# PDF Reader vs PDF Merger Expert

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Merger Expert at 5.0 against PDF Reader's 4.3. PDF Merger Expert also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 77%). PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (3.9K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

PDF Merger Expert 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 1, 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 Merger Expert's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Merger Expert every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Merger Expert |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-merger-expert/id6749808143/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 173 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [StudyBridge LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830101876) |

## 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 Merger Expert

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-merger-expert/id6749808143)

Easily combine, reorder, and manage PDF documents directly on your device. This app offers a fast, secure, and private solution with no internet connection required. Features include page removal, drag-and-drop reordering, and instant sharing.

**Highlights:** Merge multiple PDFs, Reorder pages with drag-and-drop, Remove unwanted pages, Save or share instantly, Works 100% offline, Dark Mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Merger Expert free?

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

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

PDF Merger Expert is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Merger Expert averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Merger Expert shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Merger Expert every 3 days. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on November 9, 2026 and PDF Merger Expert on October 30, 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.*