# PDF Reader vs PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 77% against PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's 0%. PDF Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Scanner & Simple Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 64 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) | [KunWoo Kwon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1603506815) |

## 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 & Simple Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-and-simple-reader/id6753705461)

Transform paper documents into searchable PDFs using your device's camera. Read, bookmark, and organize your scanned files offline with a simple, intuitive interface. Offers tools for page extraction and merging for efficient document management.

**Highlights:** Document scanning to PDF, Simple PDF reader with zoom, Continue reading from last page, Bookmark important pages, Offline PDF access, Extract and merge PDF pages

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| remove ads (one month) | $0.99 | per month |
| remove ads (life time) | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner & Simple Reader free?

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

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

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Scanner & Simple Reader shows ads.

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

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader on October 14, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*