# PDF Reader vs Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Reader at 5.0 against PDF Reader's 4.3. Reader also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and device support (5 vs 3). PDF Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 3). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 56% of Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader/id1179373118/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 55.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

**Highlights:** Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading, Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting), Handwritten signature insertion, File management (move, merge, copy, delete), Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud), Create blank PDFs and folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
- 👍 Great value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes appearing randomly
- Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
- Scrolling issues and page loading delays
- Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
- Support for multiple open documents
- Improved Apple Pencil integration
- Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
- Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)


### 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 Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Reader free?

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

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

Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Reader averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or Reader have ads?

Neither PDF Reader nor Reader shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Reader weekly. Most recently, PDF 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.*