Reader vs Polaris PDF Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reader
This app provides a distraction-free reading and annotation experience for PDF documents on iOS. Seamlessly sync your annotated files with your Mac for further editing and workflow integration via iCloud.
- Distraction-free reading
- PDF annotation
- iCloud sync with Mac
- Companion to macOS app
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The iOS companion to the macOS Reader PDF viewer. Here you can read with no distractions and annotated, then work further with your documents back on your Mac using iCloud.
Polaris PDF Viewer
View and manage PDF documents on your mobile device with a stable and optimized viewer. Offers features like text-to-speech, annotation tools, and cloud integration for efficient document handling.
- Mobile-optimized PDF viewer
- Text-to-speech function
- Annotation and drawing tools
- Cloud service integration
- Night mode and screen dimming
- Print PDF documents
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Polaris Office, selected by 90 million users across the world, provides mobile optimized PDF document viewer at the requests of numerous users. ■ Supporting Languages ■ • Supporting 18 global languages including English, French, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, etc ■ Main functions ■ Mobile optimized PDF document viewer : Supporting must-have functions to easily view the PDF documents in Mobile. • Landscape mode / Portrait mode / Multi window mode • View per page • Supporting text to speech function (Reading all / Reading from here) • Able to dim the screen and choose background (Providing Night mode and Paper texture) • Annotation List / Drawing Pencil • Able to print PDF documents with multiple options • Supporting text copy function in document Smart managing : Supporting the functions for managing various PDF documents more efficiently. • Able to check all the documents in My device storage & other cloud service (Supporting iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox) • Able to manage main PDF documents separately through bookmark settings. • Support various sorting methods. (Name order / Date order / Size order etc) • Able to search document you need through search function. ■ Note ■ • Homepage : Polarisoffice.com • Facebook : facebook.com/polarisoffice • Youtube : youtube.com/user/infrawareinc • Inquiry : support@polarisoffice.com • Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy : www.polarisoffice.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reader at 57% against Polaris PDF Viewer's 0%. Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Polaris PDF Viewer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (47 vs 3). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Polaris PDF Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polaris PDF Viewer has 47 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of Polaris PDF Viewer's.
Reader ships an update weekly, Polaris PDF Viewer every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reader | Polaris PDF Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.5 (47 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 47 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Augmented Text Company LTD | Polaris Office Corp. |
Customer experience
Reader
Polaris PDF Viewer
In-app purchases
Reader
- Ask AI Subscription$1.99
Polaris PDF Viewer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Reader free?
Is Polaris PDF Viewer free?
Which has better reviews, Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer?
Do Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer?
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