Best PDF Viewers for Ubuntu: Top Picks for Every Need

If you’re a Linux user, finding the perfect PDF viewer can be challenging, as there are so many options that it’s not easy to know which one is right for you. I have tested most of them for you so I can give you my recommendations in this article.

Okular is often considered the best PDF viewer for Ubuntu based on performance, features and ease of use. Other alternatives such as Adobe Reader or Zathura can also be considered depending on the user’s needs.

Take a look at the following list in the article, each option in this list contains different PDF Viewers each with different features. You might even find yourself wanting to try more than one!

TL;DR: Which PDF Viewer should you use?

• Best overall: Okular: feature-rich, versatile and easy to use.
• Best nostalgic option: Adobe Reader – for those who want a familiar option.
• Best minimalist option: Zathura – superlightweight, and keyboard-friendly.

Okular

Okular is one of the most popular options to pick on Ubuntu and in other Linux Distributions too. It is versatile, easy to use, and intuitive for anyone from other environments like Windows with PDF Viewers like Adobe Reader. This is the perfect choice for beginners on Linux.

Features

These are the main features that Okular has:

• Native on Linux: Thanks to being developed by the KDE community, Okular is fully native to Linux in almost every distribution, So you will have a lot of documentation, tutorials, and a wider range of support for any issue you may encounter.
• Multi-Format: Okular can open & view more formats besides the standard PDF, which can be ePuB, PostScript, DjVu, XPS, and many more. You can find more info about this on their website.

• Annotations: You can annotate the PDF document to highlight notes or paragraphs you are reading to keep in mind the next time you read or open the document. This is highly useful if you are taking notes from a book.

Installation

When using Ubuntu, the installation will be easy using the APT package manager, which already has the Okular package in the Ubuntu repository. You will only have to use the following command:
sudo apt install okular

If you want to perform a simpler installation without using commands, you can use the Ubuntu Snap store, search for Okular and install it.

Tip: Command lines can be a pain to memorize. I put the essential Linux commands on a printable cheat sheet so you don't have to keep googling them. You can grab the PDF here if you want to save some time.

Adobe Reader

Who doesn’t remember Adobe Reader? It’s one of the most used PDF Viewers in Windows and is the one we grew up with. Although it is not the latest version (a version from 2013), and neither is the most polished PDF Viewer on Ubuntu, it is a classic option for nostalgic people.

Features

• Multi-platform: Although the Linux version differs from the current Windows and MacOS versions, the software is still cross-platform so you can use it in different environments.
• Familiarity: Adobe Reader is quite well-known in Windows environments, so if you have used it before, you will have no problem getting familiar with this Linux version.

Installation

There are two ways to install Adobe Reader, and the first, which is simple, is to use Snap either through the store or through the CLI, like this case:
sudo snap install acrordrdc

You can search for it on the Snap Store too, and it will be easier to install:

In case of not using snap, you will need to do a manual approach with a deb package, like this (only working on Debian/Ubuntu-based distributions):
wget -O adobe.deb ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/9.x/9.5.5/enu/AdbeRdr9.5.5-1_i386linux_enu.deb
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libxml2:i386 libcanberra-gtk-module:i386 gtk2-engines-murrine:i386 libatk-adaptor:i386
sudo dpkg -i adobe.deb

The first time you start Adobe Reader, you will notice that it will take a while to start up, and it will ask you to install a few things. This is because Adobe Reader is running using Wine and the Linux OS must make the preparations before starting it. You can start it using:
acrordrdc

Warning: Keep in mind that this version of Adobe Reader is old compared to the Windows/macOS versions and is no longer updated by Adobe, so it may not have all the features that those versions currently have and does not offer any security guarantees.

Master PDF Editor

This is an option for those people who need more than just a PDF Viewer. In the case of “Master PDF Editor” as its name suggests, it also allows us to create, edit, and convert PDFs. It is the PDF Viewer option with more advanced editing features than the rest.

Of course, all these features are not free, we can use them, but it is paid software. To properly enjoy these features without restrictions it is necessary to have a subscription.

You can see more about this on the Master Edit PDF website, this is the only software on the list that you will see with a paid version. But don’t hesitate to look at it, you might even consider using the full version of the software if you like it.

Features

The main features of Master PDF Editor are focused mainly on PDF editing, which includes the following:

• Advanced document editing: Allows you to edit text, images, or even the PDF structure by moving, adding, or deleting the content of the PDF.
• Form Creation: You can create forms with text fields, checkboxes, or buttons if you require a document with those features.
• Security: You can assign a password with encryption to the documents to protect files with sensitive information.

Note: Some features are intended to be used only for the registered version of the software. In the free version, a watermark will be added to your PDF if you use those features.

Installation

The most common option in case you don’t have snap, is to use the .deb file to install Master PDF Editor, you can download it from their web page. After downloading it, open the terminal in the same directory.

Then use dpkg to install the deb file you have, you can specify it by writing the first few letters and then press TAB to autocomplete (this is a little trick you can use in other commands too!):
dpkg -i master-pdf-editor-<version>.deb

In case, you get the error “Package libqt5concurrent5 is not installed”. You can fix the error by installing the package:
sudo apt install libqt5concurrent5

If you are a bit lazy, you can save yourself this whole process by simply installing it directly from the Snap Store.

Browser (Firefox/Chrome)

This is not a standalone option in the list, it is a feature that modern browsers have to read PDF files, so you will not need to install any additional software, and you will only need your favorite browser to read PDF files (keep in mind that not every browser has this feature available).

Features

Since the browser is not directly a PDF Viewer, it does not have many features to highlight, but among those we have:

• Online View: You can view in the same browser the PDF files that are uploaded to any page without downloading them, so you can save space and time when viewing them online.

• No installation: All Linux Distributions (especially Ubuntu) already come bundled with a web browser such as Firefox or Chromium, so there is no need to install any extra extension or software to view PDF files.

Installation

You don’t need to install anything! The only thing required is a browser like Firefox or any Chromium-based (Opera, Brave, or Chrome) for using the PDF Viewer.

See also: Top 5 Ubuntu Browsers (Speed, features & more)

Document Viewer (Default PDF Viewer)

The Document Viewer is a PDF Viewer that commonly comes by default in most Linux Distributions, so there is no need to install it. Its major benefit comes from the fact that is comes by default in the Linux distribution installation, and that is very lightweight.

Features

This is the only option in the list that does not contain any unique features other than the feature that is included by default in the Ubuntu installation. It has the same features in common with the other items on the list.

Overall, it is a PDF viewer with light performance and simple options like searching for text within a PDF, nothing out of the ordinary.

Installation

No need to make an installation, comes by default on Ubuntu!

Zathura

Zathura is the simplest PDF Viewer in the list and the one that has functions a little differently from the rest since it does not stand out for its interface, or its PDF editing. What stands out about Zathura is its simple functionality.

When we talk about Zathura we can be talking about two PDF Viewers in one, since we are not only talking about Zathura but also about MuPDF or Popper which are optional plugins that can be used as backend (it’s like their “engine”) for viewing PDF.

This is the most minimalist option on the list, why? Simply because we won’t have a flashy interface and this PDF Viewer depends on more of you using the keyboard for doing any command!

Features

• Navigation focused on Keyboard: This PDF Viewer is centered on the use of keyboard commands, so it will offer you more efficiency when navigating but it will be a bit more complicated to understand at the beginning.
• Lightweight Performance: Zathura’s performance is quite light so it is a recommendable option if you do not have a high-end pc, it does not contain unnecessary functions, and it is ideal if you need to save resources.
• Minimalistic Interface: This is the simplest PDF viewer on the list, it does not have an overloaded interface, which makes it a minimalist option for those who do not want distractions or just want to view the PDF Content.

Installation

Zathura can be found in most Linux repositories, in the case of Ubuntu, you can install it using apt:
sudo apt install zathura

To install plugins like MuPDF or Popper you will have to install them from the source code, so it can be a bit more complicated process. You can see more about how to install MuPDF or Popper in their respective repositories. But generally, only with Zathura you can view PDFs.

That finishes our roundup! I hope you’ve found your favorite. And for those of you who don’t use a desktop environment, check out our guide on opening PDFs from the terminal.

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