Best PDF Viewers & Editors for Chrome

Updated October 2026

How to choose a PDF extension

Several of these picks are free to use with limits, and some tools need a paid plan or trial. We list no prices, so check each vendor’s current plans. The real difference is the job each one is built for. Some mainly help you read PDFs. Others annotate, convert, merge or sign them.

• Viewing and reading. Enhanced PDF Viewer opens PDFs in a reader built on PDF.js. It adds keyboard shortcuts, a presentation mode, text-to-speech and smart printing. PDF Viewer by Mozilla PDF.js opens PDFs in the PDF.js viewer instead of Chrome’s built-in one. It is a viewer, not a toolkit for merging or splitting files.
• Annotating. Adobe Acrobat lets you comment, fill forms and sign for free. Kami is built for classroom annotation, with a free basic toolbar and Google Classroom features.
• Converting, merging and compressing. Xodo, Smallpdf and iLovePDF are online toolkits with tools such as convert, compress, merge and sign. Free use has limits on each, so check the vendor’s current limits.
• Classroom use. Only Kami names Google Classroom, Canvas and Schoology integrations.
• Local processing. Enhanced PDF Viewer’s maker says it does no uploading, though we could not check that independently. Xodo says most tools run in the browser and some need server processing, with temporary uploads removed after about one hour.
• Paid tiers. Adobe Acrobat’s convert and compress tools need a paid plan or trial. Smallpdf’s free tier has a daily task limit, and Xodo’s free use is limited per day. Kami’s free plan covers the basic toolbar, and paid plans exist.

Our picks at a glance

Which is the best PDF extension for Chrome?

Adobe Acrobat is the pick if you want Adobe’s own extension for free viewing, comments, form filling and signing. Adobe says no subscription or account is needed for those. Convert, compress, merge and organize need a paid plan or trial.

If you need convert, compress or merge tools, look at Xodo, Smallpdf or iLovePDF. Free use of each has limits.

What is the best free PDF editor extension for Chrome?

Xodo offers online tools to edit, convert, compress, merge, crop, redact, sign and fill PDFs. Its pricing page says free use is limited per day and paid plans exist, so treat it as free to try, not free without limits. We could not confirm whether it needs an account.

Smallpdf and iLovePDF also cover merging, compressing and converting. Both have free use with limits, so check the current limits before a big job.

Which PDF extension is best for students and teachers?

Kami is built for classrooms. It names Google Classroom, Canvas and Schoology integrations and has Google Classroom features such as Class View and Publish Changes. The free plan’s basic toolbar covers annotating, highlighting, drawing, text boxes, comments and read aloud. Some tools are paid.

Students who mostly read long papers may prefer Smallpdf, which can summarize a PDF or answer questions about it.

Which PDF extension keeps my files on my computer?

Enhanced PDF Viewer’s maker says it does no uploading and no cloud sync, but we could not verify that independently. It is built on PDF.js, the engine Firefox uses. It is a reader, not an editor or converter. Xodo says most of its tools run in the browser, with some processed on a server.

How do I merge or compress PDFs in Chrome?

Install a toolkit extension such as iLovePDF, Smallpdf or Xodo. iLovePDF lists merge, split, compress, convert, protect and sign, and files go to iLovePDF to be processed. Smallpdf adds a Smallpdf Tools tab to every PDF you open. Xodo says most tools run in the browser and some need server processing.

Is there a plain PDF.js viewer for Chrome?

PDF Viewer by Mozilla PDF.js. It is open source under Apache-2.0 and opens PDFs from web addresses and, with Chrome’s file-access setting turned on, from local files. It asks for access to all sites, and we could not read the developer’s privacy policy; read it before installing. It is a viewer, so keep another tool for converting or merging.

Also see: Best Chrome extensions for students.