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qpdfview VS Adobe Reader

Compare qpdfview VS Adobe Reader and see what are their differences

qpdfview logo qpdfview

qpdfview is a Qt-based tabbed document viewer using the Poppler library for PDF rendering and CUPS...

Adobe Reader logo Adobe Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free tool for viewing documents that have been stored in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).
  • qpdfview Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-25
  • Adobe Reader Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-17

qpdfview features and specs

  • Lightweight
    qpdfview is a lightweight application, which means it requires minimal system resources and offers fast performance, making it ideal for users with older or less powerful hardware.
  • Tabbed Interface
    The application supports tabbed browsing, allowing users to open multiple PDF documents within the same window, enhancing workflow efficiency and organization.
  • Cross-Platform
    qpdfview is available on various operating systems, including Linux and Windows, which provides flexibility for users who work across different platforms.
  • Search Functionality
    It features robust search capabilities, allowing users to quickly find text within PDF documents, which is particularly helpful for academic and professional use.
  • Annotation Support
    Users can add annotations to PDF files, making it useful for reviewing and editing documents.

Possible disadvantages of qpdfview

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to more comprehensive PDF editors, qpdfview does not offer advanced editing capabilities such as form filling or multimedia embedding.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is quite basic and may not be as polished or intuitive as some other modern PDF readers, which could be a drawback for some users.
  • Windows Support Limitations
    While it is cross-platform, some users may encounter limitations or less seamless performance on Windows compared to Linux distributions.
  • No Built-in Cloud Integration
    qpdfview does not offer direct integration with cloud storage services, which can inconvenience users who rely heavily on cloud-based document management.
  • Development Activity
    The development and updating of qpdfview may not be as active as some other PDF viewers, potentially leading to slower responses to bugs or feature requests.

Adobe Reader features and specs

  • Compatibility
    Adobe Reader is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. This makes it accessible for a broad audience regardless of their device preferences.
  • Features
    It supports a variety of advanced features such as text highlighting, annotations, and form filling. These features can be useful for both personal and professional use.
  • Security
    Adobe Reader comes with built-in security measures to protect against malicious PDFs. This helps ensure that your device and data remain safe.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is generally intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for users to navigate through documents and use its various features.
  • Frequent Updates
    Adobe frequently updates Adobe Reader with new features and security patches, which improves functionality and enhances security over time.

Possible disadvantages of Adobe Reader

  • Performance
    Some users have reported that Adobe Reader can be slow to load, especially when opening large documents. This can be a hindrance for those who need quick access to their PDFs.
  • Resource Intensive
    Adobe Reader tends to use a considerable amount of system resources, which can be problematic on older or less powerful devices.
  • Bloatware
    The application can be seen as bloated by some users, with many features that are redundant or unnecessary for basic PDF viewing.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Adobe's Data Collection Policies have raised privacy concerns. Users may be uneasy about the amount of data that Adobe collects and how it is used.
  • Advertisements
    Free versions of Adobe Reader occasionally prompt users with advertisements for other Adobe products, which can be intrusive and disrupt the user experience.

Analysis of Adobe Reader

Overall verdict

  • Adobe Reader is generally considered a good choice for users who need a robust and feature-rich PDF reader. It is reliable and functionally comprehensive, making it suitable for both personal and professional use. However, some users may find it resource-intensive compared to lightweight alternatives.

Why this product is good

  • Adobe Reader, also known as Adobe Acrobat Reader, is a well-established PDF reader that offers a wide range of features. As an industry standard, it provides reliable and consistent performance for viewing, printing, and annotating PDF files. It integrates seamlessly with Adobe's suite of tools, allowing for advanced PDF functionalities such as form filling, digital signature support, and PDF editing when paired with Adobe Acrobat Pro. Additionally, its widespread usage and compatibility on various platforms make it a convenient choice for many users.

Recommended for

  • Users who regularly deal with complex PDFs requiring advanced features such as annotations and digital signatures.
  • Professionals in need of a robust, industry-standard tool for managing and viewing PDF documents.
  • Individuals who already use other Adobe products and need seamless integration across Adobe's ecosystem.

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Adobe Reader Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to qpdfview and Adobe Reader)
PDF Editor
20 20%
80% 80
PDF Tools
15 15%
85% 85
PDF Readers And Editors
29 29%
71% 71
PDF
100 100%
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 qpdfview and Adobe Reader

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Adobe Reader Reviews

5 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Reader
If you are looking for an alternative to Adobe Reader for Windows, first check out the Geekersoft PDF Editor, which provides free access to PDF documents and includes PDF creation, editing, conversion, OCR, and PDF signature. This Acrobat Reader alternative is cheap and considered to be the most cost-effective PDF editing tool on the market.
Top 10 Adobe Reader Alternatives for Windows
While the aforementioned programs are all excellent choices as Adobe Reader alternatives, they are not the only choices you have. If you’re running Windows 8 or 8.1, you also get a native PDF viewer that’s simply named ‘Reader’. Most Office suites, like MS Office and Libre Office, also allow users to read, create, annotate and edit PDF files, so if you have either installed...
Source: beebom.com
8 Best PDF Readers Available For Windows PC
Foxit Reader is another free PDF reader for Windows. Foxit Reader was once the first alternative to the Adobe Acrobat reader and it’s still one of the best PDF readers available, it offers the most features with no strings attached. From tabbed browsing to a range of advanced options, the Foxit PDF reader is yet another PDF reader to try on your Windows PC.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, qpdfview seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

qpdfview mentions (3)

  • Qpdfview 0.5.0 Released
    Previous stable qpdfview 0.4.18 released in 2019. Development of O.5.x brings support for compiling with any Qt version (Qt4, Qt5 & Qt6).[0,1] [0] https://launchpad.net/qpdfview/+announcement/28501 [1] https://launchpad.net/qpdfview/+announcement/30745. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Going from zathura to neovim
    You didn't say what OS you're using, but on linux the best of the poppler-based PDF viewers are probably qpdfview (lighter weight) and okular (heavier but more features), both of which have good synctex support as well. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • What are your favorite PDF viewers/editors
    I've been happy with qpdfview as my PDF viewer for a couple of years now. I've customized it to have vi-like keybindings (j/k for instance) and it has others features like SyncTeX support and tabs that I want in a PDF viewer. The only thing lacking is support for playing media files, which comes in handy during presentations and such. I don't edit PDFs regularly, but when I do I just import it in Inkscape... Source: over 3 years ago

Adobe Reader mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing qpdfview and Adobe Reader, you can also consider the following products

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

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

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

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

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.

MuPDF - MuPDF is a lightweight PDF and XPS viewer.