I installed both an open-source PDF reader and Acrobat Reader for a project.
When I uninstalled them, the open-source reader was just 22 MB.
But Acrobat Reader is THIRTY TIMES BIGGER.
Seriously, what kind of spyware and tracking crap did McAfee shove onto my machine?
Forget Adobe.
Adobe Acrobat is such a resource hog! I had to run it on a really old laptop, and it was like trying to use a snail with a limp. Unfortunately, it’s the only PDF viewer that reliably opens and edits some forms.
PDFs can do a ton of stuff—3D rendering, 2D animation, audio, forms, and more. Supporting all these features takes up a lot of resources.
Give Foxit a shot. Their editor is worth the small price, but they also offer a free reader with some basic tools.
Adobe products are usually pretty heavy.
If you’re looking for a lightweight, full-featured PDF solution, try PDF-XChange Editor. There’s a portable version available so you don’t have to install it.
You can use it for free, but the lifetime license is definitely worth it.