too invasive. I’ve been successfully using Foxit for several years but I should try out others.
I’ve been using the Adobe Reader for a long time and have always liked it – up until they came out with the DC version. Now it won’t even update itself. So I’m looking for a good reliable, hopefully less bloated alternative. Suggestions would be very much appreciated.
For many years I’ve been a fan and user of Tracker Software’s PDF X-Change Editor. Excellent software, excellent support, for a very good price.
Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster
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