Okular

Active

okular.kde.org

Country: Germany (DE)
Founded: 2006
Developer: KDE
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, *BSD

Indexes

PDF Tools

Overview

Okular is a universal document viewer developed by KDE for viewing and handling multiple file formats including PDF, PostScript, DjVu, CHM, TIFF, XPS, EPub, comics, images, and Markdown. It supports features like text selection, annotations, embedded file extraction, digital signature verification, and presentation modes. Designed for users on KDE environments and other platforms, it stands out with its broad format support and KDE integration while being available across multiple operating systems.¹²³

Key Features

Multi-format support - Handles PDF, PostScript, DjVu, CHM, TIFF, XPS, EPub, comics, images, and Markdown documents.
Annotations - Supports text annotations like highlighting and underlining for review and markup.
Text selection and extraction - Allows selecting and copying text from supported documents.
Digital signature verification - Views and verifies embedded PDF digital signatures, checking validity and modifications.
Presentation mode - Provides improved support for document presentations.
Embedded file extraction - Extracts files embedded within documents.
Overview mode - Offers a overview for navigating documents.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	$0	Full access to all features on all supported platforms.

Platforms & Requirements

Okular runs on Linux (pre-installed or via package managers like Discover), Windows (via Microsoft Store), macOS, and *BSD. It is available as precompiled packages, Flatpaks on Linux, and through distribution software stores. No specific minimum requirements or platform limitations are detailed beyond standard installation methods.¹³⁴

Integrations & Ecosystem

PDF digital signatures
PostScript files
DjVu format
CHM files
TIFF images
XPS documents
EPub books
Markdown visualization

Alternatives

App	Difference
Evince	GNOME's default viewer with similar multi-format support but lighter KDE integration.
MuPDF	Minimalist viewer focused on speed for PDF and XPS, lacking extensive annotation features.
Adobe Acrobat Reader	Proprietary PDF reader with advanced editing but not open-source and platform-limited.
Foxit Reader	Commercial alternative with PDF editing, less emphasis on universal format support.

Reputation

Okular is regarded as a robust universal document viewer in KDE communities, praised for its extensive format support, annotation capabilities, and cross-platform availability. Users appreciate its integration with Linux distributions and features like digital signature verification. Some note it as resource-intensive compared to lighter alternatives, though it remains actively maintained with regular updates.¹²³⁴

Sources (6)