Portable Document Format, commonly known as PDF, is a powerful file type that’s compact, versatile, and reliable when you want to present and exchange documents.
Regardless of the operating system, software, or hardware that you view the PDF document on, it’s easier to use when filling out forms or just reading the document.
If you want to access a PDF file on your Android device, you’ll need a PDF reader for that. These apps allow you to open a PDF file, fill it out, insert your signature, annotate, and more.
So, you can use them for personal, professional, or scholarly purposes to view or read the PDF document you’ve received or want to send out.
With the slew of PDF reader apps available on the Google Play Store, it can be difficult trying to pick out the best one for your needs. However, you can check for apps that include scrolling and reading modes, support for chapters, and other similar features.
Whether you want to read PDF files for work or school, we’ve compiled a list of the best PDF readers for Android you can use on your mobile device.
Let’s learn more.
Best PDF Readers For Android
1. Adobe Acrobat Reader
For many people, Adobe Acrobat Reader is the default choice PDF reader for Android. You can view, edit, sign, comment, and even export documents from your Android device.
And you can store your file safely online and still access it on the go using this PDF reader.
The app features a special AI-enabled Liquid Mode for easier navigation through your PDF files on an Android device, and dark mode to read in low-light conditions. Also included are single and continuous scroll modes that make it easy to scan through your PDF documents.
A powerful search function allows you to find words in the text without having to read everything in the document. You get excellent document compatibility, and you can scroll around, zoom in or out, and get cloud storage if you sign up for an Adobe account.
The paid version of the app offers form filling and signing, file annotation, text highlighting, adding and managing comments, and an OCR-powered Adobe Scan app to scan receipts, whiteboards, or business cards and convert them to editable and searchable PDF files.
For extra functions, the app comes with in-app purchases and works on devices running Android 5.0 and up.
Explore the best free alternatives to Adobe Acrobat here.
2. WPS Office
WPS Office is a great office suite that includes many functions. It’s mostly used as an office app, but it also has some PDF capabilities.
The app converts documents into PDF so you can read them natively. If you want an office app and a PDF viewer, this all-in-one office solution is a good choice.
You can view PDF files natively and still read, edit, and create documents in other formats, including Word, presentations, and spreadsheets.
The app allows you to read, edit, and convert PDFs, plus you get a document scanner. In addition, you can skip to page numbers, add and view bookmarks, view PDF file annotations, search for text, and access your PDF from cloud storage.
The app is free to use and small-sized, so you won’t worry about it taking up too much of your internal device storage space.
The PDF reader also supports PDF signature, split or extraction, and merging. You can add or delete watermarks in your PDF file, manage all your documents in the WPS cloud, sync in real-time on other devices, and access or edit your files easily and directly.
You get 1GB of free cloud storage so you can save your files to third-party services including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Evernote, then share them via WiFi, DLNA, NFC, and other apps or platforms.
Find out more tools like WPS Office here.
3. Xodo PDF Reader
Xodo PDF Reader makes it easy and fast to read your PDF files. You can view, edit, and even sign PDFs on your device and manipulate them by inserting, deleting, or rotating pages to fit your needs.
Among its features include a full-screen mode, high zoom factors, and night mode to read clearly in low-light conditions. Plus, it works with your Google account so you can view and merge PDF files from Google Drive on your Android device.
You can link to Dropbox and OneDrive among other cloud services to access your PDFs wherever you are. The app syncs the changes with the source file so you have the latest version anytime.
Xodo PDF Reader is free to use and you can merge multiple PDFs into one file. The app loads quickly and offers smooth navigation. You also get note taking, file management, bookmarking, and other features.
There aren’t any in-app purchases, and Xodo works for your personal, recreational, and business use cases.
Also Read: Best Online PDF Summarizer Tools
4. Foxit PDF Reader Mobile
Foxit PDF Reader Mobile is a free, fast, and straightforward PDF reader for Android that lets you open files quickly and control how the text on the PDF fits your device’s screen.
You can change background or brightness for an easier, more enjoyable reading experience, highlight text, add drawings and notes, or share files and collaborate with others.
The premium version gives you access to the PDF file merging feature and password protection.
If you have multiple platforms, Foxit can read your PDFs on other devices, including Windows PCs. It integrates with cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox for more flexibility, and you can protect sensitive data with its privacy features.
With Foxit, you can also export PDFs to other file formats, and organize the PDFs in line. You can fill out PDFs, and get support for ConnectedPDF and other PDFs with passwords, certificates, and Microsoft RMS.
Also Read: Best Online Document Comparison Software
5. PDF Viewer Pro
PDF Viewer Pro is a free, basic, and simple Android PDF reader app with all the basic features like zoom, bookmarks, annotations, and cloud support, among others.
With the paid version, you get multiple customization options, themes, and document merging in one PDF.
Its user interface is easy to use, and you also get to access the Material Design tool. The free app also provides powerful features such as opening PDFs in the cloud or storing locally on your device and making basic edits or annotations.
If you pay for a subscription, you can interpolate or combine documents, annotate images, and get an interface-free presentation mode.
Check Out: Best Text Comparison Tools
6. Moon+ Reader
Moon+ Reader is a PDF reader app for Android that’s available as a free or paid tool. It’s a popular app for reading e-books and comes with a boatload of features such as auto-scroll, dual page mode, tons of visual options, theming support, and intelligent paragraphs.
The app supports multiple types of formats, including PDF, EPUB, and EPUB3, among others. It’s one of the best for reading PDF format books, and you get thousands of local and foreign ebooks to download in seconds so you can read on the go.
The app comes with a simple user interface and it’s small enough so it won’t hog up the precious space on your Android device.
The full visual options include line space, bold, font scale, shadow, italic, alpha colors, justified alignment, fading edge, and more. The app also supports MOBI, FB2, AZW3, CBZ, CBR, CHM, DOCX, TXT, RTF, WEBP, ZIP, RAR, HTML, ODT, and other file formats.
You get more than 10 themes embedded in the app plus day and night mode switcher, various paging types like touch screen, search or back keys, and volume keys.
The app also comes with 24 customized operations including swipe gesture, screen click, and hardware keys, five auto-scroll modes, brightness adjustment by sliding your finger on the screen edge, and backup or restore options among others.
You can highlight, annotate, translate, and find words from the dictionary while using or viewing your PDF file. The app is localized in 40 languages, and the paid version offers an ad-free experience plus name replacement, book to home screen shortcuts, and more beautiful fonts, themes, and background images.
7. MuPDF
MuPDF is a free, open-source, lightweight PDF reader and document viewer that handles XPS, CBZ, PDF, and unprotected ePUB documents. It focuses mainly on PDF files and comprises command-line tools, software libraries, and viewers for various platforms.
The customizable and highly versatile PDF reader allows you to add PDF functions quickly and easily to your mobile app through app kits for your Android device. You can also add PDF library functionality to your computer or laptop, embedded projects with the core API, and cloud or server.
The PDF reader is just for reading documents so you can’t fill out forms or edit annotations like other apps on this list do. However, you get other nifty features like tapping to flip to previous or next pages, or bring up and hide toolbars.
You also get a link button to toggle highlighting hyperlinks, to make them active and tappable. Plus, you can pinch to zoom in or out, and tapping will scroll to move to the next screenful of text.
In the toolbar, there’s a search button and table of contents button, a scrubber to go to any place in your PDF document, an overview system button, and a file chooser to open multiple files simultaneously.
MuPDF also has a renderer that works with high-quality anti-aliased graphics. It renders text with spacing and metrics accurate to almost fractions of a pixel to get high fidelity to reproduce the look of a page printed on a screen.
It’s a small, complete, and fast PDF reader that supports PDF, OpenXPS, XPS, FictionBook 2, and EPUB formats. You can fill out forms and annotate PDFs with the mobile viewers.
With the command-line tools, you can edit, annotate, and convert documents to other formats such as SVG, HTML, CBZ, and PDF, and write scripts to manipulate documents with JavaScript.
The app features support for progressive rendering of large documents, text reflow, PDF 1.7, and it can handle basic interactive features like hyperlinks, form-filling, annotations, electronic signatures, text search, and extraction.
It doesn’t have extra fancy features like advanced editing or cloud integration, but you can still give it a shot.
Also Read: Best Google Docs Alternatives
8. PDF Reader – Editor & Viewer by Simple Design Ltd
PDF Reader – Editor & Viewer is designed for users who want a lightweight yet capable PDF companion on Android.
The app supports fast PDF opening, page bookmarking, night mode, file searching, and basic annotation tools that help with studying or reviewing documents.
Its interface is clean and beginner-friendly, which makes navigation pleasantly frictionless instead of feeling like a maze of tiny buttons and hidden menus.
The smooth scrolling and its ability to handle large PDF files without freezing weaker phones into digital fossils is a highlight.
It also includes document organization features and quick sharing options. While it is not as advanced as premium desktop-grade editors, it performs very well for everyday reading and simple edits.
9. PDF Reader – Read PDF Files by QR Code Scanner
PDF Reader – Read PDF Files focuses on providing an easy mobile reading experience for PDFs and office documents.
The app offers quick document detection, zoom controls, page jumps, and file management tools that help users locate PDFs buried deep inside crowded storage folders.
Its compact design works well on budget Android devices where heavier PDF tools sometimes lumber around like exhausted elephants in wet cement.
The reader also supports recent-file history and simple sharing functions, making it practical for students and office users. The editing features are albeit limited compared to more professional apps, but sufficient enough for beginners.
While ads may occasionally interrupt the experience depending on the version being used, it remains a decent PDF reader for Android users who mainly need reliable document viewing without complicated extras.
10. PDF Reader without Ads by Roop Games
PDF Reader without Ads stands out primarily because it avoids the advertisement avalanche that floods many free PDF apps.
The interface feels uncluttered and calm, giving users a cleaner reading environment for books, notes, forms, and study material.
It includes useful essentials like page search, bookmarks, horizontal scrolling, and dark mode support for late-night reading sessions that usually roast eyeballs like overcooked almonds.
Performance is generally smooth for standard PDF files, and the app avoids unnecessary permissions, which some users value for privacy reasons.
The feature set is simpler than enterprise-grade PDF editors, so power users may find it somewhat limited for advanced markup or conversion tasks.
Still, for distraction-free reading, it is a genuinely good PDF reader for Android and particularly appealing to users tired of aggressive ads.
11. PDF Reader – PDF Viewer by App Craze
PDF Reader – PDF Viewer combines PDF viewing tools with lightweight editing and document management capabilities.
Users can highlight text, search within documents, jump to specific pages, and organize files through a fairly intuitive layout.
The app is designed to keep document handling quick and accessible instead of burying every function beneath seven menus and a ceremonial treasure hunt.
It also supports multiple document formats beyond PDFs, which can be useful for productivity-focused users.
Reading performance is usually stable, though some users report occasional ads and notification prompts. The app is best suited for casual and moderate use rather than heavy-duty professional workflows.
Overall, it is a solid PDF reader for Android users who want basic editing tools alongside dependable reading functionality in a single app package.
12. PDF Reader – PDF Scanner by Gamma Play
PDF Reader – PDF Scanner blends document scanning and PDF reading into one compact productivity tool.
Users can scan physical papers using their phone camera, convert them into PDFs, and immediately read or organize them within the app.
The scanner functionality is especially useful for receipts, notes, contracts, and classroom handouts floating around like loose paper confetti.
The app also supports zooming, quick navigation, and document searching, making everyday reading comfortable on smaller screens.
Its lightweight footprint helps it run efficiently on older Android devices as well. While the editing toolkit is not deeply advanced, the scan-and-read combination makes it practical for mobile productivity.
For users who need simple document scanning capabilities without installing separate apps for every tiny task, this is the one to go with.
13. ReadEra – book reader pdf epub by READERA LLC
ReadEra is one of the most respected reading apps on Android, especially among users who consume books and long-form documents daily.
It supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, DOC, and several other formats, making it feel less like a single-purpose reader and more like a portable digital library tucked inside your pocket.
The app offers smooth reading modes, bookmarks, quotes, text organization, and no mandatory sign-in requirements.
PDFs open quickly, and navigation feels fluid even with large files. Although it lacks deep PDF editing tools, its reading experience is exceptional.
With minimal ads and an excellent offline functionality, the app is an ideal PDF tool.
14. iLovePDF: PDF Editor & Scanner by iLovePDF
iLovePDF: PDF Editor & Scanner brings many of the well-known iLovePDF web tools into a polished Android experience.
Beyond simple reading, the app supports merging PDFs, splitting files, compressing documents, converting images to PDFs, adding signatures, and scanning papers directly from the phone camera.
It feels like carrying a miniature document workshop rather than just a reading utility. The interface is modern and surprisingly approachable despite the large number of features packed into the app.
Cloud integration also makes file management easier for users working across multiple devices. Some advanced features may require premium access, but the free version remains highly capable.
As a PDF reader, it performs very well with smooth navigation and annotation tools. Overall, it is an excellent PDF reader for Android users needing both reading and productivity features.
15. PDF Reader – Viewer & Editor by Blue Orbit
PDF Reader – Viewer & Editor aims to provide an all-in-one solution for viewing, editing, and managing PDF files on Android devices.
The app includes features like annotations, bookmarks, page navigation, file sorting, and text highlighting, making it useful for both personal and academic work.
Its interface is fairly straightforward and avoids feeling overloaded with unnecessary visual clutter or neon chaos exploding across the screen.
Users can quickly access recent files and organize documents without much effort. Performance is generally reliable for ordinary reading and editing tasks, though heavier documents may occasionally slow down on lower-end phones.
It may not rival premium enterprise software, but it covers most everyday needs comfortably.
Wrapping Up
Using any of these PDF readers, you can quickly read through your files on-the-go and with complete ease.
If you use e-books or PDF forms regularly, pick any of these tools for comfortable reading, filing forms, scanning, or converting documents to the format you need.
Enjoyed the post?
