Comparison

PDF Document Editor & Reader vs PDF Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDF Document Editor & Reader

Easily create, edit, and manage PDF documents. Transfer files via USB, Wi-Fi, or email, and integrate with cloud storage like Dropbox and Google Drive. Supports various file formats for seamless document handling.

Highlights
  • Create PDFs from maps, websites, and text files
  • Transfer documents via USB, Wi-Fi, and email
  • Integrate with Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud
  • Support for MS Office and iWork file formats
  • Open documents in other applications
Features
Read full description

The intuitive design makes it easy for anyone no matter the technical background to use this app. Here are few of the features that this app is jam-packed with: - Transfer PDF & other documents to USB, Wi-Fi, or E-mail - Use Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or Wi-Fi to download or upload files and documents - Create PDF from maps, websites or any other kind of text file. - Supports various file formats such as MS Office & iWork’s files as well - Ability to open documents in other apps such as numbers or pages. Plus much more! Give this app a chance and test it, you won’t regret it!

About

PDF Reader

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

Highlights
  • Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading
  • Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting)
  • Handwritten signature insertion
  • File management (move, merge, copy, delete)
  • Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud)
  • Create blank PDFs and folders
Features
Read full description

PDFelement - PDF Reader is a PDF reader using the latest technology. The newly connected Liquid Mode function allows you to enjoy the best reading experience. In addition, there are various annotation tools, file management, signature, Various functions such as cloud services can meet your PDF needs in work and study. PDF VIEWER • Liquid Mode gives you the best PDF reading experience • Star files to find them quickly • Easily locate recently accessed files in the "Recent" list. • Enter the page number to navigate to the desired page for viewing LIQUID MODE • Get the best PDF Reading experience with Liquid Mode • PDF document fully fits the mobile phone screen, no need to zoom in and out repeatedly. • Easily adjust brightness, font size,style, and spacing. ANNOTATE • Using Pencil to annotate like writing on the paper • Add text annotations, freely modify the text and background, border colors, choose the appropriate font and font size. • Supports many annotating tools like highlighting, underlining, squiggly lines, or strikethroughs. MANAGE • Move, merge, copy or delete files SIGNATURE • Enables handwritten signatures to be inserted anywhere within the document, while also offering the ability to zoom in and out for greater flexibility. • Built-in commonly used stamps CREATE • Quickly create completely blank PDF documents • Creat blank folders. SHARE • Sharing document content with others is just a click away with capture feature. • Select sentence(s) or pragraph(s) to share CLOUD SERVICE • PDF Reader supports uploading or downloading docs via computer, Wondershare document cloud and iCloud. Please note that this app only supports editing native PDF files. It does not support editing scanned or raster PDF. If you find you cannot edit text in PDF, please check if it is scanned PDF. Thank you! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need HELP? Please contact us! We'll feedback to you ASAP. Email: pdfelement@wondershare.com Support Center: http://support.wondershare.com Forum: http://forum.pdf.wondershare.com Official Website: https://pdf.wondershare.com If you think this App helps you, your positive review in the App Store would be much appreciated.

Screenshots

PDF Document Editor & Reader4 screens
PDF Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against PDF Document Editor & Reader's 0%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). PDF Document Editor & Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Document Editor & Reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of PDF Document Editor & Reader's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Document Editor & Reader ships an update every 7 months, PDF Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PDF Document Editor & Reader versus PDF Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Document Editor & ReaderPDF Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.4 (17 ratings)4.3 (3.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews76.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings173.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB173 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperCatrnja DevWondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.

Customer experience

PDF Document Editor & Reader

All ratings17 ratings
Positive11.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.2%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative98.8%

PDF Reader

All ratings3,923 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews1,582 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative17.2%

User reviews

PDF Document Editor & Reader

From 17 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🆓 Allows reading PDFs for free (with caveats)
  • 💻 Easy file transfer from computer

Room to improve

  • ❌ Overwhelmingly intrusive ads
  • ❌ Unusable due to constant pop-ups
  • ❌ Misleading advertising/functionality
  • ❌ Paid version offers no improvement
  • ❌ Cannot edit PDFs

PDF Reader

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
  • 💡 Useful annotation tools
  • 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
  • 👍 Great value for free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
  • 👎 Unintuitive user interface
  • 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
  • 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

Bugs and requests

PDF Document Editor & Reader

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Ads do not close
  • App crashes after editing
  • Paid version doesn't enable features
  • Cannot exit certain screens
  • Share/menu options don't work
Show 3 more
  • Cannot import PDFs
  • App shuts down after editing
  • Full version crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to edit PDFs
  • Less intrusive advertising
  • Improved functionality in free version
  • Working developer website/support

PDF Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Text boxes appearing randomly
  • Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
  • Scrolling issues and page loading delays
  • Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
  • Support for multiple open documents
  • Improved Apple Pencil integration
  • Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
  • Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PDF Document Editor & Reader

One-time2
  • Unlock the full version$9.99
  • Unlock the full version & remove ads.$9.99
None

PDF Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Document Editor & Reader free?
PDF Document Editor & Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Document Editor & Reader or PDF Reader?
PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Document Editor & Reader averages 1.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.3 from 3.9K ratings.
Do PDF Document Editor & Reader or PDF Reader have ads?
Neither PDF Document Editor & Reader nor PDF Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Document Editor & Reader or PDF Reader?
PDF Document Editor & Reader ships an update every 7 months, and PDF Reader every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Document Editor & Reader was updated on September 1, 2026 and PDF Reader on September 28, 2026.

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