Open source pdf-viewer projects
Every project in the registry tagged pdf-viewer, ranked by real GitHub adoption.
An open-source, clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Acrobat built in pure Rust
The Privacy First PDF Toolkit
EAF, an extensible framework that revolutionizes the graphical capabilities of Emacs
PDF4QT is an open-source PDF toolkit for Windows and Linux, combining powerful desktop applications, command-line tools and a modern MIT-licensed C++/Qt PDF eng
A free-floating 2D Canvas for processing multiple PDF files simultaneously
This layout engine can solve the hardest layout problems imaginable. Its output is DTP grade and deterministic. It's faster than engines written in C++ because
A toolkit for ebooks, audiobooks and comics written in Swift
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Frequently asked questions
How many open source pdf-viewer projects are there?
This registry tracks 7 projects tagged pdf-viewer, with 42,796 GitHub stars between them. The most-adopted is pdfcraft at 19,220 stars.
Are these pdf-viewer projects free to use?
Yes — 7 of the 7 carry an explicit open-source licence across 5 distinct licences, so there is no licence fee. Where a project also sells a hosted or enterprise version, the self-hosted path remains free.
Which pdf-viewer project should I choose?
The list above is ranked by GitHub stars, but stars measure attention rather than fit. Check three things on each card: the licence (permissive versus copyleft), the language it is written in, and the last-push date — a high-star project that has not been pushed in a year is a liability.
Are these pdf-viewer projects still maintained?
7 of the 7 were pushed in the last 90 days, and every card shows its exact last-push date so you can see the rest. Sort your shortlist by that date before committing to a migration.