, which is described by the firm as an ‘all-in-one’ application for processing PDF files. Available to buy direct from the Microsoft Store, this user-friendly software is perfect for viewing, editing and creating PDF documents.
Features include the ability to edit page content, generate interactive forms, comment on existing documents, as well as being able to convert, combine and split files. You can also add e-signatures and encryption to important business files.
Thanks to its simple and intuitive interface, Perfect PDF Ultimate is a great app for beginners, especially if they’re looking to dabble with PDF editing. However, the software could feel too basic for some users. There’s also no option to convert PDFs to other formats or vice versa, so you may need to consider other options if conversion is a priority.
Depending on what you intend to do with your documents, you may find you need either a PDF reader or a fully featured PDF editor.
PDF readers on Windows 10 and 11 come with plenty of tools for viewing files on your desktop. They also feature online collaboration tools, letting you share, comment, annotate, and collaborate. And the very best PDF readers for Windows 10 and 11 also come equipped with productivity-boosting tools.
PDF editors for Windows have a lot more tools, specifically for creating, editing, and converting documents into other formats. They also include features like the best PDF converter and esign software.
If you only intend to view PDF files and make notes for the team, a PDF reader (sometimes billed as a PDF viewer) should be more than enough. If you're regularly making and working on PDFs, PDF editing software will likely serve your needs better.
PDF Exchange is a free PDF editor that's rich with features. Aside from being able to view, create, and edit PDFs, there are additional options to OCR and digital sign documents. PDF-XChange Editor Plus is an upgraded version which allows for the creation and editing of PDF forms. While PDF Exchange Editor is freeware, you can pay a nominal fee to get a version with support.
Nitro PDF Reader is another free PDF reader that allows users to read, edit, and annotate PDF files. Nitro PDF offers a couple of key differences to a lot of other free PDF software, though. The first is that it allows for the creation and editing of PDF forms. The other is that it has a sleek and simple interface that uses tabbed menus, making it look like it took inspiration from Microsoft Word in presentation. Sharing and signing are also available.
STDU Viewer - aka, Scientific and Technical Document Utility Viewer - is a freeware viewer that works with multiple file formats. It aims to be an all-in-one viewer for most common file formats used in scientific documentation, such as PDF, TIFF, DjVu, XPS, JBIG2, WWF, FB2, TXT, TCR, PalmDoc(PDB), MOBI, AZW, EPub, DCX, as well as offers a range of supported image file types. It comes with a tabbed interface, multilingual support, and can also work with multi-layered text documents and convert them to single layer document file.
Adobe Reader DC is probably the most famous read-only viewer for PDF files, not least because it's free and has often been integrated with web browsers. The positives, apart from being free, include the stated aim of making PDFs viewable regardless of the operating system used. The negative, of course, is that you can't edit and annotate files in the free viewer and you will need one of the options above to do that.
When it comes to choosing the best PDF reader on Windows for you, you’ll want to gauge your needs correctly to select the right product. If you don’t often use PDFs, then it’ll be smart to get a low-cost or free PDF reader with limited functionality. But if you’re regularly working with PDFs and even need PDF editing or file conversion, then a more powerful software will be helpful.
For those who read many physical documents and need to scan and store them, a PDF reader with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature will be quite handy. In case you plan to access sensitive documents through the PDF reader, you’ll want an application that is secure and offers advanced security features. It's also worth checking for the best e-signature software and best online collaboration tools that are now a mainstay of the office.
Our team of reviewers have assessed a massive range of PDF apps, including the best PDF readers for Mac and the best PDF readers for Android. And for Windows software, we take the same rigorous approach.
To test the best PDF readers for Windows, we analyzed the features and performance of many applications. We looked at how quickly the software would load PDFs, especially if the file had a lot of images or was large in size. We considered the usability and simplicity of the app interface, and whether it was suited for beginners or experts.
We evaluated free and paid options, and checked if the apps were for online or offline use. For paid software, we looked at their free trials and how comprehensive the trials were. We also looked into the pricing plans, and whether there were discounts on bulk purchases.
We tested the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives - and these are our top picks
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