Comparison

PDF Viewer by Nutrient vs PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

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 Scanner & Simple Reader

Transform paper documents into searchable PDFs using your device's camera. Read, bookmark, and organize your scanned files offline with a simple, intuitive interface. Offers tools for page extraction and merging for efficient document management.

Highlights
  • Document scanning to PDF
  • Simple PDF reader with zoom
  • Continue reading from last page
  • Bookmark important pages
  • Offline PDF access
  • Extract and merge PDF pages
Features
Read full description

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader helps you scan paper documents into PDF, then read, bookmark, and keep them offline on your device. Use your camera to save receipts, handwritten notes, contracts, study papers, manuals, certificates, and everyday documents as PDFs. Open scanned files right away, return to them from recent files, and continue reading without a complicated editor. KEY FEATURES Document Scan to PDF • Scan paper documents with your camera • Save receipts, notes, contracts, and study material as PDF • Create multi-page PDFs from scanned images • Open the scanned PDF immediately after saving Simple PDF Reader • Fast PDF opening for everyday documents • Smooth vertical scrolling and pinch-to-zoom • Page-by-page navigation • Clean reading screen with a floating toolbar Continue Reading & Bookmarks • Keep recently opened PDFs in one place • Continue from the last page you read • Bookmark important pages • Jump back to saved pages quickly Offline & Private • Read PDFs offline • Files are stored locally on your device • Open password-protected PDF files • No account required for basic reading PDF Tools • Extract selected pages into a new PDF • Merge PDF files • Save only the pages you need • Use scan, export, and merge as part of your document workflow PRO BUNDLE Upgrade to Pro for more room to work: • Unlimited document scanning • Unlimited PDF export • Unlimited PDF merge • Clean ad-free reading PERFECT FOR Students • Scan handouts, notes, textbooks, and study papers • Read saved PDFs offline • Bookmark important pages for review Work & Business • Scan contracts, receipts, reports, and forms • Keep documents easy to reopen • Extract or merge pages when needed Everyday Documents • Save receipts, certificates, manuals, and letters • Turn paper documents into PDFs you can read later • Keep a simple local document library WHY SIMPLE READER? • Scan first: turn paper documents into PDF • Read right away: open scanned PDFs instantly • Simple: no complicated menus • Offline: keep files on your device • Accessible: clean reading UI • Flexible: scan, read, bookmark, extract, and merge PDFs Download PDF Scanner & Simple Reader and start turning paper documents into readable PDFs. FEEDBACK & SUPPORT Send us your feedback through the in-app feature. Your input helps us improve the reading and scanning experience. PRIVACY PROTECTION PDF files are stored only on your device. No PDF content is sent to external servers. TERMS & POLICIES • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://general-beaufort-538.notion.site/Pdf-2853c0f6ead280999815c6b541866c07

Screenshots

PDF Viewer by Nutrient4 screens
PDF Scanner & Simple Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Viewer by Nutrient at 74% against PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's 0%. PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Viewer by Nutrient sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PDF Viewer by Nutrient versus PDF Scanner & Simple Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Viewer by NutrientPDF Scanner & Simple Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPSPDFKit GmbHKunWoo Kwon

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%

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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 Scanner & Simple Reader

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
2 purchases

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

Subscriptions1
  • remove ads (one month)$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • remove ads (life time)$4.99

Questions

Is PDF Viewer by Nutrient free?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scanner & Simple Reader free?
PDF Scanner & Simple Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Viewer by Nutrient or PDF Scanner & Simple Reader have ads?
Neither PDF Viewer by Nutrient nor PDF Scanner & Simple Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Viewer by Nutrient or PDF Scanner & Simple Reader?
PDF Viewer by Nutrient ships an update monthly, and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. Most recently, PDF Viewer by Nutrient was updated on October 13, 2026 and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader on October 14, 2026.

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