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MuPDF VS Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)

Compare MuPDF VS Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) and see what are their differences

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Contents:
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  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

MuPDF logo MuPDF

MuPDF is a lightweight PDF and XPS viewer.

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) logo Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)

PDF Viewer (aka pdf.js) is a new revolutionary extension using web standard technologies that...
  • MuPDF Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-05
  • Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-27

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.

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) features and specs

  • Open Source
    PDF.js is an open-source project, meaning it is free to use and its code can be reviewed and modified by anyone.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    PDF.js works on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and can be used in any modern web browser.
  • Integration Ease
    Easily integrates into various web projects with minimal setup, enhancing the user's ability to display PDFs directly in the browser.
  • Actively Maintained
    As an open-source project backed by Mozilla, PDF.js benefits from consistent updates and improvements, ensuring better performance and security.
  • Offline Functionality
    Being a client-side JavaScript library, PDF.js can display PDFs without the need for an internet connection once the library is loaded.
  • Customization
    Developers have the freedom to customize and extend the capabilities of PDF.js to tailor it to specific application needs.

Possible disadvantages of Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)

  • Performance Issues
    PDF.js can be less performant on larger or more complex PDF files, leading to slower rendering times compared to native PDF viewers.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    For users requiring advanced PDF functionalities such as editing or form filling, PDF.js lacks comprehensive support compared to dedicated PDF software.
  • Rendering Inconsistencies
    There can be inconsistencies in rendering complex PDFs, especially those with intricate layouts, fonts, or graphics.
  • Browser Dependency
    Although it's cross-platform, the performance and feature set can vary depending on the browser, with some browsers offering less optimal support.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers may encounter a learning curve when first integrating PDF.js, particularly when customizing its features or troubleshooting specific issues.
  • Security Concerns
    As with any client-side script, there can be security concerns if the library is outdated or not properly configured, potentially exposing vulnerabilities.

MuPDF videos

+ Add

MuPDF - Lightweight PDF Viewer - Linux XFCE

More videos:

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

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MuPDF and Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js))

MuPDF

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)

PDF Tools
73 73%
PDF Tools
27% 27
PDF Readers And Editors
69 69%
PDF Readers And Editors
31% 31
PDF Editor
69 69%
PDF Editor
31% 31
Tool
100 100%
Tool
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MuPDF and Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js)

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

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) Reviews

2024 Best JavaScript PDF Viewer
• Dependency on PDF.js: It uses PDF.js under the hood, and any vulnerabilities discovered in PDF.js will impact react-pdf as well.
Source: www.compdf.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) might be a bit more popular than MuPDF. We know about 26 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.

MuPDF mentions (21)

View more

Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js) mentions (26)

  • Adobe’s Monopoly on PDFs: The Innovation Bottleneck and the Need for Open-Source Alternatives
    While projects like PDF.js, PDFium, and Scribus provide alternatives, they lack key features such as advanced text editing, OCR, and form filling. The challenge lies in funding — without dedicated support, open-source projects struggle to compete with Adobe’s multi-billion-dollar resources. To foster a competitive landscape, businesses and governments must invest in robust open-source PDF development, just as they... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • DEMO - Voice to PDF - Complete PDF documents with voice commands using the Claude 3 Opus API
    ReadPdf: used for reading the dropped file and displaying it on the screen, it uses PDF.js to load the file, get all fields and display it on the browser. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Building W-9 Crafter
    I first started building the app in the browser, using PDF.js and Download.js to take a PDF and edit it, and then download it to your computer. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • How to Write a Cold Email
    I'd think opening a PDF in your browser would be at the same risk-level you associate with going to any random URL. On Firefox at least, I'm pretty sure the built-in PDF viewer is simply JS parsing and rendering the PDF anyway -- nothing with elevated permissions: https://mozilla.github.io/pdf.js/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • PDF Chat with Node.js, OpenAI and ModelFusion
    We use Mozilla's PDF.js via the pdfjs-dist NPM module to load pages from a PDF file. The loadPdfPages function reads the PDF file and extracts its content. It returns an array where each object contains the page number and the text of that page. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing MuPDF and Firefox PDF Viewer (PDF.js), you can also consider the following products

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

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

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

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

Adobe Acrobat DC - Make your job easier with Adobe Acrobat DC, the trusted PDF creator. Use Acrobat to convert, edit and sign PDF files at your desk or on the go.

Xodo - Try easy-to-use PDF tools that keep your documents safe. Work with your important files across all platforms and devices with the ultimate all-in-one document solution. Your productivity lives at Xodo!

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