# PDF Reader vs ApowerPDF Editor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against ApowerPDF Editor's 31%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). ApowerPDF Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ApowerPDF Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 5, 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 31% of ApowerPDF Editor's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, ApowerPDF Editor every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | ApowerPDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apowerpdf-editor/id1504177983/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 31.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1254320291) |

## 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.)


### ApowerPDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apowerpdf-editor/id1504177983)

Easily modify PDF documents on your mobile device. Edit text, change fonts, manage images, and organize pages. Save your work to the cloud for access across devices.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text and fonts, Add, rotate, and resize images, Manage PDF pages (add, delete, reorder), Save documents to cloud storage, View PDF content with thumbnail navigation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Editor Monthly Bundle Plan | $2.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Yearly Bundle Plan | $6.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor (Monthly) | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Editor (Yearly) | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is ApowerPDF Editor free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while ApowerPDF Editor averages 1.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or ApowerPDF Editor have ads?

Neither PDF Reader nor ApowerPDF Editor shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and ApowerPDF Editor every 4 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and ApowerPDF Editor on October 10, 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.*