# Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup at 4.8 against PDF Reader's 4.3. Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). PDF Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (77% vs 64%). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup ships an update every 11 days, PDF Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawboard-pdf-annotate-markup/id1086503728/reviews)** | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2K | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **76.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 97 MB | 173 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drawboard Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1081203672) | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) |

## What reviewers say

### Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawboard-pdf-annotate-markup/id1086503728)

Enhance your PDF workflow with powerful annotation and markup tools. This app offers a dynamic and intuitive experience for editing, drawing, and adding text to your documents. Access your work across multiple devices and collaborate in real-time.

**Highlights:** Dynamic PDF annotation tools, Cross-platform access and cloud sync, Real-time collaboration, Insert text, images, lines, and shapes, Convert images to PDF, Redact sensitive information (Pro), Measurement tools (Pro)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Lite | $5.99 | per month |
| Pro Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Unlimited | $18.99 | per month |
| Pro Lite | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Plus | $83.90 | per year |
| Pro Unlimited | $159.99 | per year |
| Pro Plus | $10.00 | one-time |
| Pro Unlimited | $20.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent PDF annotation tools
- 👍 Convenient cross-platform sync
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Great for students and professionals
- 🚀 Smooth writing experience with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Cloud storage limitations
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Missing search and bookmark features
- 🔧 Inconsistent functionality between platforms

**Reported bugs**

- Annotations not syncing properly between devices
- Unexpected loss of work and unsaved changes
- Scrolling and page navigation issues
- Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
- Text input box disappearing after scrolling

**Requested features**

- Add page flattening and form filling options
- Improve eraser tool and precision
- Implement a dark mode
- Provide better organization and folder support
- Add more customization options for tools and UI


### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup free?

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup 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, Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup or PDF Reader?

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup is rated higher. Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.3 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup or PDF Reader have ads?

Neither Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup nor PDF Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup or PDF Reader?

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup ships an update every 11 days, and PDF Reader every 2 months. Most recently, Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup was updated on October 15, 2026 and PDF Reader on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*