Comparison

PDF Viewer by Nutrient vs PDF Maker & Reader Pro

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

Head to head
About

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

Easily view, search, and annotate PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Import files from cloud services, fill out forms, add signatures, and organize your documents. Advanced features like redaction and combining documents are available with a Pro subscription.

Highlights
  • View and search PDFs
  • Annotate with highlights and notes
  • Sign documents digitally
  • Fill out PDF forms
  • Organize and share documents
  • Import from cloud services
Features
Read full description

PDF Viewer is a fast and beautiful app, allowing you to view, search, and annotate PDF documents with ease on your iPhone and iPad. Access your files from iCloud, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive or any other cloud solution via Apple's familiar Document Browser interface. +++ Listed as “Productivity lifesaver” on the App Store +++ "A streamlined interface packed with powerful features - it’s like having a desktop-quality PDF toolkit wherever we go" – App Store Editor Notes “I'm impressed by how the folks at PSPDFKit have been able to fine-tune the document browser to the app's needs.” – MacStories.net "If you want a PDF viewer that is designed for reading PDF books, this is it." – App Review VIEW DOCUMENTS ON THE GO • Easily import a PDF from your favorite cloud service provider, email, or directly off a website. • Supports Open In Place, Drag & Drop and features the familiar Apple Document Browser interface from the Files app. • Search for the exact text you are looking for within the document. • Double tap on the screen to Smart Zoom directly to the text you want to read. • Annotate images (JPEG, PNG) non-destructive, just like PDF documents. (PRO) ANNOTATE WITH EASE • While reviewing a document, use your finger or Apple Pencil to highlight and markup text. • Leave comments by adding a note, text, or drawing directly on the PDF. • Add images or audio. • Reply to notes. (PRO) SIGN DOCUMENTS ANYWHERE • Add your signature to any document using your finger or Apple Pencil. • Move and resize your signature as needed. • Flatten a document to ensure the signature doesn’t change. CREATE AND EDIT PDFs • Create new documents from existing documents by moving, rotating, deleting, or adding new pages. • Combine multiple documents into a single one. (PRO) • Add bookmarks to easily return to certain pages in large documents. FILL OUT FORMS • Quickly fill out PDF Forms by adding text to the fields. • Flatten and secure the form once you’re done to ensure the document doesn’t change. • Add a signature to any Form. STORE, ORGANIZE AND SHARE • Store documents, create folders and organize your documents. • Share documents by printing, emailing or saving your edits back any cloud service. PASSWORD PROTECT DOCUMENTS • Read document metadata, title and keywords. • Protect documents with user and owner passwords and limit permissions. (PRO) AND SO MUCH MORE • Conveniently switch to night mode when viewing your documents at night. • Present on external screens without the distraction of toolbars. (PRO) • Have the text from a PDF read out loud to you with text-to-speech. • PDF Viewer remembers where you were down to the page/position where you left off - even across devices. PRICING PDF Viewer comes with a large feature set, completely free. Some advanced features require the purchase of PDF Viewer Pro, available as a subscription. We offer 3-monthly and yearly subscription plans. There’s also a fully functional 7-day trial, so you can test PDF Viewer Pro (including document merging and password editing) before you commit. All plans unlock the app on iPhone and iPad. TRUSTED BY COMPANIES YOU KNOW PDF Viewer is built on top of and powered by PSPDFKit, the same PDF engine trusted around the world by companies like Dropbox, Box, IBM, Atlassian, SAP, and Lufthansa. BE PART OF THE PDF VIEWER COMMUNITY pdfviewer.io twitter.com/pdfviewerapp LEGAL Duration and price of each subscription are displayed in PDF Viewers’ storefront, updated at the time of purchase. Payment will be charged to iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off no later than 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal can be managed/turned off in the iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited as soon as a subscription is purchased. Terms of Use: https://pdfviewer.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://pdfviewer.io/privacy

About

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

Create and edit PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Add text, photos, maps, and diagrams to new or existing PDFs. Easily share your creations via email or cloud storage.

Highlights
  • Create new PDF documents
  • Edit existing PDFs
  • Add text, photos, and maps
  • Input manually or with keyboard
  • Support for Apple Pencil
  • Share via email and cloud storage
Features
Read full description

PDF Maker & Reader is a simple and powerful tool for reading and creating PDF. It can be displayed PDF documents on iPhone and iPad and you can input either manually or from the keyboard and add photos, maps, lines and diagrams. And you can make a new PDF document. PDF documents that you made can be output to many applications. [Major Functions] - You can read PDF documents from iTunes, iCloud Drive and many applications.(compatible with App Extensions) - You can make a new PDF document. - You can make a PDF document in the following way.  1. You can input either manually or from the keyboard (compatible with Apple Pencil).  2. You can paste up to photos.  3. You can paste maps.  4. By pasting figures and lines, you can display PDF documents graphically. - You can upload PDF documents to iTunes, iCloud Drive, applications compatible with PDF, and you can attach PDF to emails. [Contact us] https://www.studioks.net/en/contact-us/ [Studio K's - Business Applications Maker] https://www.studioks.net/en/

Screenshots

PDF Viewer by Nutrient4 screens
PDF Maker & Reader Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PDF Viewer by Nutrient at Free against PDF Maker & Reader Pro's $1.99. PDF Viewer by Nutrient also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 40%) and ratings volume (9.1K vs 12). PDF Maker & Reader Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 17.0). On update cadence, 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

PDF Viewer by Nutrient is free to download; PDF Maker & Reader Pro costs $1.99 up front. PDF Viewer by Nutrient sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months. PDF Maker & Reader Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Viewer by Nutrient holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Viewer by Nutrient has 9.1K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of PDF Viewer by Nutrient's written reviews are positive against 40% of PDF Maker & Reader Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, PDF Maker & Reader Pro every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PDF Viewer by Nutrient versus PDF Maker & Reader Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Viewer by NutrientPDF Maker & Reader Pro
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.6 (9.1K ratings) — better4.3 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K — better12
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.010.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPSPDFKit GmbHNAOAKI SEKIGUCHI

Customer experience

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

All ratings9,080 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews1,088 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral9.7%
Negative16.7%

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Bugs and requests

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Annotations randomly disappearing or not saving
  • Incompatibility issues with certain PDF files
  • Scrolling and panning problems on large PDFs
  • Unexpected crashes after iOS updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a rubber/eraser tool for annotations
  • Implement a side-by-side PDF view mode
  • Improve palm rejection and gesture support
  • Allow customization of toolbar and shortcuts
  • Provide better options for PDF file management

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

Subscriptions2
  • PDF Viewer Pro 3 Months7 Days trial$6.993 Months
  • PDF Viewer Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
None

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Viewer by Nutrient free?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Maker & Reader Pro free?
PDF Maker & Reader Pro costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or PDF Maker & Reader Pro?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient is rated higher. PDF Viewer by Nutrient averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while PDF Maker & Reader Pro averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do PDF Viewer by Nutrient or PDF Maker & Reader Pro have ads?
Neither PDF Viewer by Nutrient nor PDF Maker & Reader Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or PDF Maker & Reader Pro?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, and PDF Maker & Reader Pro every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Viewer by Nutrient was updated on September 28, 2026 and PDF Maker & Reader Pro on September 18, 2026.

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