# PDF Viewer by Nutrient vs Highlights

PDF Viewer by Nutrient and Highlights both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of PDF Viewer by Nutrient's written reviews are positive against 53% of Highlights's. PDF Viewer by Nutrient also leads on ratings volume (9.1K vs 1.6K). Highlights's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Viewer by Nutrient sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for PDF Viewer by Nutrient against 4.5 for Highlights. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Viewer by Nutrient has 9.1K ratings behind it against 1.6K, 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 53% of Highlights's.

PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Viewer by Nutrient | Highlights |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-viewer-by-nutrient/id1120099014/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 1.6K |
| Positive reviews | **73.6% of reviews** | 53.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 112 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PSPDFKit GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/966931428) | [Jonas Myren Ribe](https://appshunter.io/developer/794854096) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Viewer by Nutrient

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-viewer-by-nutrient/id1120099014)

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:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Viewer Pro 3 Months | $6.99 | per 3 months |
| PDF Viewer Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Highlights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833)

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

**Highlights:** Read and browse PDF documents, Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text, Add comments and sticky notes, Extract annotations into organized notes, Convert table data and recognize text, Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex), Lookup citation metadata and DOI links

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Highlights Pro: Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Highlights Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for highlighting and annotating PDFs
- 🔍 Effective for research and note-taking
- 📚 Useful for academic and professional work
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🔗 Good integration with other apps and cloud storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🔒 Lack of customization options
- 🔧 Poor customer support and unresponsive developers

**Reported bugs**

- Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
- Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
- Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
- Syncing issues across devices
- Export functionality not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
- Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
- Allow editing of notes directly in the app
- Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Viewer by Nutrient free?

PDF Viewer by Nutrient is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Highlights free?

Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or Highlights?

PDF Viewer by Nutrient is rated higher. PDF Viewer by Nutrient averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do PDF Viewer by Nutrient or Highlights have ads?

Neither PDF Viewer by Nutrient nor Highlights shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or Highlights?

PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Viewer by Nutrient was updated on September 24, 2026 and Highlights on September 25, 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.*