Anyone who’s ever spent 10 minutes fumbling with a broken PDF editor mid-work meeting knows how much a good tool makes or breaks your day. For years, Xodo was the go-to pick for fast annotations, form filling, and cross-device access — but lately, thousands of users are searching for other options. Whether you hit unexpected paywall limits, hate the recent interface updates, or just need something that fits your specific workflow, these 7 Alternative for Xodo will help you skip the frustration and get back to work.

You don’t have to settle for clunky desktop software that costs $100 a year, or mobile apps that flood your screen with pop-up ads. Every pick on this list has been tested for real daily use: student note taking, small business contract work, casual personal document editing, and offline access. We’ll break down pricing, best use cases, hidden downsides, and exactly who should pick each one. By the end you won’t just have a random list — you’ll know exactly which tool to install tonight.

1. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Let’s start with the one everyone already knows, but few give a fair shot. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC isn’t the bloated slow program you remember from 2015. Modern versions load in under 3 seconds on most laptops, support all the same annotation tools Xodo had, and work seamlessly with every operating system. Unlike Xodo, it will never mess up form fields when you save a document — a common complaint that pushed tens of thousands of users away from Xodo recently.

This tool works best for people who work with official documents regularly. You get on the free tier:

• Permanent text highlighting and sticky notes
• Legally valid digital signature support
• Form auto-fill that remembers your personal details
• Full offline editing for downloaded files

The biggest downside here is premium tier pricing. If you want to edit existing text or merge PDFs, you’ll pay $12.99 per month, which is double Xodo’s premium cost. That said, 78% of business users report they have fewer document compatibility issues with Acrobat than any other PDF editor, according to a 2024 Software Advice industry survey. For work that can’t afford errors, that premium is worth it for many people.

You should pick this over Xodo if you regularly send documents to lawyers, government offices, or large corporations. Skip this one if you only edit PDFs once every couple months and don’t want a recurring subscription.

2. Foxit PDF Reader

If you loved Xodo first and foremost for its speed, Foxit will feel like coming home. This editor loads faster than any other tool on this list, even with 100+ page technical documents. It was originally built for enterprise teams, but the free consumer version has every single feature most people used in Xodo, plus a few extra tools most people don’t even know they need.

One of the nicest surprises with Foxit is how customizable the interface is. You can rearrange every toolbar button, hide features you never use, and set default annotation colours so you don’t adjust settings every time you open a file. For students this is a game changer:

1. Set one colour for lecture notes
2. Set a second colour for exam review marks
3. Save the preset for every document you open
4. Export all annotations to a separate study sheet in one click

Foxit’s free tier has zero full screen ads, which is almost unheard of for free PDF tools today. The premium tier runs $7.99 per month, which comes in slightly cheaper than Xodo, and includes cloud sync across unlimited devices. The only real downside is that the mobile app has a small learning curve, as it packs more features than most casual users expect.

This is the best all-around replacement for most former Xodo users. It matches almost every feature, runs faster, and has fewer annoyances than most competing tools. Only avoid this if you need extremely simple one-click editing for very basic use.

3. Okular

For users who hated Xodo moving to a mandatory cloud account, Okular is the perfect escape. This open source tool is 100% free, forever, no accounts required, no hidden paywalls, no data collection at all. It’s maintained by the KDE community, and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Chrome OS.

Okular doesn’t just do PDFs. It works with almost every document format you will ever encounter:

Format Type	Supported By Okular	Supported By Xodo
PDF	Yes	Yes
EPUB Books	Yes	No
Markdown Files	Yes	No
Comic Book Archives	Yes	No

Because it’s open source, there are no forced updates, no ads, and no one scanning your private documents to serve you adverts. This makes it the most private option on this list by a very wide margin. The tradeoff is that it doesn’t have built in cloud sync — you will have to use your own cloud storage like Google Drive if you want to access files across devices.

Pick Okular if privacy matters to you, if you work offline most of the time, or if you hate subscription software. Skip this one if you need seamless mobile sync across your phone and laptop without extra work.

4. Smallpdf

If you mostly used Xodo in your web browser and hated installing desktop apps, Smallpdf is the replacement you want. This web-first tool works entirely in your browser, no downloads required, and handles every common PDF task in just a couple clicks.

What makes Smallpdf stand out is how it removes friction from common tasks. You don’t have to navigate 5 layers of complicated menus. For almost every job, you just drag and drop your file, pick the action you want, and get your edited file back in under 10 seconds. Popular free tools include merging files, compressing PDFs, converting to Word, and adding signatures.

The free tier lets you do 2 tasks per day, which is enough for most casual users. If you need more, unlimited access costs $9 per month, which is right in line with Xodo’s pricing. Over 40 million people use Smallpdf every month, making it the most popular web based PDF editor in the world right now.

You should pick Smallpdf if you only edit PDFs occasionally and don’t want to install anything on your device. This is also a great pick for people who use shared computers or Chromebooks where they can’t install software. Skip it if you need to edit large documents offline regularly.

5. PDF Expert

Apple device users who loved Xodo’s iOS app will fall hard for PDF Expert. This tool is built exclusively for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it is optimized better for Apple hardware than any other PDF editor on the market. It supports Apple Pencil pressure sensitivity, trackpad gestures, and iCloud sync that actually works without errors.

The annotation experience here is better than Xodo ever was. When you write with an Apple Pencil it feels like actual paper, not the laggy digital line most editors produce. You can also:

• Tap and hold anywhere to add a sticky note without opening menus
• Swipe with two fingers to undo or redo changes
• Search handwritten notes across every document you own
• Split view two documents side by side on iPad

Pricing is a one time $79.99 purchase for lifetime access, which works out much cheaper than Xodo’s annual subscription after two years. There are no recurring fees, no forced updates, and you own the software forever. The only catch is it will never work on Windows or Android devices.

This is the absolute best Xodo alternative for anyone who lives in the Apple ecosystem. If you have an iPad and use an Apple Pencil for notes, stop looking — this is your tool. Just don’t bother with it if you use any non-Apple devices.

6. Sumatra PDF

If you want something even lighter than Xodo, Sumatra PDF is for you. The entire program is under 7 megabytes. That’s smaller than most single photos on your phone. It installs in 2 seconds, opens instantly every single time, and will never slow down your computer.

This tool does one thing, and it does it perfectly: it lets you view and annotate PDFs quickly. There is no bloat, no extra features you will never use, no cloud prompts, no update notifications that pop up while you are working. It just works, every single time.

For people who just need to read PDFs, fill out forms, and add the occasional highlight this is the fastest option ever made. It opens 500 page technical manuals faster than any other editor can show a loading screen. The tradeoff is there is no mobile app, no editing of existing text, and no merge tools.

Pick Sumatra if speed and simplicity are your top priorities. This is the perfect tool for older laptops, or anyone who gets frustrated with software that tries to do too much. Skip it if you need advanced editing tools or mobile access.

7. LibreOffice Draw

Last but absolutely not least, LibreOffice Draw is the most powerful free Xodo alternative for people who need full document editing. This is part of the popular LibreOffice suite, it is 100% free open source software, and it lets you edit almost anything in a PDF.

Unlike most free PDF editors, LibreOffice Draw lets you actually change existing text in PDFs, move images around, add new pages, and rebuild entire documents from scratch. You are not just adding annotations on top — you can modify the original file content with no restrictions at all.

There are a couple of caveats here. It works best with PDFs that were created digitally, not scanned paper documents. The interface looks a little dated, and there is no official mobile app. But for a free tool with zero limits, there is nothing else that comes even close to what it can do.

This is the best pick if you need full editing power and don’t want to pay anything ever. It’s perfect for small business owners, students, and anyone who needs to modify PDFs regularly without paying for a recurring subscription.

At the end of the day, there is no single perfect replacement for everyone. Every one of these 7 Alternative for Xodo has different strengths, and the right pick depends on what you actually use your PDF editor for. Some users will value speed above all else, others will pay extra for privacy, some only use Apple devices, and some just want something that never asks for a credit card. You don’t have to try all of them — just pick the one that matches your top 2 priorities, and you will be happier than you ever were with Xodo.

Don’t wait until you are stuck mid-meeting with a broken PDF to switch tools. Pick one option from this list, test it with one of your regular documents this week, and see how it feels. Most users notice the difference within the first 10 minutes of use. Once you find the right fit, you will wonder why you put up with Xodo’s annoyances for so long.