In the modern world of technology, there is a growing demand for mobile applications that can cater to the needs of users who require tools for managing and annotating PDF documents. With a plethora of options available on both the Android and iOS platforms, users can easily access free PDF annotation apps that offer a range of features and functions to enhance their document management experience. These apps can be utilized for a variety of purposes, including highlighting text, adding comments, inserting images, and more, making them an essential tool for both personal and professional use. In this article, we will explore some of the best free PDF annotation apps available for Android and iOS, highlighting the key features and benefits of each.
We have compiled a list of 8 Free Pdf Annotation Apps For Android & iOS for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
8 Free Pdf Annotation Apps For Android & iOS
1. WPS Office
WPS Office is an all-in-one office suite that integrates Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms, Cloud Storage, Online Editing, Template library, and Sharing. It also allows users to access various WPS Office functions through mobile devices, such as scan PDF files, edit slides, convert spreadsheets, or view documents anytime, anywhere. WPS Office is compatible with MS Office 365 but Free in basic functions, smarter & lighter. Additionally, it can work perfectly with Google Classroom, Zoom, Slack, and Google Drive.
The features of WPS Office include a powerful office suite on your Android device. Users can easily create, edit, share word documents and collaborate on them with others in real-time. They can also utilize templates to start editing their budget, presentations, resumes, documents, and other files. Additionally, users can use tools to convert and process Document, PDF, and images.
WPS Office also comes with a PDF reader that can open, view, share and comment on PDFs anywhere and on any device. Users can convert all Office documents (Word, Text, Excel, PowerPoint, doc) to PDF and scan paper documents/convert images to PDF. Moreover, WPS Office supports PDF annotation and signature is now supported in Document. Users can also extract/split PDF, merge PDF, and convert PDF to Word/Excel/PPT. Additionally, users can easily add and delete watermarks in PDF.
The cloud storage function of WPS Office is powerful and enables users to manage all their documents using WPS Cloud. They can synchronize their documents in real-time on mobile phones and computers and easily and directly access and edit office documents. Furthermore, users can save their documents to third-party clouds such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Evernote, and OneDrive.
WPS Office also offers solutions for working remotely on Android devices.
2. Flexcil Notes
Flexcil is a note-taking app and PDF reader for Android that is used by three million users. The app is designed to help users manage various tasks like reading, note-taking, editing, and creating digital planners all in one place. Flexcil helps users highlight and capture images or text in documents easily with pen gestures. It is efficient for summarizing documents into a notebook.
Flexcil has been selected by Apple and Samsung. It is displayed in Apple’s offline store as a demo app, featured more than 20 times as a ‘Featured App’ by Apple Appstore in the U.S., China, the U.K., Japan, Germany, Australia, and Thailand. Moreover, it has been selected to join Samsung Electronics’ startup acceleration program ‘C-Lab Outside’.
The app combines the functionality of a note-taking app and a PDF reader. Users can edit, annotate and organize PDF documents & Notebook, write with beautiful handwriting using vector-based pen engine, organize and manage their documents AND notes, and summarize their ideas on their notebook. It offers endless pen colors, sizes, and fonts that can help users to effectively take notes.
With hyperlinks, users can capture everything on the documents to their notes, save their time, and pinpoint every data on the documents from their study notes. Flexcil offers an easy and intuitive note-taking experience with gesture functions. Users can highlight and underline text on the documents with gestures in just two steps, drag and paste text to the PDF documents or notebook flawlessly, add text and annotate with ease, capture images and documents to the notes smoothly, and annotate PDF documents in a simple manner.
Flexcil allows users to multitask by using it while other apps are open, view PDFs and take notes at the same time during class, and drag & drop text or image from other apps to PDF or notes.
3. Foxit
Foxit PDF Editor is a mobile application that allows users to view and annotate PDF files on Android devices. The app offers advanced features such as exporting, editing, and protecting PDFs through subscription. Foxit PDF Editor is 100% compliant with the user’s current PDF ecosystem and is lightweight, fast, secure, collaborative, and supports 12 languages.
The app allows users to view and manage PDF files, reflow PDFs for easy viewing, navigate documents with bookmark management features, search for text, and rename, move, copy or delete PDF files. It also enables users to collaborate and share PDF files by adding annotations and stamps, sharing files and screenshots, saving, synchronizing, and accessing PDF files in popular cloud services.
Additionally, the app allows users to create and convert PDFs from scratch, Microsoft Office, image, text, HTML files, and even scan and convert paper documents to PDFs. Users can edit PDF files by inserting audios, videos, or hyperlinks, adding or editing text and image objects, optimizing and reorganizing PDF pages. The app also allows users to work on PDF forms, fill out and save forms, import and export form data, and submit PDF forms via HTTP, FTP, or Email.
Users can sign and protect PDFs by adding handwritten signatures, signing with an existing digital certificate, protecting files with passwords, and redaction. The advanced features marked with an asterisk are available through in-app purchase, with a 7-day free trial. To activate the advanced features, users need to create a Foxit account and subscribe to Foxit PDF Editor.
The app’s email address is Androidsupport@foxit.com for feedback, and users can follow Foxit on Facebook and Twitter at https://www.facebook.com/foxitsoftware and https://twitter.com/foxitsoftware, respectively.
4. Google Play Books
Google Play Books is a mobile application that allows users to buy and enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and manga. Users can choose from millions of best selling books and download them to read or listen to on-the-go. When they finish reading, the app will provide personalized recommendations for their next read. Audiobooks and ebooks can be purchased without a subscription.
The app features millions of popular ebooks, audiobooks, and comics, which can be purchased without a subscription. Users can preview free samples before buying and receive extra discounts on select bundles. They can also receive notifications or emails for price drops in their samples and new releases from their favorite authors and series. Google Play Points can be earned with every purchase, which can be exchanged for Google Play credit.
Google Play Books offers a customizable reading and listening experience. Users can read or listen on Android, iOS, or their web browser, even when offline. They can pick up where they left off on any device and adjust the text size, font type, margins, text alignment, brightness, and background colors. The app also allows users to organize their library into shelves, track their reading progress, and save books to the device or an SD card.
For children’s books, the app includes reading tools such as kid-friendly word definitions, specific word listening, and book reading aloud. Bubble Zoom is available for easier comic reading on mobile devices. Users can take notes that sync with their Google Drive and share them with a group for easy collaboration. Other features include looking up definitions, getting translations, saving highlights, and bookmarking favorite pages. Night Light can be turned on to automatically adjust the background color and brightness or set the app to use the OS brightness.
5. Adobe Acrobat Reader
The Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app is a free PDF viewer and file manager that allows users to view, share, annotate, and add e-signatures to PDF documents. With over 635 million installs, it is considered the world’s most trusted PDF viewer. Users can store files online and read PDFs anywhere.
With a premium subscription, the Acrobat Reader app can also be used as a PDF editor to edit text and images, a PDF converter to export to and from PDF, and to create PDFs, combine PDF documents, organize PDFs, and more.
The Acrobat Reader mobile app allows users to view and print PDFs, choose single page or continuous scroll mode, enable dark mode to save battery, and print documents directly from their device.
For a better reading experience, the app offers Liquid Mode, which allows content in PDF documents to reflow to fit the screen, an outline for quick navigation, and a search function to find text fast.
Users can share files for commenting or viewing, collect comments from multiple people in one file online, speed document reviews by responding to each other’s comments, and receive activity notifications for files they have shared.
The app also allows users to annotate PDFs by adding notes and comments, including sticky notes and highlights, and to write on PDF documents by adding text or drawings. Users can subscribe to edit text and images directly in their PDF, fix typos, add paragraphs, and rotate images.
For filling and signing forms, the app offers a form filler feature and the ability to e-sign documents using a finger or stylus. Users can sign in to their free account to store and access files across devices and link online storage accounts, like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
6. Xodo PDF Reader
Xodo is a PDF reader and annotator/editor that offers a comprehensive range of features. With Xodo, users can read, annotate, sign, and share PDFs, fill in PDF forms, and sync with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Xodo boasts a fast PDF viewing engine and smooth navigation, as well as the ability to write directly on a PDF, highlight and underline text, and more. Users can also auto-sync their PDF edits with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. In addition, Xodo can open MS Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files for reading and annotating, and save as PDF.
Collaboration is made easy with Xodo, as users can annotate PDFs with others in real time. The software also allows users to fill PDF forms and sign documents, take notes on blank PDFs, and organize files efficiently. Xodo is fully compatible with Adobe Acrobat® and other PDF viewers supporting standard PDF annotations.
Xodo is optimized for tablets and phones, making it a full-featured and pleasurable experience to use. The software is even integrated with an in-browser Chrome app. The PDF reader allows users to bookmark PDF pages, use night mode for comfortable PDF reading in dark environments, and use tabs to quickly work across multiple PDF documents. Xodo also allows users to crop pages to fit content precisely on small screens, and use the reflow reading mode to show the PDF text at a size of their choosing. Users can also take advantage of a PDF table of contents that allows them to jump chapters and sections.
Xodo’s PDF annotator and editor allows users to draw and type directly on PDFs, highlight, underline and strikeout text, and add arrows, circles, lines, and more. Users can also see all annotations at a glance with the annotation summary, merge and split PDFs, and rotate pages.
7. PDF Reader
Kdan PDF Reader is a PDF editor that offers a range of features such as viewing, annotating, scanning, signing, and converting PDFs on smartphones, tablets, and PC/Mac. The app allows users to backup and send files via email or Cloud storage services. Kdan PDF Reader has received several awards and recognitions, including Best PDF Reader Apps 2019 on TechRadar, Best PDF Reader Apps 2017 on tom’s guide, and Best Apps of 2016 on Google Play store.
Users can create and access files, import files from their computer or Cloud, store files from the web or email attachments, and access all files from the local folder. The app allows users to annotate and review PDFs, highlight, underline, and strikeout text, add predesigned stamps, insert shapes and text boxes, and convert text into speech (available when in Text Reflow mode). The app also provides the ability to sign on the screen directly, sign contracts and agreements with signatures, and store and manage signatures from within the library.
With Kdan PDF Reader, users can write on PDFs using their finger or stylus to make handwritten notes. The app supports PDF, text, ePub, and image file formats, text reflow, horizontal/vertical scrolling mode, jump to page/text search, bookmark/outline/thumbnail list, zip and unzip files, and rename files and folders.
Users can upgrade to Document 365, which is a comprehensive, cross-device document solution that includes Kdan’s best PDF Reader mobile and desktop apps along with online converting and faxing services.
8. PDF Reader Pro
PDF Reader Pro is a PDF Reader and Editor that has been well received by over 80 million people in more than 200 countries. The app is designed with a clean and easy-to-use interface, and it is an all-in-one PDF office that boosts productivity by allowing users to read, annotate, and manage PDF files on their Android smartphones and tablets.
PDF Reader Pro is a powerful app that can expertly process PDF files, making them readable, editable, convertible, and form fillable. Users can view, comment, edit, watermark, convert, merge, encrypt, sign, fill form, and share PDFs for free with this app.
The app has several highlights, including a stable and fast PDF viewing engine, smooth reading experience, and the ability to annotate PDFs with highlight, underline, signature, stamps, audios, links, and more. It also allows users to organize PDF pages freely, support to merge, extract, insert, reorder, rotate and delete PDF pages. Additionally, it offers encryptions or text & image watermarks to protect PDFs, a smart PDF filler to fill out any PDF forms with interactive fields, and the ability to convert JPG/JPEG/PNG to PDF and PDF to JPG.
With PDF Reader Pro’s powerful file organizer, users can edit their favorite folder and PDFs, scan images, receipts, and notes into PDFs with Mobile scanner, and transfer files from PC to Android via WiFi Transfer.
PDF Reader Pro also offers a good reader experience, including a multi-tab viewer to access multiple PDFs at the same time, the crop mode to automatically hide the white margins of PDFs to fit small screens while reading, and easy page & outline navigation with bookmark management to easily jump to specific sections.