A free Adobe Acrobat alternative for highlighting PDFs
If you only need to read PDFs, highlight them and write notes, you don't need a PDF subscription. ReadHere does that for free in your browser, and your files stay on your device.
Acrobat is a big, capable program. It edits text, merges files, fills forms, collects signatures and much more. If your job is all about PDFs, it earns its price.
But a lot of people open Acrobat for one simple thing: to read a document and mark it up. A paper for class. A report from work. A long contract you want to understand before you sign it. For that, a subscription is a lot to pay, and the free Acrobat Reader still means installing an app and dealing with upgrade prompts.
Is there a free alternative to Adobe Acrobat?
For reading and annotating, yes. ReadHere is a free PDF reader that runs in your browser. You drag a PDF in, select text and highlight it. You can add a note to any highlight, and everything is saved for next time. No account, no watermark, no trial clock.
- Four highlight colors, so you can sort "important" from "question" at a glance.
- Notes on any highlight, kept next to the words they're about.
- One list of all your highlights in a sidebar. Click one to jump back to it.
- A journal for each book, for longer thoughts that don't fit in a margin note.
- Search to find any word in the document.
- Works offline once the file is open.
Annotate PDFs without uploading them
Many online PDF tools ask you to upload your file first. That's fine for a menu. It's less fine for a medical form, a contract or your unpublished thesis.
ReadHere works the other way around. The PDF opens on your device and is stored in your browser. It is not sent to our servers. Your highlights and notes are saved the same way. If you choose Pro, your library backs up to your own Google Drive, and nowhere else.
Acrobat vs ReadHere, side by side
| Adobe Acrobat (paid) | ReadHere | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Monthly subscription | Free · Pro $10/yr |
| Install | Desktop or mobile app | None, runs in the browser |
| Highlights and notes | Yes | Yes, 4 colors, notes, journal |
| Edit text, sign, fill forms | Yes | No |
| Where your file lives | Your device, or Adobe's cloud | Your device, or your own Google Drive |
| EPUB books too | No | Yes, with the same tools |
| Account needed | Yes | No |
When you should keep Acrobat
Be honest with yourself about what you do with PDFs. If you edit them, sign them, fill in forms or combine files, keep Acrobat. ReadHere doesn't do any of that, and it isn't trying to.
If you mostly read and highlight, you can probably stop paying. Many people keep the free Acrobat Reader around for the odd form and do their actual reading somewhere lighter.
How to try it
- Open ReadHere in any browser. No sign-up.
- Drag in a PDF from your computer or phone.
- Select text, pick a color, and add a note if you want.
More help: how to highlight and annotate PDFs for free, and how to read PDFs privately without uploading them.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Adobe Acrobat for annotating PDFs?
Yes. ReadHere lets you highlight PDFs and add notes for free, right in your browser. There is no account, no watermark and no trial that runs out.
Can I annotate a PDF without uploading it to the cloud?
Yes. ReadHere opens the PDF on your own device. The file and your highlights are saved in your browser, not on our servers.
Can ReadHere edit, sign or fill in PDF forms?
No. ReadHere is for reading, highlighting and taking notes. If you need to edit text, sign a contract or fill in a form, Acrobat or another PDF editor is the right tool.
Is it cheaper than Acrobat?
Reading and annotating are free. Pro is $10 a year and adds backup and sync to your own Google Drive. Paid Acrobat plans cost more than that per month.
Highlight a PDF for free
Drag in a PDF and start marking it up. No account, no upload, no subscription.