Comparison

PDF Reader vs PDF Master

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDF Reader

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
Read full description

PDFelement - PDF Reader is a PDF reader using the latest technology. The newly connected Liquid Mode function allows you to enjoy the best reading experience. In addition, there are various annotation tools, file management, signature, Various functions such as cloud services can meet your PDF needs in work and study. PDF VIEWER • Liquid Mode gives you the best PDF reading experience • Star files to find them quickly • Easily locate recently accessed files in the "Recent" list. • Enter the page number to navigate to the desired page for viewing LIQUID MODE • Get the best PDF Reading experience with Liquid Mode • PDF document fully fits the mobile phone screen, no need to zoom in and out repeatedly. • Easily adjust brightness, font size,style, and spacing. ANNOTATE • Using Pencil to annotate like writing on the paper • Add text annotations, freely modify the text and background, border colors, choose the appropriate font and font size. • Supports many annotating tools like highlighting, underlining, squiggly lines, or strikethroughs. MANAGE • Move, merge, copy or delete files SIGNATURE • Enables handwritten signatures to be inserted anywhere within the document, while also offering the ability to zoom in and out for greater flexibility. • Built-in commonly used stamps CREATE • Quickly create completely blank PDF documents • Creat blank folders. SHARE • Sharing document content with others is just a click away with capture feature. • Select sentence(s) or pragraph(s) to share CLOUD SERVICE • PDF Reader supports uploading or downloading docs via computer, Wondershare document cloud and iCloud. Please note that this app only supports editing native PDF files. It does not support editing scanned or raster PDF. If you find you cannot edit text in PDF, please check if it is scanned PDF. Thank you! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need HELP? Please contact us! We'll feedback to you ASAP. Email: pdfelement@wondershare.com Support Center: http://support.wondershare.com Forum: http://forum.pdf.wondershare.com Official Website: https://pdf.wondershare.com If you think this App helps you, your positive review in the App Store would be much appreciated.

About

PDF Master

This app is a comprehensive PDF tool for iPhone and iPad users. It offers editing, conversion, scanning, reading, and signing capabilities in a single, user-friendly interface. Streamline your document management for work, study, or daily tasks.

Highlights
  • Professional PDF editing and annotation
  • Convert PDFs to/from Word, Excel, PPT, Images, TXT
  • HD mobile scanner with OCR
  • Image to PDF conversion
  • Smooth PDF reader and file manager
  • Electronic and handwritten signatures
Features
Read full description

PDF Master: Your All-in-One PDF Expert for Seamless Document Management! Struggling with complex PDF tasks? PDF Document Assistant is a professional-grade utility designed for iPhone and iPad users. It combines editing, converting, scanning, reading, and signing into one powerful app, helping you handle any PDF challenge with ease. Whether for work, study, or daily life, say goodbye to complicated workflows and enjoy a faster, smarter experience! Key Features: 【Professional PDF Editor】 Modify PDF content effortlessly. Use a full suite of annotation tools including text, images, highlights, underlines, and shapes. Quickly add handwritten or electronic signatures to sign contracts on the go. Manage pages by deleting, adding, or reordering them to perfect your document structure. 【Powerful PDF Converter】 Our high-performance engine supports precise conversion between PDF and Word, Excel, PPT, Images, and TXT. You can also turn any document or photo into a PDF with a single tap. We ensure your layouts remain intact and professional without any formatting errors. 【HD Mobile Scanner】 Turn your phone into a professional scanner! Capture contracts, receipts, books, or IDs and instantly generate high-definition PDFs. Features include automatic edge detection, image optimization, and OCR text recognition to extract text from images easily. 【Image to PDF Maker】 Quickly merge multiple photos into a single PDF document. Perfect for saving and sharing collections of photos, screenshots, or scanned pages with customizable layouts. 【Smooth Reader & File Manager】 Enjoy a fluid reading experience with support for importing files from WeChat, QQ, and local storage. Features include zoom, rotation, and Dark Mode for comfortable viewing. Stay organized with an intelligent file management system using tags and folders. Why Choose PDF Master? All-in-One Efficiency: Everything you need for PDFs in one place—no more switching between multiple apps. Intuitive Design: A clean, user-friendly interface that anyone can master in seconds. Precision & Stability: High-quality conversion and scanning technology that preserves every detail. Secure & Private: We prioritize your document privacy, ensuring your data stays safe. Download PDF Master today and transform the way you work with documents! Subscription Information: Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Privacy & Terms: Privacy Policy: http://www.palmmob.cn/yinsi/pdfiosyinsi.html Terms of Use: http://www.palmmob.cn/yinsi/pdfyonghu.html

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
PDF Master4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Master at 5.0 against PDF Reader's 4.3. PDF Master also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). PDF Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Master sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Master 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDF Reader versus PDF Master: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderPDF Master
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3.9K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.9K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.shellmob

Customer experience

PDF Reader

All ratings3,923 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews1,582 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative17.2%

PDF Master

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PDF Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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 Master

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PDF Reader

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

PDF Master

Subscriptions10
  • PDF Converter Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
  • PDF Converter Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • PDF Converter Premium quarter$4.993 Months
Show 7 more
  • PDF Photos Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • PDF Converter Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • PDF Photos Premium Quarterly$9.996 Months
  • PDF Photos Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • PDF Photos Premium Yearly$12.991 Year
  • PDF Photos Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
  • PDF Converter Premium Yearly$25.991 Year
One-time3
  • PDF Converter Premium Lifetime$14.99
  • PDF Converter Premium Lifetime$19.99
  • PDF Converter Premium Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Master free?
PDF Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Master?
PDF Master is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Master averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do PDF Reader or PDF Master have ads?
Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Master shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Master?
PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Master every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 18, 2026 and PDF Master on October 2, 2026.

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