Top PDF Viewer Libraries

SumatraPDF is a free, open-source PDF, eBook, and comic book reader for Windows, known for its simplicity and speed.

Pros

• Lightweight and fast, with minimal resource usage compared to many other PDF readers
• Supports a wide range of file formats beyond PDFs, including ePub, MOBI, CBZ, and DjVu
• Portable version available, requiring no installation and easy to run from USB drives

Cons

• Limited annotation and editing features compared to more comprehensive tools like Xournal++
• Lacks advanced viewing options and customization found in some other readers like Sioyek
• Windows-only, unlike cross-platform alternatives such as PDF.js-based viewers or ONLYOFFICE DocumentServer

Note: As SumatraPDF is a standalone application and not a code library, a code example is not applicable for this comparison.

Xournal++ is an open-source note-taking application with PDF annotation capabilities, designed as a more feature-rich alternative to Xournal.

Pros

• Offers extensive handwriting and drawing tools, making it ideal for digital note-taking and sketching.
• Provides robust PDF annotation features, including highlighting, underlining, and adding text or images.
• Supports pressure-sensitive input devices, enhancing the natural writing experience.

Cons

• Limited to desktop platforms, unlike some other projects that offer mobile or web-based solutions.
• May have a steeper learning curve compared to simpler PDF viewers or annotators.
• Lacks some advanced PDF manipulation features found in more specialized tools like PDF4QT or SumatraPDF.

wojtekmaj/react-pdf is a React component library for rendering PDF files in web applications.

Code Example

import { Document, Page } from 'react-pdf';

<Document file="sample.pdf">
  <Page pageNumber={1} />
</Document>

Pros

• Seamless integration with React applications, making it easy to incorporate PDF viewing functionality
• Supports rendering multiple pages and customizable page controls
• Actively maintained with regular updates and good documentation

Cons

• Limited to web-based applications, unlike some other projects that offer desktop or mobile PDF viewers
• May have performance limitations when rendering large or complex PDF files compared to native viewers
• Lacks advanced annotation and editing features found in some other PDF tools like xournalpp or ONLYOFFICE/DocumentServer

DImuthuUpe/AndroidPdfViewer is an Android library for rendering PDF files using PdfiumAndroid.

Code Example

PDFView pdfView = findViewById(R.id.pdfView);
pdfView.fromAsset("sample.pdf")
       .load();

Pros

• Specifically designed for Android, making it easy to integrate into Android applications.
• Offers smooth scrolling and zooming capabilities for PDF documents.
• Provides a simple API for loading and displaying PDF files from various sources.

Cons

• Limited to Android platform, unlike cross-platform solutions like react-pdf or vue-pdf.
• May have fewer advanced features compared to more comprehensive PDF viewers like sumatrapdf or xournalpp.
• Lacks annotation and editing capabilities found in some other PDF tools like emacs-application-framework or obsidian-annotator.

Sioyek is a PDF viewer designed for reading research papers and technical documents, with features tailored for academic and scientific literature.

Pros

• Specialized features for academic reading, such as synctex support and reference jumping
• Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Lightweight and fast performance compared to more feature-rich alternatives

Cons

• Limited general-purpose PDF editing capabilities compared to some alternatives
• Smaller user community and fewer extensions/plugins than more established PDF viewers
• Lacks advanced collaboration features found in some enterprise-oriented solutions