If you’ve been exposed to the online world for a while, you must have probably heard about or downloaded a PDF file. What may have caused the split between you and PDFs was the inability of your android device to open the file.
Maybe the file was so important to you, so you Googled “the best PDF readers for Android” and you were eventually pushed here. Your search is ended girl, for this list contains three of the best PDF readers and editors for the Android platform.
PDF is an acronym which stands for Portable Document File. It has been around for quite some time and it seems it is going nowhere.
If you wonder if PDF files are any useful, PDFs are really ebook files. Images and text are stored in a PDF and transferred so it can be read on any device that supports reading of PDFs.
It is different from the document apps because once created, the text inside cannot be modified, the images cannot change positions and the general structure cannot be altered. However, you can append text to PDF files and insert images on already created pages.
While Windows computers can easily open PDF files with the help of Adobe reader, many Android phones do not have the opportunity of having a built-in PDF reader.
No worries, however, because this article will cover many excellent PDF readers you can use on your Android phone to seamlessly open PDF documents.
Let’s jump in.
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Best PDF Reader for Android
There are a lot of PDF readers for Android. A search for “PDF reader” on Google Play can produce hundreds of results. Which ones should you then use? Here they are.
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PDF Reader
PDF Reader is a very simple app on Android for reading PDF files. This was the very first app I deployed to open a PDF ebook, ever, and I loved it.
PDF Reader got the perfect name and perfect interface, but I can’t guarantee a perfect app.
So far, it’s the most powerful PDF reader I’ve seen on Android as it open large files easily and has a smooth reading experience.
It works perfectly on most devices, which means you won’t need a powerful device configuration to use the app. You can read the PDF files in portrait and landscape mode. You can turn on landscape by flipping your phone to the sides and it works even if your device is not on auto-rotate.
Also, it arranges the books beautifully at the front page, where the books are arranged on a bookshelf with their names written over them.
To find books amongst your files easily, there is a search button above the bookshelf which you can use.
PDF Reader won’t automatically scan and display your files though, you have to either open it from your file manager or use the search button above the bookshelf to find books.
Also, PDF Reader is cluttered with ads. It has no ad-free paid version so as long as you keep using the app, you have to bear with the ads.
I was okay with PDF Reader until I discovered that it doesn’t support in-book links. While reading an ebook on PDF Reader, you can’t click on links embedded within the ebook. This, I thought wasn’t much of a problem until I got an offer where $80 would be discounted from something I was about to buy online if I downloaded their ebook.
After downloading and reading the ebook, I discovered that I had to follow a link to claim the offer. And my reader can’t do that.
For this, I had to look up an alternative. After hours and Megabytes of search, I found…
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Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat is by far the most popular ebook reading app for Windows computers. The popular PDF reading and editing app for computers is available on smartphones too!
Once the app is installed and run, it scans all the files on the phone and displays them under “Local”.
Adobe Acrobat can be said to be superior to PDF Reader because in addition to PDF reading, it also allows for editing of the PDFs by highlighting some parts of the document, signing PDFs, etc. It also supports e-signature, which enable users sign forms by drawing the signature over the screen.
You can also upgrade to the pro version in-app, which unlocks premium features of the app.
For the best part, this app is free from ads.
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OfficeSuite
Although not camouflaged as an app for reading PDFs, OfficeSuite does a great job of reading PDFs without any hitch.
OfficeSuite is an office app. It opens many office and document files; (DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT, ODT, etc.) and also edits them. This gives you the opportunity to work with your office documents on the go.
Just like Word, it’s good with documents. Just like Excel, it’s good with spreadsheets and just like Powerpoint, its good with presentations.
However, it’s excellent at PDFs like none other. Giving you the opportunity to sign PDFs, edit, add pictures, videos, text, and tables, OfficeSuite can be described as great.
The downsides to OfficeSuite are not far-fetched. Most of its functionalities are locked behind the paid version known as OfficeSuite Pro.
In essence, you can’t possibly sign, edit or perform any actions on a PDF document except you’re on the paid plan. All you can do is to just read.
However, I pay for OfficeSuite premium, and I said to convince you that OfficeSuite Pro is worth paying for.
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Google PDF Viewer
It’s a surprise that the official Android app for PDF reading isn’t pre-installed by default.
I trust apps from Google, and I’m sure you do too. The risks of malware are minimal. That’s why Google PDF viewer should be used as the default PDF app for every Android phone.
This app is the most lightweight PDF reader considered here and thus has lightweight features. For example, its reading and reading alone.
You can find text in the document, zoom in and out and that’s almost all.
The absence of obtrusive ads makes it a loved PDF viewer for Android devices.
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WPS Office + PDF
WPS Office is largely similar to OfficeSuite. Just like OfficeSuite, it also opens and edits PDF files.
Just like OfficeSuite premium supports, you can scan documents to PDF in a matter of seconds with the aid of the camera.
You can also convert many office file extensions to PDF. Personally I prefer Officesuite’s interface to WPS Office.
However, OfficeSuite locks many features into its paid plan whiles WPS Office only locks essential features.
WPS Office + PDF also supports ads.
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Conclusion
Voila, we are done with the story. How do you see it?
Do you have any which has not been mentioned?
Do a favor by dropping them in the comments. Promise to check them out.
