Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Okular VS Adobe Acrobat DC

Compare Okular VS Adobe Acrobat DC and see what are their differences

Okular logo Okular

Okular is a universal document viewer based developed by KDE.

Adobe Acrobat DC logo 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.
  • Okular Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02
  • Adobe Acrobat DC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-18

Okular features and specs

  • Open Source
    Okular is an open-source software, which means the source code is freely available. Users can modify and distribute it according to their needs.
  • Multi-Format Support
    Okular supports a wide array of document formats including PDF, PostScript, DjVu, CHM, XPS, ePub, and more, providing versatile document reading capabilities.
  • Cross-Platform
    Okular is available for multiple operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it accessible to a wider range of users.
  • Annotation Tools
    It includes powerful annotation features allowing users to add notes, highlight text, and draw shapes directly on documents.
  • Customizable Interface
    The interface is highly customizable, enabling users to tweak the appearance and functionality to match their preferences.
  • Tabbed Browsing
    Okular supports tabbed browsing, allowing users to open multiple documents in a single window, enhancing multitasking.

Possible disadvantages of Okular

  • Limited Advanced PDF Editing
    While Okular provides basic annotation features, it lacks advanced PDF editing capabilities like modifying text and images within a PDF.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might find the extensive range of features and settings overwhelming, leading to a steeper learning curve compared to simpler document viewers.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues when handling very large files, which can result in slower operation and responsiveness.
  • Dependency on KDE Libraries
    To get the best experience, Okular requires KDE libraries, which might not be ideal for users who prefer not to integrate KDE components into their system.
  • Mobile Support
    Okular does not have a dedicated app for mobile platforms like Android and iOS, limiting its usability on tablets and smartphones.

Adobe Acrobat DC features and specs

  • Comprehensive Features
    Adobe Acrobat DC offers a wide range of features such as PDF editing, conversion, merging, digital signatures, and OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This makes it a highly versatile tool for working with PDF documents.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    It is available on Windows, macOS, and mobile platforms, allowing users to work on their PDF documents across different devices.
  • Cloud Integration
    Adobe Acrobat DC integrates with Adobe Document Cloud, enabling users to access their documents from anywhere, share files, and collaborate with others in real-time.
  • Security Features
    The software offers robust security features, including password protection, encryption, and redaction, which help in protecting sensitive information.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The program has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it relatively easy for both novice and advanced users to navigate and use its wide array of tools.

Possible disadvantages of Adobe Acrobat DC

  • Cost
    Adobe Acrobat DC is subscription-based and can be expensive compared to some other PDF solutions. The cost might be prohibitive for individual users or small businesses with a limited budget.
  • Resource-Intensive
    The software can be resource-intensive, requiring a significant amount of system memory and processing power, which may affect the performance of older computers.
  • Complexity
    Due to its extensive features, there can be a learning curve for new users to fully understand and utilize all available tools and functions.
  • Login Requirements
    Users are required to create and log in to an Adobe account to access all features, which can be an inconvenience for those preferring software that can be used offline without any account registration.
  • Frequent Updates
    While updates can bring new features and security patches, frequent updates can also be disruptive and may require restarting the application, which can be inconvenient during critical work.

Analysis of Okular

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Okular is generally regarded as a good document viewer due to its features, flexibility, and open-source nature, which ensures continual updates and community support.

Why this product is good

  • Okular is considered good for several reasons: it is a versatile open-source document viewer developed by the KDE community, supporting various file formats including PDF, PostScript, and ePub. It offers a range of features such as annotation tools, form filling, text extraction, and multimedia support. Additionally, it is cross-platform, available on different operating systems like Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it accessible for a wider range of users.

Recommended for

    Okular is recommended for students, educators, professionals, and any users who require a reliable and feature-rich document viewer capable of handling a wide range of file formats. It is particularly beneficial for those who value open-source software and need robust annotation and document management tools across different platforms.

Okular videos

okular, program for annotating your books in linux

More videos:

  • Review - Review: Okular || Awesome PDF Viewer || Best PDF Viewer that I have tried yet.
  • Review - Okular Document Viewer vs Atril Document Viewer

Adobe Acrobat DC videos

Adobe Acrobat DC Essentials: 01 - Introduction to Acrobat

More videos:

  • Review - Adobe Acrobat DC Send For Review feature overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Okular and Adobe Acrobat DC)
PDF Tools
13 13%
87% 87
PDF Editor
13 13%
87% 87
PDF Readers And Editors
100 100%
0% 0
PDF Creator
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Okular and Adobe Acrobat DC. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Okular and Adobe Acrobat DC

Okular Reviews

10 Best PDF Expert Alternatives for Various Tasks in 2022
Verdict: Okular is an open source and can be used free, which is probably its main advantage. At the same time, its basic functionality is meant to be not only highly competitive with PDF Expert but rather overcomes it because the letter can be used only under paid subscription. This PDF Expert alternative is one of the most all-in-one PDF readers, which is compatible not...
Source: fixthephoto.com
8 Best eBook Readers for Linux
Okular is another open-source and cross-platform document viewer developed by KDE and is shipped as part of the KDE Application release.
Source: itsfoss.com

Adobe Acrobat DC Reviews

Systweak PDF Editor Review: Is It the Best Full-featured Alternative of Acrobat
Compared to PDF editors like PDF Element, Adobe Acrobat, and others, you need to pay less for Systweak PDF Editor. This means paying a decent amount of money. You can access a slew of features that allow modifying PDFs without any restrictions. Those who are looking for pocket-friendly PDF editing software should give Systweak PDF Editor a try. Since its release, the tool...
The Most Recommended 9 Free PDF Readers in 2023
Repeated trial and comprehensive comparison can help you choose the most suitable PDF reader. If you are looking for the best PDF viewer on Windows 10, GeekerPDF is the perfect choice as it can help you read, create annotations, and edit PDFs on Windows. It supports all file formats, and PDF files are loaded, converted, and moved quickly, which can improve your work...
3 Ways to compress PDF for free
Adobe Acrobat DC is Adobe's newest product. Adobe is a PDF format creator whose products have PDF compression capabilities. But the Adobe tools can be overwhelming because of the number of features.
8 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives In 2022 [Updated List]
Pro Tip: When selecting the alternative for Adobe Acrobat, don’t just consider its cost, but also consider the features it offers. Invest in it only if it fulfills all that you need from a PDF editor. Why Look for Adobe Acrobat Alternatives
10 Best PDF Expert Alternatives for Various Tasks in 2022
Adobe Acrobat DC comes with wide-ranged functions and is aimed at creating PDF documents by using editing, operative conditions for separate treating of text and images, signing, annotating docs, splitting & merging file pages, and more.
Source: fixthephoto.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Okular seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 44 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.

Okular mentions (44)

  • Signing PDFs
    If you mean signing as in "signing with your handwritten signature", you could use Okular () which easily allows you to do that. Filling out forms also works nicely. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Alexandria: A minimalistic cross-platform eBook reader
    I was in a similar position lately until I found Okular. Have you tried it? https://okular.kde.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Help with PDF's
    I would try Okular first, though, which is free and open source: https://okular.kde.org/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • EPUB 3.3 becomes a W3C recommendation
    KDE's okular might be a good choice. I haven't personally used it for epub but I know it supports it. https://okular.kde.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Are there any good PDF viewers for large (10Mb+) datasheets that can save search results in the actual PDF, and take notes on the PDF?
    I use okular, don't think it has web export though. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Adobe Acrobat DC mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Adobe Acrobat DC yet. Tracking of Adobe Acrobat DC recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Okular and Adobe Acrobat DC, 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.

Wondershare PDFelement - All-in-one PDF editor

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

Google Docs - Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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

Foxit PhantomPDF - Edit PDF files with our feature-rich PDF Editor. Download Foxit PDF Editor to convert, sign, scan / OCR & more. A speedy PDF Editor alternative to Adobe Acrobat.