# PDF Reader vs PDF Master

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-and-scanner/id1606486950/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 50 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) | [shellmob](https://appshunter.io/developer/1573900492) |

## 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 Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-and-scanner/id1606486950)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Converter Premium Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Converter Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter Premium quarter | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| PDF Photos Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Quarterly | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter Premium Yearly | $25.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*