Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Skim VS React Engine

Compare Skim VS React Engine 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.

Skim logo Skim

Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for OS X.

React Engine logo React Engine

A react render engine for Universal (previously Isomorphic) JavaScript apps written with express, by PayPal
  • Skim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-05-03
  • React Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02

Skim features and specs

  • Open Source
    Skim is open-source software, which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. This can be advantageous for users who want to customize the application or contribute to its development.
  • PDF Annotation
    Skim offers robust PDF annotation features, allowing users to highlight, underline, and add notes to PDF documents. This makes it a useful tool for students, researchers, and anyone who needs to review documents extensively.
  • Integration with LaTeX
    The app integrates well with typesetting systems like LaTeX, which is beneficial for users in academic and research fields that require sophisticated document preparation.
  • Efficient Navigation
    Skim provides efficient navigation options, such as table of contents views and keyboard shortcuts, which enhance the user experience by simplifying document management and review processes.
  • Lightweight
    Skim is a lightweight application, meaning it runs efficiently without consuming significant system resources. This can be useful for users with older hardware or those running multiple applications simultaneously.

Possible disadvantages of Skim

  • Mac-Only
    Skim is only available for macOS, limiting its accessibility to users on other operating systems such as Windows or Linux.
  • Limited Features Compared to Commercial Alternatives
    While Skim offers essential features for PDF annotation, it may lack some advanced features that are available in commercial PDF editors, such as complex form handling or advanced editing tools.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Some users report occasional stability issues or bugs, which can affect the user experience, especially during long sessions or when working with large documents.
  • Basic User Interface
    The user interface of Skim may be considered basic or not as polished as some commercial PDF readers, which could deter users looking for more modern or aesthetically pleasing design.
  • No Official Support
    Being an open-source project, Skim does not have official support, which means that users may have to rely on community forums or documentation for troubleshooting and assistance.

React Engine features and specs

  • Isomorphic rendering
    React Engine enables both server-side and client-side rendering of React components, providing a seamless isomorphic/universal JavaScript experience. This allows for faster initial page loads and better SEO while maintaining rich client-side interactivity.
  • Express.js integration
    React Engine is designed as a view engine for Express.js, making it easy to integrate React into existing Express-based applications with minimal configuration. It follows familiar Express conventions for setting up view engines.
  • Built-in React Router support
    The library comes with built-in support for React Router, enabling developers to easily set up server-side and client-side routing without complex manual configuration.
  • PayPal backing
    React Engine was developed and maintained by PayPal, which provided credibility and ensured it was battle-tested in a large-scale production environment before being open-sourced.
  • Simplified setup
    The library abstracts away much of the complexity involved in setting up server-side rendering with React, reducing boilerplate code and allowing developers to get a universal React application running quickly.

Possible disadvantages of React Engine

  • Abandoned project
    The repository appears to be no longer actively maintained, with no recent commits or updates. This makes it risky to use in production as bugs and security vulnerabilities may go unpatched.
  • Outdated dependencies
    React Engine was built for older versions of React and React Router. It may not be compatible with modern versions of React (16+, 17, 18) or React Router (v5, v6), limiting its usefulness in current projects.
  • Limited ecosystem support
    The library is tightly coupled to Express.js, meaning it cannot be easily used with other Node.js frameworks like Koa, Hapi, or Fastify, reducing its flexibility.
  • Better modern alternatives
    Modern tools like Next.js, Remix, and Vite with SSR plugins provide far more comprehensive and well-maintained solutions for server-side rendering with React, making React Engine largely obsolete.
  • Limited documentation and community
    The project has relatively sparse documentation and a small community, making it difficult for new developers to troubleshoot issues or find examples and best practices for advanced use cases.

Analysis of React Engine

Overall verdict

  • Unable to verify a project specifically named 'React Engine' on GitHub with confidence, as this does not correspond to a widely recognized or well-documented open-source project that I have reliable information about. There may be multiple small or niche repositories using this name, and quality would vary significantly between them.

Why this product is good

  • React Engine is not a commonly recognized name in the mainstream React ecosystem
  • No verifiable consensus data on stars, maintenance status, documentation quality, or community adoption is available
  • Could refer to a personal project, a boilerplate, a rendering engine, or a niche tool - without more context, its quality cannot be assessed
  • Names like this are sometimes used for student projects, abandoned repos, or experimental tools that lack production readiness

Recommended for

  • Not recommended without further verification
  • Developers should search GitHub directly, check star count, last commit date, open issues, and documentation before adopting
  • Best suited for evaluation on a case-by-case basis rather than a blanket recommendation
  • If you have a specific repository URL, sharing it would allow for a more accurate assessment

Skim videos

SKIMS REVIEW: SO MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS...

More videos:

  • Review - SOOO... I tried SKIMS SHAPEWEAR & WE NEED TO CHAT
  • Review - Is SKIMS Worth It? | SKIMS Review + Try-On Haul | Curvy Girl Edition

React Engine videos

No React Engine videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Skim and React Engine)
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Office & Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Editor
100 100%
0% 0
eCommerce Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Skim and React Engine. 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 Skim and React Engine

Skim Reviews

13 of the Best Free PDF Readers
Skim is another lightweight PDF viewer that comes with many basic functions. Users can highlight text, take pictures and add notes with ease. Skim was primarily developed for academics but has since expanded its functionality. Still, this tool remains great for academics, as it can connect with third-party apps such as Bid Desk.
Source: www.indeed.com

React Engine Reviews

We have no reviews of React Engine yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Skim seems to be a lot more popular than React Engine. While we know about 31 links to Skim, we've tracked only 1 mention of React Engine. 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.

Skim mentions (31)

  • Show HN: Pdfdark.com โ€“ view pdf's in "dark mode" all on client
    For those uncomfortable uploading documents, a number of other native apps also dark/inversion mode, including Skim for macOS: https://skim-app.sourceforge.io . - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • You can deeplink to a specific PDF page
    A bit unrelated - I use Hookmark[0] on my MacOS to deep link local PDFs. I can link to specific sections within a page, although it works only when the PDF is viewed with Skim reader[1] and not the default Preview app [0] https://hookproductivity.com [1] https://skim-app.sourceforge.io. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • iCloud Drive silently deletes your content
    I've had my fair share of highlighting/annotating shenanigans with macOS built-in software and I've found Skim (free, BSD licensed) to be a very competent replacement, with the only caveat that you have to remember to export the annotated PDFs if you want to be able to see your changes from any other application. https://skim-app.sourceforge.io/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Electronic text book reader
    I actually am going to say a Macbook air. The reason is because the pdf reader Skim is Mac OSX only. I've tried many, and I haven't found another PDF reader I like. The only thing you lose is the ability to write directly on the screen. If that's something you really want to do, then you should get an iPad and load your pdfs in GoodNotes. The added benefit of that is that you can add blank pages right in the PDF... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Question about transcript proofreading
    Well. I have a 55 pages with three remaining parts of a transcript I should probably be working on ... But I haven't proofed in a while, so I had to remember how to use the (Mac only) program I use to mark up PDFs worked, only to find there was a new version waiting to be downloaded and installed ... and, of course, re-learned. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

React Engine mentions (1)

  • react-engine vs other template engines
    I was wondering to use paypal's React Engine (https://github.com/paypal/react-engine), but I have some doubts:. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Skim and React Engine, you can also consider the following products

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.

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

PDF-XChange Editor - The smallest, fastest, most feature-rich PDF editor/viewer available

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.