The PDF is a powerful file type. Let's take a look at the best PDF reader apps for Android to help make it easier.
By Joe HindyPublished on March 22, 2024
PDF reader apps have always been a pain in the neck. Generally speaking, there are two primary use cases for PDF files. The first is for business, where you can create PDF forms and have people fill them out. The second is for reading e-books. The PDF is an easily accessible file that works well for reading. Usually, PDF reader apps only cater to one of two of these use cases, and in this list, we’ve compiled a selection of the best PDF reader apps on Android for both. You can also check out the best PDF reader apps on other platforms by clicking here.
We’d also like to give an honorable mention to MJ PDF Reader (Google Play). It’s a simple FOSS reader that does things pretty well. It was also featured on our best Android apps of 2022 list.
There are two dominant types of PDF reader apps. The first is for business and professional use. These let you do things like open PDFs, fill out if it’s a form, sign your name, annotate, and other similar features. They’re most useful for business professionals, students, or anyone who fills out forms and sends them back via email or online. Some typical examples of this include Adobe Acrobat Reader and DocuSign. Some apps, like CamScanner, add document scanning and fax features for additional functionality and usability.
The other type of PDF reader is for recreational use. A lot of people format ebooks into PDF format. A proper PDF reader for books includes features like support for chapters, a reading mode, various scrolling modes, and other similar features. Apps on this list like that include Google Play Books and Moon+ Reader. These apps almost always support different ebook types as well. This list has PDF reader apps for both types.
There is also a third, less common type of PDF reader app. All-in-one style apps include PDF support along with other non-PDF productivity features. For instance, CamScanner and Fast Scanner are document scanner apps with built-in PDF reader functionality. These apps are great for killing two birds with one stone and are also excellent for people who don’t want or need to carry around a bunch of apps when they can combine the functionality into a single app. We also have a few of these types of apps on the list.
Price: Free / $14.99-$29.99 per month
Adobe Acrobat Reader is the default choice for a lot of people. Most of the time, it just works. The app also has other features, including the ability to annotate and take notes on PDFs, fill out forms, some cloud storage support, and sign your signature. You also get a whole Material Design experience, support for 18:9 displays, and other aspect ratios. This is more for business or professional use than for reading PDF books, so we only recommend it for that use case. A subscription cost unlocks features along with Adobe’s Creative Cloud storage option. It’s not bad for your basic stuff.
Price: Free / $4.99 per month / Additional in-app purchases
CamScanner is one of the most powerful PDF readers and creators. It can import PDFs. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. It can also scan physical documents into PDF files on your phone. It has various features to improve the scanning process, which helps make some clean, crisp documents. You can annotate PDFs, share them with anyone, or even fax them for a nominal fee. The paid route brings additional features such as 10GB of cloud space, editing features, and more. The free version should do well enough for simple stuff, though.
Price: Free / $10-$40 per month (three plans)
DocuSign is a PDF reader for business use. The app’s primary function is to open documents, allow you to fill them out, sign them, and send them where they need to go. That part of the app is free. There are also a few subscription plans. $10 per month gives you a few additional features. The $25- and $40-per-month subscriptions build on that. Frankly, you don’t need to worry about subscriptions unless you do stuff like this professionally.
Price: Free / $4.99 per item
Fast Scanner is another PDF scanner app that isn’t as heavy as CamScanner. This nifty, simple app will scan documents using your smartphone camera and turn them into JPEG or PDF files for future use. It comes with various features to help sharpen and clean the scan as much as possible before finalizing anything. You can then use any PDF reader app to view it yourself. Most of the features, and all of the important ones, are available in the free version. You can also get the premium version free with Google Play Pass.
Price: Free / $0.99
Foxit is a lot like ezPDF. Both boast all-in-one solutions for PDF use. It features an organization system to keep your PDF files in line. You’ll also get ConnectedPDF support, the ability to fill out PDFs, and support for PDF files with certificates, passwords, and Microsoft’s RMS. It’s an excellent all-around option when factoring in the reading features. It’s mostly for business use, whereas ezPDF is more for pleasure reading, but it works great for reading, too. Foxit also offers an app specifically for business use, which costs $15.99. This version only costs $0.99.
Price: Free
Google PDF Reader is a plugin for Google Drive. The plugin gives native PDF support for Google Drive users. This isn’t the most powerful PDF reader app. However, you can open and view PDFs as needed. You can also print, search, and copy from PDF files. This also works as a standalone application for those needing something simple but not using Google Drive exclusively. There isn’t much else about it, honestly. It opens and lets you read through PDFs, and that’s all it does. The app works perfectly for simple use cases.
Price: Free
Google Play Books is Google’s answer to Amazon’s Kindle. You can buy various books from the store and read them wherever. It can also read PDF files. There is no business use here — this is just for pleasure reading. You can also upload the PDF (and EPUB) files to the cloud to access across devices. The books become a part of your library like any other book. It’s a great way to consolidate an extensive collection behind a service that lets you buy more books. The app is free, but you can spend money on the books in the store. Google has another PDF reader that works with its Google Drive suite called Google PDF Viewer. That’s not a bad one for super basic use cases.
Price: Free (with ads)
Librera is one of the more interesting PDF reader apps. It seems to change dramatically every time we update this list. These days, the app bills itself as an all-in-one ebook reader. It supports over a dozen formats, including PDF, EPUB, EPUB3, MOBI, DJVU, ZIP, and TXT. It also features a modern design, a night and day mode for more effortless reading at night. You can even listen to books using Text-to-speech if you want to. The app is a bit buggier than most others on this list, but it’s also completely free (with advertising). They also have another PDF reader in Google Play. It goes by the bland name PDF Reader and also works pretty well.
Price: Free / $6.99-$22.00 per month
Microsoft Word is one of the most powerful mobile or desktop word processors. The app also supports PDF files. You can create PDF files and save them as that file type or open PDFs and view them through the app. Of course, Word does a host of other things, including word processing, stuff like resume building, and more. It also has features for ebook reading and other such PDF use cases. It’s a decent, all-in-one solution for those who need a PDF reader and a word processor.
Price: $4.99
MiXplorer Silver is an all-in-one file explorer. It does all of your usual file browser stuff. That includes browsing files, opening various files, dealing with archives, and supporting most types of media sources. This one is special because it supports all kinds of stuff via plugins. It has support for ebook formats along with PDF. A separate (free) plugin adds PDF reader support to MiXplorer Silver and a decent ebook reader experience. It’s not the most elegant solution for ebook reading, but it’s an excellent way to kill several birds with one stone. The main app is $4.49. The PDF add-on (and all of the other add-ons) are free.
Price: Free / $4.99 with in-app purchases
Moon+ Reader is one of the most popular ebook readers. It has features like theming support, tons of visual options, auto-scroll, intelligent paragraphs, dual page mode (for landscape), and more. The app also supports many formats like EPUB, EPUB3, and, of course, PDF. It has the occasional rough edge, but it’s among the best options for those who read books in PDF format.
Price: Free / $6.99 per month
OfficeSuite is one of the most popular office apps on mobile. It can do a lot of things. There is support for documents (including from Microsoft Office), spreadsheets, presentations, and even PDF files. The PDF functionality is pretty much just business-focused. You can fill out forms, sign them, and add/access security features. This is a good option for those who need a traditional office app with PDF support. The premium version is relatively expensive, though.
Price: Free
