# PDF Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against PDF Editor's 0%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.7. 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. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of PDF Editor's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-draw-and-annotate/id6502292721/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 173 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Kamalkumar Trapasiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1587617174) |

## 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 Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-draw-and-annotate/id6502292721)

Effortlessly annotate, highlight, draw, and organize PDF documents on your iOS device. This app offers a user-friendly interface with tools for students and professionals to enhance their document workflow and security.

**Highlights:** Annotation tools (draw, shapes, freehand), Highlighting important sections, Eraser for corrections, Undo/Redo functionality, File management system, Multi-file support, Password encryption

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO Access | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Editor free?

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

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

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Editor shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Editor every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 11, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 28, 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.*