# PDF Reader vs ezPDF DRM Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against ezPDF DRM Reader's 8%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 4). ezPDF DRM Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 8% of ezPDF DRM Reader's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, ezPDF DRM Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | ezPDF DRM Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [2.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ezpdf-drm-reader/id1367348074/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 7.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 173 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Unidocs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/396101795) |

## 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.)


### ezPDF DRM Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ezpdf-drm-reader/id1367348074)

This application allows users to view both standard and DRM-protected PDF files. It requires a login for secured documents but opens unprotected PDFs without one. It is designed for users who need to access documents created with ezPDF Editor 3.0.

**Highlights:** View DRM-protected PDFs, Open unprotected PDFs, Requires login for secured files, Compatible with ezPDF Editor 3.0 documents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is ezPDF DRM Reader free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while ezPDF DRM Reader averages 2.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or ezPDF DRM Reader have ads?

Neither PDF Reader nor ezPDF DRM Reader shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and ezPDF DRM Reader monthly. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 30, 2026 and ezPDF DRM Reader on September 21, 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.*