Free PDF reader preference
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FYI, I recently stopped using FoxIt reader as I noticed network traffic to China servers every-time it was opened. It may be legit cloud service but I can't be 100% positive and their government, in theory, could get involved at anytime, I am guessing for a worse-case scenario. When I was troubleshooting the network behavior of the app, I also looked into its vulnerabilities which was another reason I stopped using it. Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader : CVE security vulnerabilities, versions and detailed reports[^]
Later, JoeSox “Write hard and clear about what hurts.” - Ernest Hemingway Last.fm - CPForAndroid++
I still use FoxIt, but always, always, always go through the custom install steps and uncheck everything but the basic program - and then go through the Programs and Features control panel applet, sort by date, and remove anything new that FoxIt still tried to install alongside itself, like this CloudPrint (?) service that I think they finally gave up on after years of me complaining after every update that still included it. Then I rename their updater EXE so it doesn't launch automatically all the time, despite me telling not to check for updates. If it's sounding like a lot of trouble...lets just say I'm looking at other people's responses in this thread.
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
For Win10, Edge and Chrome read PDF files just fine. Writing is a different story though.
Jeremy Falcon
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I still use FoxIt, but always, always, always go through the custom install steps and uncheck everything but the basic program - and then go through the Programs and Features control panel applet, sort by date, and remove anything new that FoxIt still tried to install alongside itself, like this CloudPrint (?) service that I think they finally gave up on after years of me complaining after every update that still included it. Then I rename their updater EXE so it doesn't launch automatically all the time, despite me telling not to check for updates. If it's sounding like a lot of trouble...lets just say I'm looking at other people's responses in this thread.
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
Whatever is preinstalled.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
Personally I have decided to use the paid version of NitroPDF just because I liked the free version and had a need for the functionality of the paid version. Haven't regret it. My company installs Acrobat on my machine as default but I tend to uninstall it again :-D As a pure PDF reader I actually often use Chrome with a PDF viewer extension.
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I've used FoxIt for years because it's free, fast and easy.
Someone's therapist knows all about you!
Several years ago, in the early years of Foxit, my employer wanted us, for "political" reasons, to use Foxit. The character rendering, especially in small sizes, was so terrible that it strained my eyes badly, so I refused. After being shown the same document side-by-side, on one screen, in Adobe Reader and Firefox, my boss accepted my complaints, and we ditched Foxit. A few years later, under a new employer, I tried Foxit again to see if rendereing had improved. It ha not, as far as I could see. We did not switch to Foxit. Linux users claimed that rendering on their screens were very good; it seemed as if the Windows port was a quick and dirty left hand job. If Foxit on Windows today were as bad as a few years ago, it probably would have been out of the market, so I guess it has improved. But I don't care to check until I have to find another PDF reader; then I might try it again. Twice, with a few years inbetween, leading to the same conclusion, was enough to settle my mind. It takes more than "But try it now, it might have improved!" to excite me.
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
For me, SumatraPDF is as good as it gets (as far as reading goes). It is very fast, looks really classic and obeys the PDF restriction rules and best of all is, its free :-D . Also, one really handy feature I find is that it remembers where you left off reading in a PDF and opens from there next time you want to read.
I am not the one who knocks. I never knock. In fact, I hate knocking. Just barge in will'Ya?
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I've used FoxIt for years because it's free, fast and easy.
Someone's therapist knows all about you!
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
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Personally I have decided to use the paid version of NitroPDF just because I liked the free version and had a need for the functionality of the paid version. Haven't regret it. My company installs Acrobat on my machine as default but I tend to uninstall it again :-D As a pure PDF reader I actually often use Chrome with a PDF viewer extension.
This is a bit off topic from the OP's question. Nitro's reader works fine, but I had enough problems with the print driver in their professional version that I switched to Foxit. Nitro's free print driver works ok, but I found the file size of the resulting documents was larger, and the resolution was lower quality. Given the comments in this thread regarding Foxit, I need to dig a bit deeper into that. I really like the editor and the reader comes up faster than others I've tried, but if it's sending telemetry to anyone, I'm looking for a replacement.
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For me, SumatraPDF is as good as it gets (as far as reading goes). It is very fast, looks really classic and obeys the PDF restriction rules and best of all is, its free :-D . Also, one really handy feature I find is that it remembers where you left off reading in a PDF and opens from there next time you want to read.
I am not the one who knocks. I never knock. In fact, I hate knocking. Just barge in will'Ya?
Not to mention it can read djvu files as well...
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
SumatraPDF, it's fast with rendering, opens almost instantly, reguarly updated and offers tabs (which I prefer not to use) some old versions also didn't obey print-locked documents which is handy! I use CutePDF as a printer driver (Win7)
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
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For me, SumatraPDF is as good as it gets (as far as reading goes). It is very fast, looks really classic and obeys the PDF restriction rules and best of all is, its free :-D . Also, one really handy feature I find is that it remembers where you left off reading in a PDF and opens from there next time you want to read.
I am not the one who knocks. I never knock. In fact, I hate knocking. Just barge in will'Ya?
Couldn't agree more. I have used SumatraPDF for years and am very happy with it.
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
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Not to mention it can read djvu files as well...
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I use PDF Xchange Viewer from Tracker Software[^]. It is free, allows the user to insert a comments layer, allowing the addition of text and "rubber stamps." It comes with a number of preset rubber stamps and also allows users to create and use their own. I created a signature stamp which allows me to "sign" documents.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock
Plus one for PDF Xchange Viewer. Free, fast, great editing tool. I always set Chrome to open my PDFs in my sysytem viewer, because 90% of the time I need to type on or draw on the PDF. I especially love the draw tool, as it allows me to "sign" these documents, by drawing my signature. I never print PDFs anymore for signatures. I use an old version b/c I haven't seen any reason to upgrade.
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I use PDF Xchange Viewer from Tracker Software[^]. It is free, allows the user to insert a comments layer, allowing the addition of text and "rubber stamps." It comes with a number of preset rubber stamps and also allows users to create and use their own. I created a signature stamp which allows me to "sign" documents.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock
I've used PDF-XChange Viewer for several years now and really like it more than a few others I've tried. But it appears that the Viewer has been discontinued in favor of their commercial PDF-XChange Editor. This is unfortunate (for users looking for freeware). But at least they still allow you to download the Viewer (for now).
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Hello all, 1. Acrobat reader DC. 2. Nitro PDF reader. 3. Foxit Reader. 4. Windows Reader. 5. SumatraPDF. Which is your preferred one and why?
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I use PDF Xchange Viewer from Tracker Software[^]. It is free, allows the user to insert a comments layer, allowing the addition of text and "rubber stamps." It comes with a number of preset rubber stamps and also allows users to create and use their own. I created a signature stamp which allows me to "sign" documents.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock
