# PDF Reader vs PDF Vault

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against PDF Vault's 2. PDF Reader also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.1). PDF Vault's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Vault sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Vault fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Vault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Dmytro Skorokhod](https://appshunter.io/developer/994177751) |

## 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 Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-vault-document-app/id1599303874)

This ultra-lightweight application offers a comprehensive suite of PDF tools, including text-to-speech functionality, digital signing, document scanning, organization, and instant translation. It's designed for efficiency and ease of use, saving device space while enhancing productivity for work, study, or personal tasks.

**Highlights:** Text-to-speech for PDFs, Digital document signing, Scan paper documents to PDF, Organize and manage PDF files, Instant document translation, Ultra-lightweight and fast

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mox PDF Tool Unlimited Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Mox PDF Tool Unlimited Annually | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Vault free?

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

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Vault shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Vault fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 28, 2026 and PDF Vault on September 26, 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.*