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MuPDF vs Sumatra PDF
October 10, 2024 | Author: Adam Levine
6★
MuPDF is a lightweight PDF, XPS, and E-book viewer. MuPDF consists of a software library, command line tools, and viewers for various platforms.
11★
Sumatra PDF is a free PDF, eBook (ePub, Mobi), XPS, DjVu, CHM, Comic Book (CBZ and CBR) reader for Windows. Sumatra PDF is powerful, small, portable and starts up very fast. Simplicity of the user interface has a high priority.
See also:
Top 10 PDF Readers for Business
Top 10 PDF Readers for Business
MuPDF and Sumatra PDF, two curious little document viewers, each with their own distinct personalities, can be thought of as the kind of software that might make you wonder why more things can’t be this delightfully simple. MuPDF, brought into existence by Artifex Software Inc., is a creature of pure, unadulterated efficiency. Its primary purpose in life is to handle PDFs with the kind of speed that would make a caffeine-fueled squirrel envious, all while consuming as few system resources as possible. Its command-line interface is so minimalistic that you could fit the entire thing in a matchbox and still have room for a sandwich. Meanwhile, Sumatra PDF, a more worldly creation by Krzysztof Kowalczyk, doesn’t just stop at PDFs. No, it struts around with support for everything from ePub to MOBI, DjVu to XPS and more, making it the jack-of-all-formats for the digital document explorer.
The difference in their approach to user interfaces is rather like comparing a starkly functional spaceship to a cozy, well-furnished cottage. MuPDF is all sharp lines and bare metal, with no flashy buttons or elaborate menus to distract you from its singular purpose. It does what it says on the tin: open PDFs fast and then get out of your way. Sumatra PDF, on the other hand, while still wonderfully lightweight, offers a friendly graphical interface, complete with keyboard shortcuts and customization options that allow you to feel right at home. It’s still not going to overwhelm you with unnecessary frills, but it’s the sort of program that feels like it might make you a cup of tea if you asked nicely.
As for performance, MuPDF is the sort of software you'd want on an ancient computer you found buried in your attic, somehow still running. It zips through even the heaviest PDFs like a hot knife through butter and doesn’t blink an eye. Sumatra PDF, though perhaps a tad more resource-hungry because of its expanded format support and additional features, is no slouch either. It’s more like the well-traveled adventurer, versatile and ready for whatever document you throw at it, while still managing to be nimble enough that you barely notice it’s there at all. In the end, the choice is yours: do you prefer the spartan, lightning-fast MuPDF, or Sumatra PDF, the affable multitasker that’s ready to tackle just about anything? Either way, the universe will likely keep spinning, probably with a faint sense of satisfaction.
See also: Top 10 PDF Readers
The difference in their approach to user interfaces is rather like comparing a starkly functional spaceship to a cozy, well-furnished cottage. MuPDF is all sharp lines and bare metal, with no flashy buttons or elaborate menus to distract you from its singular purpose. It does what it says on the tin: open PDFs fast and then get out of your way. Sumatra PDF, on the other hand, while still wonderfully lightweight, offers a friendly graphical interface, complete with keyboard shortcuts and customization options that allow you to feel right at home. It’s still not going to overwhelm you with unnecessary frills, but it’s the sort of program that feels like it might make you a cup of tea if you asked nicely.
As for performance, MuPDF is the sort of software you'd want on an ancient computer you found buried in your attic, somehow still running. It zips through even the heaviest PDFs like a hot knife through butter and doesn’t blink an eye. Sumatra PDF, though perhaps a tad more resource-hungry because of its expanded format support and additional features, is no slouch either. It’s more like the well-traveled adventurer, versatile and ready for whatever document you throw at it, while still managing to be nimble enough that you barely notice it’s there at all. In the end, the choice is yours: do you prefer the spartan, lightning-fast MuPDF, or Sumatra PDF, the affable multitasker that’s ready to tackle just about anything? Either way, the universe will likely keep spinning, probably with a faint sense of satisfaction.
See also: Top 10 PDF Readers
