Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Atril VS MuPDF

Compare Atril VS MuPDF and see what are their differences

Atril logo Atril

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

MuPDF logo MuPDF

MuPDF is a lightweight PDF and XPS viewer.
  • Atril Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22
  • MuPDF Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-05

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.

MuPDF features and specs

  • Lightweight
    MuPDF is a lightweight PDF viewer and toolkit, which makes it ideal for embedding in applications or using on devices with limited resources.
  • Fast Performance
    MuPDF is known for its fast rendering speeds, which ensures quick viewing and manipulation of PDF files.
  • High-Quality Rendering
    MuPDF provides high-quality rendering of PDF documents, ensuring that text and images are displayed clearly and accurately.
  • Support for Multiple Formats
    In addition to PDF, MuPDF supports other formats such as XPS, OpenXPS, CBZ, EPUB, and FictionBook 2, making it versatile for various document types.
  • Open Source
    MuPDF is an open-source project, which means it's customizable and freely available for developers to modify and improve upon.
  • Comprehensive API
    MuPDF offers a comprehensive API that provides functionalities for rendering, editing, and extracting information from PDF documents.

Possible disadvantages of MuPDF

  • Limited Annotation Tools
    MuPDF's annotation tools are not as extensive as those found in other PDF editors, making it less suitable for users needing advanced annotation features.
  • No OCR
    MuPDF does not natively support Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which limits its ability to handle scanned documents as searchable and selectable text.
  • Basic User Interface
    The user interface of MuPDF is relatively basic compared to other PDF viewers and editors, which may not appeal to users looking for a more polished or feature-rich UI.
  • Limited Documentation
    The official documentation is somewhat limited, which can make it challenging for new users or developers to get started or find detailed information about specific features.
  • No Built-In Forms Support
    MuPDF does not offer built-in support for interactive PDF forms, limiting its use for documents requiring user input through forms.

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 MuPDF

Overall verdict

  • Yes, MuPDF is generally regarded as a good option for those seeking a no-nonsense PDF viewing experience. Its performance and versatility make it a solid choice for both casual and professional users.

Why this product is good

  • MuPDF is considered a good PDF viewer and toolkit because it is lightweight, fast, and supports a variety of document formats. Its minimalistic design ensures that it performs efficiently without consuming unnecessary resources, making it suitable for both older and newer systems. Additionally, MuPDF is open-source, which allows developers to contribute to its development and customize it for specific needs.

Recommended for

    MuPDF is recommended for users who need a lightweight and fast PDF viewer that can handle a variety of document formats. It is particularly suitable for those who prefer open-source software and require a tool that can be easily integrated into custom applications. Additionally, it is ideal for developers looking for a library to incorporate PDF functionality into their software products.

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

MuPDF videos

MuPDF - Lightweight PDF Viewer - Linux XFCE

More videos:

  • Review - Install MuPDF (Lightweight PDF and XPS Viewer) in Linux Mint / Ubuntu via PPA

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Atril and MuPDF)
PDF Tools
37 37%
63% 63
PDF Editor
44 44%
56% 56
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
PDF Readers And Editors
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 MuPDF

Atril Reviews

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MuPDF Reviews

MuPDF App Kit has been discontinued? Best MuPDF Alternative
However, MuPDF App Kit has been discontinued. This discontinuation affects numerous Android & iOS PDF viewers and editors relying on MuPDF App Kit libraries, rendering them incapable of delivering PDF functionalities to users. As a result, there is an urgent need to find an alternative to MuPDF in order to restore the functionality of PDF viewers and editors.
Source: www.compdf.com
13 of the Best Free PDF Readers
MuPDF is another small PDF reader. MuPDF allows users to view and edit PDF files, fill out forms and leave annotations on the document. Another feature of MuPDF is that it allows the user to convert their PDF file into other formats, such as HTML or SVG. For those people looking for a small and fast PDF reader and editor, this is a strong contender.
Source: www.indeed.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Atril might be a bit more popular than MuPDF. We know about 22 links to it since March 2021 and only 21 links to MuPDF. 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 (22)

  • 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 / about 1 month 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 / about 1 year 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 / almost 2 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 / about 2 years ago
  • Still unsure as to how this managed to happen 😖
    Some people deliberately put mate on their PCs. Source: about 2 years ago
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MuPDF mentions (21)

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What are some alternatives?

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

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

Sumatra PDF - Sumatra PDF is a slim PDF/DjVu/EPUB/XPS/CHM/CBR/CBZ/MOBI viewer for Windows.

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.

Okular - Okular is a universal document viewer based developed by KDE.

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.

Foxit Reader - Foxit Reader is a free and light-weight multi-platform PDF document viewer.