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- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Date added: August 06, 2010
- Total Downloads: 11,886,789
- Downloads last week: 18,195
- Product Ranking: #3 in Document Management Software
- See full specifications
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- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 1334 votes
See all user reviews - CNET Editors' ChoiceApr 09
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on June 29, 2010
Foxit Reader has long been the most visible Windows alternative to Adobe Reader, but with its latest update, this popular freeware falters slightly. While the jump from version 2 to version 3 cut bloat while adding in a few features, version 4 adds some new features but also throws some unpleasant curveballs.
The setup process has grown more cumbersome. It will automatically check you into the Foxit license agreement, and you are also opted-in to install the Foxit Search Bar that changes your default search provider to Ask and makes Ask.com your home page. It also opts you into the Foxit add-on for Firefox, and into creating desktop, quick launch, and Start menu icons that link to eBay. Also, in our tests, it commandeered the default PDF reader setting even though we unchecked that box.
Version 4s interface is practically indistinguishable from the previous version. The toolbar still contains a lengthy row of icons. It's not a bad design, but it does look very Windows XP and might be overwhelming to some users. Thankfully, it is a customizable toolbar that you can change by right-clicking on it.
There are some useful new features that should serve to remind users why alternatives to Adobe Reader are so valuable. In addition to the tabbed PDF reading, measuring tools, and auto-scrolling, it appears that Foxit has removed its demand that users install its toolbar before getting access to editing features, such as highlighting, commenting, hyperlink creation. There's a new text view feature that automatically lets you view a PDF as text-only, and watermark-free printing has been extended to users of the free edition.
However, Foxit lacks some notable options, such as PDF creation, and the persistent pestering to add features is annoying--even though some of the features that you can add to Foxit are free. For example, Foxit promotes an online collaborative system called OnDemandCM on the program's landing page when you open Foxit without loading a PDF. Once you install the add-on, you'll be asked to register at the Foxit Web site, but using the service itself isn't free.
During the course of a half-day of use, Foxit's performance varied. Mostly it would open PDFs and maneuver within them easily; occasionally it would be sluggish and momentarily unresponsive. In general, Foxit still remains lighter on your system resources than Adobe Reader is, but there are a growing number of strong alternatives to this alternative reader.
Publisher's description
From Foxit Software:Foxit Reader 4 is designed for a broad spectrum of users including enterprise and government organizations. Foxit Reader is fully customizable to meet any organization business objective and its small footprint makes it easy to deploy. It is also packed with features not available in competitor's products. Foxit Reader's small footprint makes easy to update and maintain. Finally, Foxit Reader adheres to all ISO 32000 standards.
What's new in this version:
Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805 addresses vulnerability associated with the rendering of the PDFs embedded in the new iPhone/iPad jailbreak program.More popular Document Management Software downloads
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User reviews
- All versions: 4.2 starsout of 1334 votes
- 5 stars
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- 1 stars
- Current version: 3.9 starsout of 51 votes
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- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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3 stars
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Deceptive install practices with Ask toolbar."
Pros: It's a great alternative to Adobe Reader - and it's free.
Cons: I believe the makers have intentionally made the Ask toolbar portion of installation deceptive, likely for their own gain. I totally understand them wanting to earn an income, but I find this deceptive practice to be in very poor taste.
Summary: To avoid installing the Ask toolbar, there's a screen with check boxes for "Make Ask my browser default search provider"and "Set Ask.com as my homepage." Most people are so used to unchecking the boxes and clicking Accept and Next when installing software that they just click right through - but if you look, the buttons are "Decline" and "Accept".
*** Click "Decline" to avoid installing the Ask toolbar. *** -
1 stars
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Love the program; may not download again"
Pros: Best PDF reader i've tried
Cons: ASK toolbar
Summary: I have been using FoxIt for years. It's the best non-Adobe PDF reader i've tried; it renders graphics in PDFs better than any other, for instance.
(My rating of one star is for the toolbar situation; i'd still rate it four-to-five stars on functionality and ease of use.)
But, last time i upgraded, i thought that i had simply not unchecked the default setting to install the ASK Toolbar, and i got the toolbar. So this time, i made *sure* to uncheck it.
And there it was again.
And its version of InstallShield does not offer an "Uninstall" option.
Luckily, Windows installer can still kill it.
Next time it updates, i will download FoxIt make doubly sure that i uncheck the default ... and if it once again installs the toolbar *anyway* - it's gone, and i'll just put up with poorer graphics rendering.
Updated on Aug 7, 2010 -
5 stars
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Small footprint, a Ferrari to Adobe Reader's bicycle."
Pros: I noticed somebody said that it was "deceptive" in that it defaulted to the Ask toolbar. If that's difficult for you, to be polite, what can I say. It's great, fast and far more secure than Adobe Reader. It also has more options and it's FREE.
Cons: None unless you mind the occasional balloon that tells you that some options require the commercial version. Since every program on Earth does that, what's the big deal?
Summary: ************************************* if allowed
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4 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"works fine, no complaint"
Pros: works automaticly, no fuddling required. If it really closes a security risk of Acrobat, fine.
Cons: sometimes working slowly
Summary: There was not one incident, when the software had caused any problems.
Even if a PDF is sent that had been composed with Acrobat, the FOXIT reds it automatically without hesitation and automatically. -
5 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"BEST pdf reader for i've used!"
Pros: fast and lightweight..
Cons: none........
Summary: just don't opt for the installation of the ask toolbar.
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5 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"I like Foxit Reader"
Pros: I got problem with Adobe Reader/Acrobat for open pdf file. I don't know how to fix it.
Cons: Foxit Reader is easy for install & can open pdf file very fast!
Summary: Thank you.
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5 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"It's just a reader, but it's better than Adobe 9."
Pros: Compact, quick and free.
Cons: Needs to be kept updated, otherwise it seems to lose features.
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2 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Bloody limited."
Pros: Lower memory load than Acrobat, and better as a plug in IE.
Cons: Froze Safari. Disables keyboard scrolling of the text area when used as a plugin in Firefox. Can't set precise magnification by percentage of original image size, or else that only works within IE. Can't convert PDF to text.
Summary: It only does what I wanted it to do in one environment (IE), and does everything else worse than Acrobat. It's a shame, because I really liked how it works as an IE plugin, but I can't use it in Firefox, and Acrobat is a better standalone prog for what I do. I still use Foxit for simple viewing, but it still annoys me at times by little things like assuming that if I go to a new page I must want the image position reset, a bloody nuisance when I'm trying to view a document that requires magnification that makes its width larger than the screen space; I have middle-age eyes and need that magnification.
Overall, a worse program than Acrobat which has only one saving grace, that it requires much less memory when used as an IE plugin. -
1 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Locks up Firefox on a regular basis"
Pros: I have use it for quite a while with good results.
Cons: Since installing Windows 7 and/or Firefox, it frequently locks up Firefox to the extent that I have to shut it down and reopen it, losing all open tabs.
Summary: It does NOT play with either Windows 7 or Firefox. I absolutely would NOT recomment it to anyone using either of those two programs.
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5 stars
Version: Foxit Reader 4.1.1.0805
"Better than anyone i've tested."
Pros: It's Free;
Low memory cost;Cons: When downloading a PDF inside the browser it needs to wait until about half the PDF is ready to realy open it. (I use Firefox and IE).
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