Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Atril VS FBReader

Compare Atril VS FBReader and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Atril logo Atril

Atril is a simple multi-page document viewer. Atril is a fork of Evince.

FBReader logo FBReader

FBReader is an e-book reader for various platforms. Features:
  • Atril Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22
  • FBReader Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-22

Atril features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Atril is designed to be a lightweight document viewer, making it fast and efficient with system resources. This is particularly beneficial for older or less powerful computers.
  • MATE Integration
    As part of the MATE desktop environment, Atril is well-integrated and maintains a consistent look and feel with other MATE applications, providing a seamless user experience.
  • Multiple Format Support
    Atril supports a variety of document formats, including PDF, PostScript, DjVu, DVI, and XPS, making it a versatile tool for viewing different kinds of documents.
  • Open Source
    Atril is open-source software, allowing users to freely inspect, modify, and distribute the software. This fosters transparency and community contributions.

Possible disadvantages of Atril

  • Limited Features
    Compared to some other document viewers, Atril may have fewer advanced features, such as extensive annotation tools or advanced search capabilities.
  • MATE Dependency
    While Atril can be used outside the MATE desktop environment, it is specifically designed for MATE, meaning it may not integrate as well with other desktop environments.
  • Occasional Lag with Large Files
    Users may experience some performance lag when opening very large documents, which can affect usability.
  • Development Pace
    Being part of a community-driven project, Atril's development and updates can be slower compared to commercial software with dedicated development teams.

FBReader features and specs

  • Platform Support
    FBReader is available on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
  • Format Compatibility
    The reader supports a variety of ebook formats like EPUB, MOBI, FB2, HTML, RTF, and plain text, which offers flexibility to readers.
  • Customization
    FBReader allows extensive customization options such as font types, sizes, colors, and background images, letting users personalize their reading experience.
  • Library Management
    The app offers robust library management features including book organization, sorting, and categorization, making it easier to manage large collections.
  • Speed
    FBReader is known for its speed and efficiency in loading books and navigating through them, which provides a smooth reading experience.

Possible disadvantages of FBReader

  • User Interface
    Some users find the user interface to be outdated and less intuitive compared to other modern ebook readers, which can affect usability.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While FBReader covers basic reading needs, it lacks some advanced features found in other readers, such as annotations, bookmarks synchronization, and cloud storage integration.
  • DRM Support
    The app does not support DRM-protected content, limiting its use with books purchased from certain vendors like Amazon or Google Play.
  • In-App Purchases
    The free version of FBReader has limited features, and users need to make in-app purchases to unlock additional functionalities, which may not be ideal for all.
  • Performance on Older Devices
    Some users have reported performance issues when running FBReader on older or less powerful devices, which can interrupt the reading experience.

Analysis of Atril

Overall verdict

  • Atril is considered a good option for users looking for a straightforward, reliable document viewer integrated with the MATE desktop environment. It offers essential features required for everyday document viewing tasks and is consistently maintained as part of the MATE project.

Why this product is good

  • Atril, a document viewer that is part of the MATE desktop environment, is appreciated for its simplicity and efficiency. It supports a wide range of document formats including PDF, PostScript, DJVU, and many others. Atril is lightweight, making it an excellent choice for users who prefer minimal resource consumption without sacrificing functionality.

Recommended for

    Atril is recommended for users who utilize the MATE desktop environment or those who need a fast and efficient document viewer that does not hog system resources. It's especially suitable for Linux users who appreciate the traditional desktop experience provided by MATE.

Analysis of FBReader

Overall verdict

  • FBReader is generally considered a good option for users looking for a reliable and flexible e-book reader. It provides a smooth reading experience and is often appreciated for its cross-platform availability and customization options.

Why this product is good

  • FBReader is a popular e-book reader known for its versatility and support for multiple file formats, including EPUB, MOBI, FB2, and more. It allows users to customize their reading experience by adjusting fonts, colors, and layouts. The application is lightweight, available across various platforms, and often praised for its easy-to-use interface.

Recommended for

    FBReader is recommended for readers who value customization in their reading experience and need support for various e-book formats. It's ideal for those who read on multiple devices and platforms, as it offers sync features and wide compatibility.

Atril videos

Me compré un atril! - PDP CS800 #Review

More videos:

  • Review - REVIEW / Atril de platillo HC33BW con boom Tama
  • Review - Review: Wostoo Teclado Electrónico Piano 61 Teclas con Atril y Microfono

FBReader videos

Review FBReader on Linux Ubuntu

More videos:

  • Review - FBReader Android Review
  • Review - FBReader - Best eBook Reader App [Android/iOS] #03

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Atril and FBReader)
PDF Editor
100 100%
0% 0
eBook Reader
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Ebooks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Atril and FBReader

Atril Reviews

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FBReader Reviews

8 Best eBook Readers for Linux
FBReader is a lightweight, multi-platform ebook reader, free but not open-source, supporting various formats like ePub, fb2, mobi, rtf, html etc. It includes access to popular network libraries from where you can download ebooks for free or buy one.
Source: itsfoss.com
10 of the Best Ebook Readers for Windows, macOS, and Mobile
The Favorite Book Reader (FBReader) is a free app that used to be open source. As such, it used to be available for a multitude of devices but now caters to iOS and Android users. There’s also a beta version in development for the Onyx reader.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Atril should be more popular than FBReader. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Atril mentions (23)

  • KDE celebrates the 29th birthday and kicks off the yearly fundraiser
    MATE was forked around the time GNOME 3 was released and is still going. https://mate-desktop.org Some people consider Cinnamon to be a GNOME 2 spiritual successor while still using a lot of GNOME 3 stuff under the hood. https://projects.linuxmint.com/cinnamon/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • SerenityOS is a love letter to '90s user interfaces
    The closest I know of is Blue95. I have only run the live environment but it worked pretty well and was impressive. "Blue95 is a modern and lightweight desktop experience that is reminiscent of a bygone era of computing. Based on Fedora Atomic Xfce with the Chicago95 theme." https://github.com/winblues/blue95 And if you like Gnome 2.x, there's MATE: https://mate-desktop.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Systemd Rolling Out "run0" As sudo Alternative
    I don't know if you are DE shopping, but I've been very happy for the past few years with the MATE Desktop Environment, which "...is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems." https://mate-desktop.org/ Among a great number of things I really like, I will mention that Caja, the MATE version of... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Lobotomizing Gnome
    I agree that there is a balance between customization and "cleanness" in design and implementation. However, I think the GNOME 3 and 4 designers went too far and alienated many users: https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-finds-gnome-3-4-to-be-a-total-user-experience-design-failure/ https://medium.com/@fulalas/gnome-42-the-nonsense-continues-7d96c3287f7... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • I Still Use Windows 95 (archived, 2008)
    > Is there a WM out there that can do the basic quality-of-life functions of today's DEs? I'd love a simple, opinionated WM that takes the features we know are useful today (workspaces, expo mode, sensible file manager layouts, system trays) and gives them a color-adjustable window theme inspired by 90's aesthetics, with minimal compositing that can run fast on hardware as minimal as a prototype RISC-V board. Or... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
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FBReader mentions (10)

  • What is a good ebook reader for Linux?
    I use fbreader, it's probably in your disto's repository or you can get in from fbreader.org. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best ebook app that also allows for reader?
    I've been using FBreader for years, and it can use the built in Android TTS. https://fbreader.org/. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • 3x new books added to the Pirate Library Mirror (+24TB, 3.8M books)
    Based on what's on ZLibrary, various formats, though principally PDF, ePub, Mobi (Kindle), DJVU (similar to PDF), FB2, and a few others. Most ebook readers (with the exception of Amazon's own Kindle reader) can read virtually all of these, some with extensions. E.g., FB Reader , PocketBook Reader , Onyx's Neoreader (BOOX) ... No... - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • FOSS or privacy conscious ebook reading app (Mac/iOS)
    I came across FBReader which looks great in principal, but it uses a Google Drive account to sync with no other options. Also it's no longer OSS from 2015 (which wouldn't have been a deal breaker for me). Source: about 4 years ago
  • I need a good Software to read epub
    I use FBreader on android and PC. It's insanely customizable. I sometimes use it it double-page layout, 'though I haven't tried comics. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Atril and FBReader, you can also consider the following products

Evince - Evince is a document viewer for multiple document formats: PDF, Postscript, djvu, tiff, dvi, XPS...

calibre - Ebook manager, viewer & converter

PDF Reader Pro - PDF Reader Pro is an all-in-one PDF office supporting to Read, Annotate, Edit, OCR, Convert, Create & Fill Form, Sign PDFs, TTS on Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows.

Amazon Kindle - Amazon Kindle software lets you read ebooks on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and...

ApowerPDF - ApowerPDF is a versatile PDF editor which also features as PDF converter, viewer, creator and more. It provides a perfect solution for all users.

Cool Reader - Fast and small cross-platform eBook reader for desktops and handheld devices