If there is something we have learned here at Softonic, it's that a good PDF creator is hard to find. They are either ugly, slow, lack functions or, more often, all three. Will PDF-XChange Viewer be any different?

It is! Viewing PDFs with PDF-XChange Viewer is fast and smooth - you can skip through and back pages, view documents in a variety of layouts, and search and find pages and keywords seamlessly. PDF-XChange Viewer's toolbars are totally customizable, and there is a considerable range of configuration options.

PDF-XChange Viewer's editing options are also impressive. Although the free version doesn't allow you to create documents from scratch, it does let you edit extensively, with a few exceptions, mainly the ability to add or remove pages. Commenting, underlining, stamping, attaching files and creating text boxes are all easily done, and can be modified and removed in the click of a button.

There are also tooltips, so you know what you are doing before you click. This feature is very welcome, as the PDF-XChange Viewer help is not very good. Additional cool features include a snapshot tool, document preview when opening PDFs and a huge range of interface language options.

PDF-XChange Viewer is a great PDF editor that is streets ahead of its many rivals.

Download PDF-XChange Viewer 2.5.211 in Softonic

Features

Version 2 ("Twoflower") brings a new interface, faster decoding, support for more formats and the ability to play HD and BluRay. It still remains however the most stable, flexible and lightweight audio and video player around today. While other media players will play unusual formats after downloading a codec, or simply refuse to play things,

VLC media player handles tons of formats, from MPEG to FLV and RMBV files. Version 2 has seen some important additions too such as support for 10 bit codes plus multi-threaded decoding for H.264, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM.

Also useful is the fact that you can use VLC media player to preview files you are downloading since it plays incomplete parts of video files. VLC media player is not just for video playback however. It also offers superb integration with video channel streaming services such as Channels.com giving you access to channels such as ESPN, Reuters and National Geographic. Just right-click or CMD-click on the playlist, select Services Discovery and Channels.com.

Channels.com will then appear in your VLC media player playlist. Click on it to reveal the the different categories of channels available. Click on the category you want and a drop down list of all available channels appears in VLC media player. Just click on the channel you want to watch and streaming should begin almost immediately.

Usability

VLC media player also has great hotkey support and if you take the time to learn the shortcuts so it can be controlled without touching your mouse. If you're watching DVDs or video files through it, this is not an issue. For music, it plays more or less any file and features an equalizer and playlist creation. VLC media player isn't as intuitive as iTunes as a media manager, but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats. You can even use VLC to convert your files, and on top of all the formats and physical media it will play, many streaming protocols and TV capture cards are supported.

VLC media player makes it easy to add subtitles to your video files too - just add the SRT file to the folder where your video is kept, and it will automatically play with subtitles.

Finally, the interface in VLC media player has been somewhat improved in version 2 although it remains strictly functional. However, you can download skins to completely change VLC media player's appearance. The preferences menu is comprehensive without being overwhelming, and there is extensive documentation online.

Conclusion

VLC Media Player is quite simply the best multimedia application for Windows and Mac. It plays just about anything, hassle free - what more could you need?

What's new

Rework and fixes of the Mac OS X interface

Fix Pulseaudio initial synchronization

Fix MKV, SWF, AIFF and subtitles demuxer crashes

Translations updates and new Welsh translation

DVB-S delivery system detection

Fix audio and video track selection through libVLC

Fix system sleep issue on Mac OS X 10.5

Download VLC media player 2.0.7 in Softonic

Adobe Reader has been in existence for over a decade and has gone through various evolutions during this time. One result of this is that it has been increasingly loaded with plug-ins and extensions which mean that it's consistently criticized as being bloated and slow.

The truth about Adobe Reader's speed

It is true to a certain extent that the extra plug-ins and extensions can make Adobe run more slowly. Adobe Reader is still a PDF reader that has much to offer though. With the latest version of Adobe Reader, Adobe have addressed some of the speed issues and the memory footprint has been improved consistently throughout the development of Adobe Reader XI.

Interface and stand-out features

This version of Adobe Reader is not only slightly faster, but also displays a clearer, simpler interface that makes it easier to use. Adobe Reader XI still features the classic tools from previous versions (Zoom, Text selection, Snapshots and Read out loud), but now it also includes renewed features such as the ability to leave comments as sticky notes. A new feature you’ll find in Adobe Reader X is the Share tool, with which you can easily share the document by email or via the Adobe SendNow service.

Built-in security precautions

If you were worried about security issues in Adobe Reader, fear not: Adobe Reader XI is probably the safest version ever released, thanks to the new Protected Mode than loads images, code and 3D objects in a special area in memory, isolated from the system.

Adobe Reader XI is undoubtedly an important update in the history of this popular PDF reader – an essential tool to open, read and print PDF documents.

Download Adobe Reader XI 11.0.03 in Softonic

Adobe Flash Player (originally a Macromedia product) remains the standard platform for viewing a wide variety of web content, varying from navigation elements to every video you watch on YouTube.

Some of the main reasons to use Adobe Flash Player are:

-simple to use
-high performance
-small file size
-near-HD quality

Additions and Improvements

Adobe Flash Player 10 includes a wide range of interesting additions and improvements when compared to previous versions. Some of these great new features include the inclusion of support for the H.264 video codec and the HE-AAC audio codec, which together offer a much richer, higher-definition picture and crystal-clear sound. By introducing these capabilities and only slightly impacting performance, Adobe Flash Player is set to encourage another revolution in web video, since HD movies are becoming standard on YouTube. They also look and sound fantastic!

Adobe Flash Player 10 also irons out some of the problems that previous versions have suffered from. These include previous security and stability issues. This update also includes support for ActionScript 3.0 and makes fantastic 3D graphics possible. This means more dynamic and interesting navigation, games and interactivity on websites.

Adobe Flash Player 11 represents a leap forward in terms of quality, stability and security.

Download Adobe Flash Player (for IE) 11.7.700.224 in Softonic

If you're looking for a simple way to view PDFs in Windows 8 or Windows RT, Adobe Reader for Windows 8 fits the bill nicely. The app is extremely lightweight and very basic. The main window shows options to open a file, read the "Getting Started" PDF, visit the support forum, and to try out EchoSign of the full featured Adobe Acrobat program.

PDFs opened without any problems and Adobe Reader for Windows 8 was even able to open PDFs from other installed apps like Dropbox for Windows 8. There is a history of your recently viewed PDFs on the main page as well. The history can be cleared easily.

Those looking for the ability to make edits and annotations to PDFs will have to look further than Adobe Reader for Windows 8. Windows 8 users should check out the desktop version of Adobe Acrobat for a more full featured and can zoom in and out, unlike Adobe Reader for Windows 8.

Overall, Adobe Reader for Windows 8 is a simple and easy to use way to open up PDFs in Windows 8 and Windows RT but it's lacking many basic features.

Download Adobe Reader Touch for Windows 8 1.0.7.1855 in Softonic

Also, PDF to X supports converting the password-protected PDF files and specifying page range to convert (for DOC, RTF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIF, PCX, TGA files), and supports converting the PDF files that have some restrictions, such as Content Copying, Saving as Text, Page Extraction, Printing are not allowed (for HTML and TXT files).

Key Features: Supports converting PDF documents to Word (*.DOC), WordPad (*.RTF), HTML, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIF, PCX, TGA and TXT files. Friendly interface, small, accurate, and fast. Works in batch mode. Works without Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Retains the original text, images, format and layout in the output files as much as possible. Supports converting the password-protected PDF files (for DOC, RTF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIF, PCX, TGA formats). And so on.

If you want to edit the PDF files in Word or WordPad, publish PDF content as HTML web pages on the web, capture PDF documents, let your documents management system supports PDF search or want to extract the text from PDF files, it might be useful.

Download PDF to X 3.2 in Softonic

Adobe have long provided some of the best creative tools around for digital designers and Adobe Creative Suite is about as good as it gets for professionals.

Adobe Creative Suite CS6 Design Premium consists of: Adobe Photoshop, the world's most powerful image editing tool; Adobe Illustrator, for pinpoint retouching and editing; Adobe InDesign, for professional desktop publishing; Adobe Dreamweaver, the ultimate web design tool; Adobe Flash and Catalyst, for creating animations and multimedia web content; Adobe Fireworks, for specialist web design work; and Adobe Acrobat X, the most popular PDF reader and writer out there.

Adobe Creative Suite CS6 Design Premium also includes several useful online tools for ultimate power and control over your designs.

Adobe Creative Suite CS6 Design Premium is one of the most powerful design packages available.

Download Adobe Creative Suite CS6 CS6 Master Collection in Softonic

It's specifically designed for Windows 8 as a native application, and is compatible with the built-in Windows Reader in Windows 8. It's specifically designed for Windows 8 as a native application, and is compatible with the built-in Windows Reader in Windows 8.

Windows 8 users, non-tablet users. Windows 8 users, non-tablet users. Windows 8 users, non-tablet users. Windows 8 users, non-tablet users.

Download PDF Writer for Windows 8 1.01 in Softonic

Although Adobe Reader is the original PDF reader, many people would argue that with all the add-ons and new functionalities added in recent versions, it’s just too sluggish and bloated to be considered the best. That said, it is a complete tool, nice to look at and reliable, which is why the developer of Adobe Reader Lite decided to use it as the basis for this version.

If you have ever used Adobe Reader, Adobe Reader Lite will be second nature. Open up the app, import your PDF document and you’ll be viewing it in a matter of seconds. Where Adobe Reader Lite differs from the original is hard to pinpoint, but it’s safe to say that it’s the same app, with everything but the essential features stripped away.

That said, whether or not Adobe Reader Lite is actually supported by Adobe seems to be a bit of a gray area. It also completely lacks Adobe Reader Lite-specific documentation or resources, which make using it feel a little risky. It’s also hard to understand why anyone would use a modded version of a somewhat subpar program, when there are great dedicated alternatives like PDF-XChange Viewer and Foxit Reader around.

Adobe Reader Lite is a much lighter version of Adobe’s classic Reader, but it’s still nothing to get very excited about.

Download Adobe Reader Lite 9.4.0.31 in Softonic

You don't need any products from Adobe (neither Adobe Acrobat Reader nor Adobe Acrobat) installed on your computer. P2T focus on text extraction from pdf file.

It analyzes the raw pdf file directly and extract plain text from it. The layout of the document is reserved. Performance and precision are our goal.

P2T supports PDF specification 1. x. A handy graphic user interface also provided. The trial version can only process the first 5 pages of pdf document, no file size limitation and 15 days free trial.

Download PDF Plain Text Extractor in Softonic

Choose from multiple page sizes, orientations, watermark / stamp insertion, metadata access and file resolutions (up to 2400 DPI). Merge output from different applications into a single PDF.

Secure and encrypt PDF documents with 40-bit or 128-bit RC4 encryption, add password protection and PDF permissions. Easily embed file attachments into the output PDF.

Sign documents electronically using a digital certificate from the Windows Certificate store. Send the PDF file automatically with the integrated SMTP client.

Control the metadata information that is saved to a PDF document. Easily add a title, subject, author and keywords to quickly find the document you need within your document management system.

Save time and increase your productivity by using the Print2PDF Batch Conversion application to convert multiple office documents to the Adobe Reader compatible PDF format.

Convert documents (DOC, DOCX, ODT), spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX, ODS), presentations (PPT, PPTX, ODP), drawings (AutoCAD DWF), web pages (HTML) and email (EML, MIME) in one click.

Includes a hyperlink, bookmark and TOC conversion macro for Microsoft Word. Setup default settings and custom profiles to control exactly how PDF files are created within your organization and distribute the software through a prepared client installation or through a network shareable printer.

New features include: ISO 19005-1 PDF/A-1a Support, Multi-language Support, ISO 15930-1 PDF/X Support, PDF File Attachments, Microsoft Word and Excel 2007 Support, Enhanced Profile Only Support, JPEG 2000 Image Compression, Redesigned Windows, Prepare Client Installation and more.

Download Print2PDF 8.0 Standard Edition (Up to 3 users) 8 in Softonic

ReadAIR is an AIR-based RSS feed reader that you can use instead of Google Reader to review the latest posts in your favorite blogs.

This app works in a very simple way: enter your Gmail address and password, and it'll automatically fetch all your feeds, as well as your shared and starred items. The interface looks like iTunes a lot, which makes the program seem kind of familiar and easy to use.

ReadAIR works generally fine. I especially liked the way feeds are displayed on the program's interface, keeping the original post's layout at all times and using a very visually appealing text font.

However, the program also has some major flaws: to begin with, I couldn't add any new feeds (the "Add" button simply showed a blank window). Also, the only way to move through feeds is by using the mouse, meaning there's no support for keyboard shortcuts.

ReadAIR provides you with another way to access your Google Reader feeds, though it still needs to improve to become a real alternative.

Download ReadAir 0.1 in Softonic

Adobe Reader SpeedUp is a simple application that was created to help make the loading time of Adobe's Acrobat Reader software bearable for everyday use.

AR SpeedUp only needs to be used once (a process taking only a few seconds) and then your Reader will be transformed forever. There are also some tweaking options available.

Download Adobe Reader SpeedUp 1.36 in Softonic