# PDF Reader vs PDF Highlighter

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against PDF Highlighter's 0%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Highlighter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 1, 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 0% of PDF Highlighter's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Highlighter every 95 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Highlighter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-highlighter-read-and-edit/id1434848610/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 95 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 173 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Jaydeep Dhameliya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315657518) |

## 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.)


### PDF Highlighter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-highlighter-read-and-edit/id1434848610)

Easily edit and highlight text, photos, and documents directly on your phone. This app provides realistic highlighting tools and drawing functions to mark important sections of PDFs and images, allowing you to save and share your annotated files.

**Highlights:** Edit and highlight PDF files and photos, Use realistic highlighter pen tool, Freehand drawing with pen, line, arrow, rectangle, and circle tools, Change drawing tool colors and sizes, Zoom in/out PDF pages, Export highlighted PDFs and photos, Add, delete, or edit PDF pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Week | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Month | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Year | $110.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Highlighter free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Highlighter averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Highlighter shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Highlighter every 95 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 21, 2026 and PDF Highlighter on October 2, 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.*