Best Papers Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from PDF readers ranked against Papers on the same published basis.
- 1Papers vs Launchpad
- 2Papers vs Mozilla PDF.js
- 3Papers vs Evince
- 4Papers vs Foxit PDF Reader
- 5Papers vs KDAN PDF
- 6Papers vs MuPDF
- 7Papers vs Okular
- 8Papers vs Highlights
- 9Papers vs Javelin PDF Reader
- 10Papers vs QuickTime Player
- 11Papers vs StarForce Reader
- 12Papers vs SumatraPDF
- 13Papers vs Timeshift
- 14Papers vs Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer
- 15Papers vs Kiosk
- 16Papers vs Komodo PDF
- 18Papers vs Skim
- 19Papers vs Zathura
- 20Papers vs Adobe Scan
- 21Papers vs LiquidText
Papers alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launchpad | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 2 | Mozilla PDF.js | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 3 | Evince | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 4 | Foxit PDF Reader | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 5 | KDAN PDF | 6.0 | Free plan | $5/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | MuPDF | 6.0 | Free plan | $299/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Okular | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Highlights | 5.9 | Free plan | $2.50/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 9 | Javelin PDF Reader | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | QuickTime Player | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 11 | StarForce Reader | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | SumatraPDF | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 13 | Timeshift | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 14 | Aiseesoft Free PDF Viewer | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 15 | Kiosk | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Komodo PDF | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 18 | Skim | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 19 | Zathura | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac |
| 20 | Adobe Scan | 5.6 | No | — | Android, iOS |
| 21 | LiquidText | 5.5 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
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Questions about Papers alternatives
What is the best alternative to Papers?
Launchpad, number 1 in PDF readers with a score of 7.3 out of 10. The others here: Mozilla PDF.js, Evince, Foxit PDF Reader and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Papers?
Launchpad is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 18 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.