Open a downloaded receipt, tap a resume attachment, or double click a spreadsheet from a Slack thread, and Android has to pick something to render it. PDF Reader & Document Viewer by Conectar Sites is one of the utilities that jumps in to fill that gap. It reads PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and it does not ask for a subscription. It also carries a full-screen ad load, a developer profile that is hard to trace, and no real editing tools.
If you use it daily, the trade offs start to add up. The good news is Android has a real bench of PDF Reader & Document Viewer alternatives that read the same file formats without the ads and with actual editing on top. We tested seven and ranked them on how they open large files, how they handle mixed office formats, and how honest they are about pricing.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xodo | Free editing without paywalls | Yes, full editor | Free, paid Pro available | Free annotation, sign, and merge |
| WPS Office | All-in-one office and PDF suite | Yes, generous | Around $4/mo | Real Word, Excel, PPT editing |
| Foxit PDF Editor | Serious PDF power on mobile | Yes, viewer | Around $10/mo | Cross-platform editing parity |
| Document Reader | Simple, focused viewer replacement | Yes, viewer | Ad-supported free | Straight document viewing, no bloat |
| Files by Google | Built-in viewer plus file clean up | Yes, fully free | Free | System-level file handling |
| MobiOffice | OfficeSuite users on office plus PDF | Yes, viewer | Around $4/mo | One combined office and PDF app |
| ReadEra | Long-form reading and eBooks | Yes, fully free | Free with donations | Reflow, EPUB, and PDF in one app |
Why people leave PDF Reader & Document Viewer
Ads interrupt the actual reading. The app is free because it is ad supported, and the ads land during scroll, tab switches, and file open. Users flag that a full-screen video can slot in right after opening a two-page contract. On older phones the ad load also drags scroll performance.
No real editing. The tool opens PDFs, Word docs, Excel sheets and PPT slides, but the interaction is view only. Adding a signature, filling a form, merging pages, or fixing a typo all send you elsewhere. For anyone who edits on their phone even occasionally, that gap gets old fast.
Developer footprint is thin. The publisher, Conectar Sites, has almost no public presence beyond the Play listing. The privacy policy sits on a generic hosting page. That is not proof of anything malicious, but it is a fair reason to prefer an app from a developer with a longer track record when the file is a bank statement or a signed NDA.
No sync, no backup. Files stay wherever Android put them, and the app does not link to Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. If your PDF workflow spans phone and laptop, this is a dead end.
The best PDF Reader & Document Viewer alternatives
Xodo, best free editing without paywalls
Xodo is the closest free app to a full PDF toolkit on Android. View, annotate, sign, fill forms, merge, split, compress, and convert all sit in the free tier with no upgrade nag in the middle of the action. A paid Xodo Pro adds cloud sync and OCR, but the on-device editor is fully usable without it.
Xodo vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is not really close on features. PDF Reader & Document Viewer views files with ads in the way; Xodo edits, signs and merges for free. The trade is that Xodo focuses on PDF first, so Word and Excel are viewable but not first class the way they are in an office suite.
Where it falls short: OCR sits behind Xodo Pro. Cloud sync is less mature than Adobe Document Cloud. Non-PDF office formats open fine but you cannot edit them the way you can in WPS or MobiOffice.
Pricing:
- Free: Full editor, signing, merging, splitting, compression, conversion
- Pro: Cloud sync, OCR, and team features (paid tier)
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Ad free, adds real editing at no cost
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Point Xodo at the same local PDF folder and your files show up in the recent list. There is nothing proprietary to export from the old app.
Bottom line: The default pick if you want free editing on top of viewing, without the ads.
WPS Office, best all-in-one office and PDF suite
WPS Office is the app to grab if your files are as often Word or Excel as they are PDF. It opens and edits DOCX, XLSX and PPTX with strong Microsoft Office compatibility, and its PDF module reads, annotates, signs and converts. That means one app instead of three.
WPS Office vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer trades ads for a mix of a generous free tier and a modest subscription for the pro features. On a mid-range phone WPS opens 100-page contracts smoothly and lets you actually fix a typo in the DOCX before sending it back.
Where it falls short: The free tier still shows some ads and pushes cloud storage. The mobile UI is dense on small screens. WPS Cloud is a Chinese-hosted service, which is a factor if your files are sensitive.
Pricing:
- Free: Full editing for Word, Excel, PPT and PDF viewing
- Paid: Around $4/mo for pro PDF tools and no ads
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Better editing, cheaper than most PDF-only pro tiers
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Install WPS, grant storage permission, and it indexes your existing PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPT files.
Bottom line: Best pick if half your files are Office documents rather than PDFs.
Foxit PDF Editor, best serious PDF power on mobile
Foxit PDF Editor is the commercial alternative you reach for when Xodo is not enough. It handles editing text, redaction, form filling, signatures, and syncs documents across Android, iOS, Windows and Mac. Enterprise features like certificate-backed signatures are real, not marketing.
Foxit vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is a step up in every direction: fewer ads, real editing, better rendering of complex PDFs. The trade is a subscription for the pro features and a heavier install than a plain viewer.
Where it falls short: The free tier is essentially a viewer, so most of the value sits behind the subscription. UI is busier than Xodo and takes a session or two to learn.
Pricing:
- Free: Viewing, basic annotations
- Paid: Around $10/mo for editing, redaction, form filling
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Real editing on the pro tier; no ads at any tier
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Install Foxit, and it picks up local PDFs on first launch. If you use Foxit on desktop already, sign in and mobile files land in the same document list.
Bottom line: For users who already have Foxit on their laptop and want feature parity on the phone.
Document Reader, best simple, focused viewer replacement
Document Reader by Simple Design ships a stripped-down doc-viewer experience for PDF, Word, Excel and PPT, with an editor bolted on for PDF pages. It looks and feels close to PDF Reader & Document Viewer, so switching is not a UI relearn.
Document Reader vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is a like-for-like trade with fewer ads, a longer-standing developer, and a working PDF editor for text, images and pages. If you are switching because you like the current app but want something more trustworthy, this is the easy landing.
Where it falls short: Still ad supported at the free tier. UI polish is average. Cloud sync is limited.
Pricing:
- Free: Full viewer with ads, basic PDF editing
- Paid: Ad removal and pro editing sold as an in-app upgrade
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Comparable feel, more trusted publisher
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Install, grant storage, and your existing PDF, Word, Excel and PPT files show up in the recent list.
Bottom line: Easiest switch for users who want the same shape of app with a longer track record.
Files by Google, best free file manager plus viewer
Files by Google doubles as a solid PDF and image viewer for anyone who wants one less app on their phone. Google preinstalls it on many Android devices, and the built-in viewer opens PDFs cleanly without ads or upgrade prompts. It also finds and clears junk files, which is a side benefit on a low-storage phone.
Files by Google vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is not a full trade because Files does not open Word, Excel or PPT natively (those bounce to another app). If your files are 90% PDF and images though, Files is the least fussy option on Android.
Where it falls short: No editing at all. No Office format viewing (opens the picker). No signing. No merging.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free with no ads
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Ad free, official Google publisher, but strictly a viewer for PDF and images
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Open Files, browse to the folder, tap the PDF. Nothing to install if it came with the phone.
Bottom line: The simplest pick when your files are mostly PDF and you want zero ads.
MobiOffice, best OfficeSuite users on office plus PDF
MobiOffice (the app formerly known as OfficeSuite) is another one-app-for-everything option. It edits Word, Excel and PPT with high Microsoft Office fidelity and its PDF module handles viewing, annotating, signing and converting. The mobile UI is polished and works well on tablets.
MobiOffice vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is a lopsided trade: MobiOffice does real editing across every format, PDF Reader & Document Viewer views only. The catch is a subscription for the pro features.
Where it falls short: Free tier is limited on PDF tools. Some features (like advanced OCR) sit behind the top plan.
Pricing:
- Free: Viewing, basic editing
- Paid: Around $4/mo for full office and PDF editing
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Similar office coverage with real editing, at a modest cost
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Install and it indexes local files. Existing Word, Excel, PPT and PDF files all open in place.
Bottom line: Solid alternative for people already inside the OfficeSuite/MobiOffice world.
ReadEra, best long-form reading and eBooks
ReadEra is a reading-first app that treats PDFs as documents to actually read, not to edit. It supports PDF, EPUB, DjVu, MOBI, DOC, DOCX and TXT, with a reflow mode that saves your eyes on long documents and a serious bookmark and progress system for anyone who reads books or long reports on their phone.
ReadEra vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer is a completely different angle: ReadEra optimizes for reading time and eBooks, PDF Reader & Document Viewer is more of a general opener. If your typical file is a 300-page manual or a novel PDF, ReadEra is the more comfortable app.
Where it falls short: No editing, no signing, no merging. Excel and PPT are not the priority (some formats will open, some will look off).
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free with no ads, no in-app purchases
- Optional: Premium unlocks advanced dictionary and cloud sync
- vs PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Cleaner reading, no ads, no editing
Migrating from PDF Reader & Document Viewer: Install, point at your PDF and eBook folders, and ReadEra takes it from there. Reading progress is stored per file.
Bottom line: Best pick for people whose PDFs are books, papers or long manuals.
How to choose
Pick Xodo if you want everything PDF Reader & Document Viewer does plus free editing, signing and merging. It is the default replacement for most users.
Pick WPS Office or MobiOffice if half your files are Word, Excel or PPT and you want a single app that actually edits them. WPS is cheaper and freer at the free tier; MobiOffice is more polished.
Pick Foxit PDF Editor if you already run Foxit on a laptop, or you handle contracts and forms where certificate-backed signatures matter.
Pick Document Reader if you like the current app’s simple shape and just want a more trusted developer with a working PDF editor.
Pick Files by Google if the vast majority of your files are PDF and images, and you want the least fussy, ad-free viewer that ships with Android.
Pick ReadEra if you read long PDFs, EPUBs or academic papers on your phone. Nothing else on this list matches its reading ergonomics.
Stay on PDF Reader & Document Viewer only if you use it once a month, do not edit anything, and truly do not mind the ad load. For anything more than that, one of the seven above will be less frustrating on day one.
FAQ
Is PDF Reader & Document Viewer safe to use?
The app carries a “Trusted” malware rank on Aptoide and its Play signature is valid, so it is not obviously malicious. The concern is not the binary but the developer profile, ad SDKs, and the amount of storage and network permissions a viewer of this kind asks for. For casual reading it is fine. For sensitive documents most users prefer a longer-standing publisher.
What is the best free alternative to PDF Reader & Document Viewer?
Xodo is the closest free full-featured pick: it views, edits, signs, merges and compresses PDFs without a subscription. Files by Google is the best free pure viewer if you do not edit at all. ReadEra is the best free option for long-form reading.
Can I edit Word and Excel files without switching to Microsoft Office?
Yes. WPS Office and MobiOffice both edit DOCX, XLSX and PPTX with strong Microsoft Office compatibility, and both have a free tier that covers most everyday editing. WPS also handles PDF viewing and annotation in the same app.
What Android app opens all document types in one place?
WPS Office and MobiOffice both open PDF, Word, Excel and PPT natively. If you also want strong PDF editing, both add that on their pro tiers. Files by Google opens PDF and images natively but hands Office formats to whatever office app you have installed.
Which alternative removes ads without a subscription?
Xodo, Files by Google and ReadEra are free without persistent ads. Foxit shows minimal promotional content, WPS shows some, and MobiOffice runs a light ad flow on the free tier. For a fully ad-free experience without paying, Xodo covers the widest set of PDF features.
