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• Posted Aug. 25, 2015, 2:39 p.m. - 8 years, 7 months ago

Top Free PDF Apps for Mobile Users

If you spend a lot of time on your mobile or tablet browsing the web, then this post is going to be right up your street! A lot of companies have created mobile friendly versions of their websites (especially since Google’s Mobile Friendly update last April) and as such, have made sure that any corresponding PDF documents online can be read and accessed by users.

Ordinarily, if you’re browsing a website and come across a PDF, your mobile browser will be able to access it and then, according to your settings, open it in another application for viewing, syncing, saving and printing if required. As an example, Apple’s Safari browser will access a PDF and then iBooks, one of iOS’s integrated apps, will open it as default. If you’re an Android user, the Android Browser will download the PDF to view in your preferred PDF program. That doesn’t mean though that you have to stick with the basic built in browsers and apps to view and work with PDFs on your mobile – there are a range of apps out there designed to allow users to view PDF documents and save them for further use with ease.

•    iBooks – iBooks was originally released by Apple in 2010 and works on iOS and OS X, current versions of which come with iBooks pre-installed as an integrated app. Primarily a viewing program for EPUB, IBA and PDF document types, this is typically set as the Default app for Safari to open these document types in. iBooks also runs the iBooks Store, through which users can purchase books for their device.
Compatible with: Apple devices only

•    Adobe Acrobat Reader – Created as a multi-platform app, Adobe Acrobat Reader allows users to view PDF files, annotate and review them, fill in and sign forms, print, save and share files and also take advantage of in-app purchases to gain extra features such as create PDF files from scratch, organise pages within PDFs and export them to Word or Excel.
Compatible with: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS

•    Kindle App – not strictly an app dedicated to PDF documents, nonetheless this can be used as a fully functional PDF reader and also allows users to upload their own PDFs to their library via email to the unique email Amazon allocate every Kindle user when the device/app is first activated. These, alongside any ebooks saved to the device, are synced as normal across all devices using the Kindle app as well as the Kindle device itself.
Compatible with: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Fire OS and BlackBerry OS

•    Google Play Books – Another app that is multi-functional, Google Play Books works in much the same way as the Kindle App, allowing users to download PDFs and view them onscreen to read. The app supports EPUB and PDF files and also allows users to upload both device types directly to the app via their device.
Compatible with: iOS and Android

•    Evernote – we couldn’t let this one by – Evernote has been popular ever since its’ release in 2008 and is available for both free (restricted) and paid options. Designed for note taking and archiving, Evernote allows users to open PDF files, search them via the inbuilt search function, and even create notes and attach PDFs to them to send on to other users.
Compatible with: OS X, iOS, Chrome OS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and webOS

•    SignEasy – if you need to sign and send a document, this is the app to use. Compatible with PDF, Excel and Word documents, signatures will also be saved within the program after first use, making the process easier for next time. The app does present paid options for users but basic features are available for free.
Compatible with: iOS, Android and BlackBerry

• Apps
• Operating Systems
• PDF Viewers