# PDF Reader vs PDF Scanner

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against PDF Scanner's 4. PDF Reader also leads on ratings volume (3.9K vs 45). PDF Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Scanner holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of PDF Scanner's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | **[4.6 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-scan-save-share/id6471893095/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 45 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | **100.0% 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 | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) |

## 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 Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-scan-save-share/id6471893095)

Transform your mobile device into a powerful document scanner. Easily digitize paper documents into high-quality PDF files with automatic detection, perspective correction, and color enhancements. Organize and share your scans with ease.

**Highlights:** Convert paper to multi-page PDFs, Automatic document detection, Perspective correction, Organize scans with tags, Share documents easily, High-resolution scans up to 300 dpi, Import photos from gallery

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Scanner Offer - Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner Offer - Annual | $8.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner - Annual | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner free?

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

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

PDF Scanner is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Scanner averages 4.6 from 45 ratings.

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Scanner shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Scanner every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 23, 2026 and PDF Scanner on September 23, 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.*