# PDF Reader vs PDF Reader PDF Viewer

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Reader at 4.3 against PDF Reader PDF Viewer's 3.0. PDF Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 2). PDF Reader PDF Viewer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader PDF Viewer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Reader PDF Viewer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Reader PDF Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-viewer/id6470454445/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| 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 PDF Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-viewer/id6470454445)

Edit, sign, and share PDF documents on your iPhone. Import files from your gallery, convert them to PDF, and manage all your documents in one place. Offers a simple interface for reading, annotating, and creating PDFs.

**Highlights:** Edit and sign PDF documents, Import and convert to PDF, Read, comment, and annotate PDFs, Create new PDF files, Share documents as PDF, Offline PDF viewing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads for 1 Month | $0.99 | per month |
| Remove ads for 1 Year | $3.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Reader PDF Viewer free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Reader PDF Viewer averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Reader PDF Viewer shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Reader PDF Viewer every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 30, 2026 and PDF Reader PDF Viewer on June 3, 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.*