Comparison

PDF Viewer by Nutrient vs GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

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

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

This app offers robust PDF editing and annotation capabilities, alongside comprehensive file management for various document types. It allows users to securely store, organize, and access files from cloud services, enhancing productivity on mobile devices.

Highlights
  • PDF annotation and editing
  • File management for various formats
  • Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
  • Military-grade AES-256 encryption
  • Split-screen viewing for iPad
  • PDF Reflow feature
Features
Read full description

GoodReader® Pro and our famous classic GoodReader app are essentially the same app, but this one comes with Pro Pack® pre-activated, no subscription or in-app purchase needed. First released in 2009, GoodReader® is truly a veteran of the App Store. In the modern app business, it's not easy to stay relevant that long. We're proud to say that after 17 years and counting, we've been delivering wonderful updates with extraordinary new features. And we're going to keep doing that! GoodReader is a perfect combination of document-reading and file-managing capabilities. It's your one-stop shop for all your document needs on your iOS device. Use the app once, and you'll be hooked. Soon you'll be wondering how you ever managed to work without it. -= File Reading =- PDF, TXT, MS Office, iWork, HTML, pictures, music & audio-books, videos. This is what you can view in GoodReader, plus you can also annotate PDF files and edit TXT files. -= PDF Reading and Annotating =- PDF files is where GoodReader truly shines. Reading experience is so superior, it's hard to describe. To rephrase one of our customers' review, "try it, and you'll see." While you're at it, give our PDF Reflow feature a try. You'll be surprised how much better PDF reading goes when you don't have to scroll left/right all the time, for every single line of text. Annotating PDFs is another star feature of our app. Adding notes and drawings, highlighting text, and then sharing your annotated files or annotation summaries will be your main productivity and collaboration asset. -= File Management =- While reading files is a big part of GoodReader, it's not all it can do. It can also serve as a central hub for all your files, even those that can't be opened by GoodReader itself. It's like bringing your personal computer experience to your mobile device — easily managing huge collections of files and folders will make you forget you don't have your laptop around. -= Connecting =- Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box.com, WebDAV, SMB, FTP, SFTP — these are all accessible from inside GoodReader. Download, upload, and sync individual files or huge folder collections. -= Security =- With GoodReader, your data security steps up to the level previously only dreamt of. With Pro Pack®, our new set of professional-level super-features, you'll get AES-256, a military-grade encryption, for all your data, at a price of a cup of coffee! And it's completely independent from the built-in Apple's Data Protection, so even if a hacker steals and unlocks your device, your data will still be protected by another strong layer of security, our own. -= Multi-Windows =- Seamlessly view and manage multiple files simultaneously on iPad. -= Notes =- Capture ideas and comments while reading or studying a technical document without even leaving the app. Sort and group your notes into categories.

Screenshots

PDF Viewer by Nutrient4 screens
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PDF Viewer by Nutrient at Free against GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's $89.99. PDF Viewer by Nutrient also leads on ratings volume (9.1K vs 269) and device support (4 vs 2). GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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; GoodReader Pro PDF Editor costs $89.99 up front. PDF Viewer by Nutrient sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months. GoodReader Pro PDF Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for PDF Viewer by Nutrient against 4.7 for GoodReader Pro PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Viewer by Nutrient has 9.1K ratings behind it against 269, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of PDF Viewer by Nutrient's written reviews are positive against 68% of GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, GoodReader Pro PDF Editor every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDF Viewer by Nutrient versus GoodReader Pro PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Viewer by NutrientGoodReader Pro PDF Editor
PriceFree — better$89.99
Rating4.6 (9.1K ratings)4.7 (269 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews — better67.5% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K — better269
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPSPDFKit GmbHGood.iWare, Inc.

Customer experience

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

All ratings9,096 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews1,089 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral9.7%
Negative16.7%

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

All ratings269 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative30.0%

User reviews

PDF Viewer by Nutrient

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless integration with iCloud and Files app
  • 👍 Intuitive annotation tools with Apple Pencil
  • 🎨 Versatile highlighting and drawing options
  • 💾 Saves annotations to original PDF files
  • 🔍 Powerful search and navigation features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
  • 🤔 Confusing UI and steep learning curve
  • 🔀 Difficulty managing and organizing PDF files
  • 🔍 Inconsistent text selection and highlighting
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns around data collection

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

From 269 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📂 Excellent file management
  • 📚 Great for PDF organization
  • ✍️ Powerful annotation tools
  • 🚀 Fast loading and performance
  • 🔄 Reliable syncing

Room to improve

  • 💸 Expensive for some
  • 🔄 Tedious data transfer to Pro
  • ❓ Little difference between regular and Pro
  • 🔌 Sync issues with cloud services
  • 🚫 No PC version available

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

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Cannot move bookmarks from old to Pro version
  • Dropbox/OneDrive sync not working
  • iCloud integration issues
  • App crashes when adding photos
  • App freezes after annotation
Show 10 more
  • App does not keep pattern open after closing
  • iPad version web server option not working
  • Cannot change or disable app password
  • Encrypted PDF export issues
  • Glitchy highlighter and eraser
  • Cannot access files through Dropbox
  • No longer syncs with OneDrive or Dropbox
  • Files lost after upgrading to new app
  • Cannot download embedded video
  • Cannot see iCloud files without workaround

Requested features

16 requests
  • Proper night mode (inverted colors)
  • Bookmark sharing feature
  • PC version of the app
  • Profile switching for open tabs
  • Editable text feature
Show 11 more
  • Support for Chinese language
  • Adjustable plain text font size
  • Two-page PDF viewing
  • Option to ignore finger/hand annotation
  • True dark mode with inverted colors
  • Edit text within PDFs
  • Improve note-taking and thumbnail features
  • Add text editing function
  • Make max number of open tabs configurable
  • Improve PDF annotation experience
  • Allow editing of actual text in PDFs

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

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

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 GoodReader Pro PDF Editor free?
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor costs $89.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor is rated higher. PDF Viewer by Nutrient averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while GoodReader Pro PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 269 ratings.
Do PDF Viewer by Nutrient or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor have ads?
Neither PDF Viewer by Nutrient nor GoodReader Pro PDF Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, and GoodReader Pro PDF Editor every 4 weeks. Most recently, PDF Viewer by Nutrient was updated on October 13, 2026 and GoodReader Pro PDF Editor on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons