# PDF Reader vs PDF Reader

PDF Reader and PDF Reader both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of PDF Reader's. PDF Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per 7 days. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for PDF Reader against 4.2 for PDF Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of PDF Reader's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Reader every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [4.2 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-viewer-edit/id6448322721/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 51 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Mohit Rudani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673702969) |

## 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 Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-viewer-edit/id6448322721)

This application allows users to read, edit, and manage PDF files on their mobile devices. It offers offline viewing for PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, along with features like bookmarking and file renaming. Enhance your productivity with this essential document management tool.

**Highlights:** View local PDF files, Load files from Files app, Save and rename PDF files, Share PDFs easily, Bookmark PDF pages, Offline document viewing, Dark Mode for reading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly   1 Week | $2.49 | per 7 days |
| Monthly   1 Month | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly   1 Year | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.2 from 51 ratings.

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

PDF Reader shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Reader every 4 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 30, 2026 and PDF Reader on September 13, 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.*