# PDF Voice Reader vs Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Reader at 5.0 against PDF Voice Reader's 4.1. Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (56% vs 22%). PDF Voice Reader's advantage is ratings volume (955 vs 3). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Voice Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Voice Reader has 955 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of PDF Voice Reader's written reviews are positive against 56% of Reader's.

PDF Voice Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Voice Reader | Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (955 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-voice-reader-docs-aloud/id1129900267/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader/id1179373118/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **955** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 22.0% of reviews | **55.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Storch](https://appshunter.io/developer/335855086) | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Voice Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-voice-reader-docs-aloud/id1129900267)

Convert documents like PDFs and Word files into natural-sounding audio. Listen on the go with background playback, customize your listening experience with adjustable speed and voices, and visually track spoken text with color highlighting. Supports cloud sync, translation, and scanning of paper documents.

**Highlights:** Background audio playback, Adjustable speech speed and voice, Color highlighting of spoken text, Cloud storage integration, Text translation, Document scanning to audio, Web content to speech

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| English US | $4.99 | one-time |
| English UK | $4.99 | one-time |
| English Irish | $4.99 | one-time |
| Czech | $4.99 | one-time |
| Portuguese Br | $4.99 | one-time |
| Russian | $4.99 | one-time |
| Spanish Mex | $4.99 | one-time |
| Spanish | $4.99 | one-time |
| English AU | $4.99 | one-time |
| French | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chinese | $4.99 | one-time |
| Italian | $4.99 | one-time |
| Portuguese | $4.99 | one-time |
| PDF Voice Reader Pro | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient reading
- 📚 Useful for studying and multitasking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 💰 Paid version still has ads
- 🔇 Poor voice quality
- 🤖 Robotic reading
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and select reading position

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Paid version not working as expected
- Issues with syncing across devices
- Reading position not saved properly

**Requested features**

- Allow selecting reading start position
- Add more voice options and customization
- Improve page navigation and bookmarking
- Provide better customer support


### Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader/id1179373118)

This app provides a distraction-free reading and annotation experience for PDF documents on iOS. Seamlessly sync your annotated files with your Mac for further editing and workflow integration via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reading, PDF annotation, iCloud sync with Mac, Companion to macOS app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ask AI Subscription | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Voice Reader free?

PDF Voice Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Voice Reader or Reader?

Reader is rated higher. PDF Voice Reader averages 4.1 out of 5 from 955 ratings, while Reader averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do PDF Voice Reader or Reader have ads?

PDF Voice Reader shows ads; Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Voice Reader or Reader?

PDF Voice Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Reader weekly. Most recently, PDF Voice Reader was updated on September 23, 2026 and Reader on August 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.*