Side-by-side overview
Comparing PDF auto-advance and playback capabilities across tools.
| Need | Boozle | PowerPoint / Keynote | Acrobat / Preview | Browser PDF Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-advance a PDF | ✓ Built-in (--auto) |
Requires importing the PDF first | Acrobat only, limited support | Not available |
| Loop a PDF fullscreen | ✓ --loop flag |
Possible but heavyweight | Not designed for this | Often awkward or impossible |
| Per-slide timing control | ✓ TOML sidecar config | Native slide files only | No | No |
| Single command launch | ✓ One binary, one command | Full app install required | App + file association | URL or drag-and-drop |
| Monitor / display selection | ✓ --monitor <N> |
Presenter mode only | No | No |
| Page range restriction | ✓ --pages 1-5,8 |
Custom slide shows (complex) | No | No |
| Progress / countdown HUD | ✓ --progress |
Presenter view (not audience-facing) | No | No |
| HiDPI / Retina rendering | ✓ Native pixel density | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported | Browser-dependent |
| Designed for kiosk / lobby loops | ✓ Primary use case | Possible, not purpose-built | No | No |
| Zero dependencies | ✓ Single static binary | Full install required | Full install required | Browser + OS required |
| Cross-platform CLI workflow | ✓ macOS, Linux, Windows | GUI only | GUI only | Limited |
| Sidecar config file | ✓ TOML travels with PDF | No | No | No |
| Open source | ✓ Apache-2.0 | Commercial | Commercial | Browser-dependent |
The right tool for each job
Each tool excels at something different. Here's when to reach for each one.
Your slides are already a PDF. You need them to open fullscreen, advance on a timer, loop cleanly, and look sharp — on the screen you choose, with no manual interaction. Trade show loops, lobby screens, kiosks, hands-free talks.
Full presentation authoring tools with rich animation, transition, and layout capabilities. Best when you're still building the deck, not just playing it. Export to PDF when you're done — then use Boozle.
The right tool for interacting with PDFs as documents — commenting, signing, editing, extracting pages. Not designed for unattended fullscreen presentation loops.
Convenient for sharing and viewing inline. No loop mode, no auto-advance, no monitor selection, no kiosk controls. Fine for casual review; not for presenting.
Boozle vs Impressive
Impressive is a classic lightweight PDF presenter with similar goals — fullscreen playback, keyboard navigation, and a thumbnail overview. Boozle modernises this approach: it ships as a single static binary (no Python runtime or pygame required), supports HiDPI displays natively, offers per-slide TOML config, and runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows with native builds. If you've used Impressive before, Boozle picks up where it left off.