# PDF Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Editor at 5.0 against PDF Reader's 4.3. PDF Editor also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). PDF Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Editor sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Editor 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.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Editor every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 30, 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) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-ai-summarize/id6760673268/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [NOVA APPS TEKNOLOJI LIMITED SIRKETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869591179) |

## 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-ai-summarize/id6760673268)

Edit, annotate, sign, and summarize documents on your iPhone. This app uses AI to generate quick summaries of long PDFs, saving you time. It's ideal for students and professionals who manage documents on the go.

**Highlights:** AI-powered PDF summarization, Annotate and highlight documents, Sign and comment on PDFs, Add drawings and notes, Reader mode for comfortable viewing

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly + Trial | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly + Trial | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly + Trial | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $15.99 | per month |
| Monthly + Trial | $15.99 | per month |
| Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Annual + Trial | $39.99 | per year |


## 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 Editor is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 5.0 from 1 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 days. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 17, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 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.*