# PDF Reader vs Sign PDF Documents

The clearest difference is rating: Sign PDF Documents at 4.9 against PDF Reader's 4.3. PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (3.9K vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). 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.

Sign PDF Documents holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, Sign PDF Documents every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | Sign PDF Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | **[4.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sign-pdf-documents-easysigner/id6753874595/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 173 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [OneRack](https://appshunter.io/developer/1792950973) |

## 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.)


### Sign PDF Documents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sign-pdf-documents-easysigner/id6753874595)

Easily add your signature to PDF and image files without printing or scanning. Fill out forms, add text, and make edits with speed and precision. Manage multiple signatures and access all your signed documents securely.

**Highlights:** Add signatures to PDFs and images, Fill out forms with text fields, Create and manage multiple signatures, Automatically saves progress, Edit PDFs and images, Securely store signed files

**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 Sign PDF Documents free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or Sign PDF Documents?

Sign PDF Documents is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Sign PDF Documents averages 4.9 from 10 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or Sign PDF Documents have ads?

Neither PDF Reader nor Sign PDF Documents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or Sign PDF Documents?

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Sign PDF Documents every 6 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 18, 2026 and Sign PDF Documents on October 15, 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.*