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PDF Tools vs zathura: catalog facts
PDF Tools	zathura
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0.	Free Free and open source.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Reads and annotates PDFs inside Emacs Search and link navigation	Fully usable without a mouse, with vim-like keys Plugin system covers PDF, PostScript and DjVu
Only useful to Emacs users Requires building or installing the epdfinfo server	No editing or form filling Keyboard-centric design takes some learning
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: Zlib
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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