Editing, tweaking, and viewing PDFs directly from your browser has never been this easy.
Your first option for a PDF extension might be a professional software like Adobe and the likes to manage your PDFs.
But if you work a lot on your browser, you can get the same PDF functions with a professional PDF reader extension.
Just as quickly, if not quicker than most offline PDF tools.
PDF extension is a reliable way to view, create, edit, and even share your documents without distorting their content and in today’s article, we will cover:
- PDF Reader Extensions Overview
- 7 Best PDF Reader Extension for Chrome and Firefox
- Other Online PDF Readers to Consider
PDF Reader Extensions Overview
PDF Reader Extensions are PDF viewers that work directly from your browser without having to download the software.
They perform most of the functions a PDF viewer software will perform – creating, highlighting, editing, merging, and many more.
Here’s an overview of what most PDF extensions offer:
- Once you install the PDF reader extension on the browser, you will not have to download the PDF reader software anymore. And you can automatically open all PDF files with the extension.
- PDF reader extensions can view and edit documents without needing you to save or have the file on your device. (This saves space on your device.)
- You can install the extension on most browsers; it is compatible with most recent browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
- Most PDF reader extensions are free; you do not have to pay to access essential PDF viewing and editing functions.
- It’s usually faster to open PDFs in your browser than with offline software.
How to Install PDF Reader Extensions on Chrome
To access the PDF reader extension, you will need to install them.
After that, you can automatically view and launch documents on your web browser. Below are the steps to install PDF reader extensions to your browser (Google Chrome):
- Launch your web browser.
- Go to the Chrome Web Store or your browser’s equivalent extension marketplace.
- Search for the extension you want to add. We’ll cover the top PDF reader extensions and tools below.
- Click on it, and select Add to Chrome.
Once the extension has been added, you can manage it or add some settings this way:
- Open your browser
- Click on the three-dots icon in the top right corner, where the toolbar is located.
- Then click on More tools > Extensions.

- You can turn it on/ off, remove it from your extensions, allow it in your incognito or any other setting you want to do.
7 Best Online PDF Reader Extension for Chrome and Firefox
If you have Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your default browser, below you’ll find some top browser extensions you can use to manage your PDF documents online.
In no order, the extension are as follows:
- Kami.
- SmallPDF.
- Hypothesis.
- Save As PDF.
- PDF Viewer.
- NO PDF Download.
- Awesome PDF Reader.
- Chrome built-in PDF Viewer.
- Adobe Acrobat.
- Inkit.
1. Kami

Kami is a chrome PDF tool that allows you to view, create, edit, annotate and share your PDF files.
This extension works on Chrome, Mozilla, and Safari browsers. It lets you drag and drop files or import them from the cloud.
Main Features:
Kami allows you to
- Convert documents from one format to another (e.g. HTML to PDF).
- Draw and erase on the document.
- Merge and split documents
- Add and select text from existing documents.
- Add highlights, underline and strikethrough the texts.
- Share, print, and upload documents to the cloud.
Kami can work with Google classroom to aid online learning.
And it allows you to access the essential tools with the free plan, but you can get more advanced tools if you upgrade to the premium plan for office, teacher, or student plans.
2. Smallpdf

Small PDF is an excellent PDF reader extension that comes with a lot of functions, from editing files to converting and compressing. It has a simple interface that is suitable for beginners.
Main features
- It can merge, split and compress PDF files.
- Converts files to different formats, including Word, Excel, and Presentations.
- It can be used to remove and extract PDF pages
- It can convert images to PDFs and PDFs to images.
- It has a password protection function.
3. Hypothesis

Hypothesis is another free online document viewer available as software and a chrome extension. It allows you to create, edit, highlight and annotate your PDF.
Pros
- It is good for a group PDF reading as it allows collaborative reading and commenting.
- It has public and private annotation features.
Cons
- Not the most user-friendly interface.
4. Save as PDF

Save as PDF is a PDF reader extension available on Chrome and Mozilla. It allows you to create and edit PDF files and enable you to download web pages as documents in any format.
Main features
- Allows you to convert documents to the desired format
- It can create, edit and view PDF files.
- Converts web pages to documents.
- Password encryption function.
- Allows you to customize page size, margins, and view.
Cons
- It does not allow you to customize many of the mentioned settings if you do not have a paid account.
5. PDF Viewer

PDF viewer is another bare-bones reader extensions to view a PDF on a website without downloading it. There is a space to type in the URL of the PDF you want to view. Once you type in the URL, the document will be put on view. And you can decide to download the PDF after viewing it.
PDF viewer does not only display PDF files; it can also display text files, images, and spreadsheets. And it allows you to upload files from the cloud.
The tool is quite straightforward and easy-to-use, but not for everyone.
Pros
- It is most suitable for viewing online documents.
Cons
- No highlighting or commenting tool.