Comparison

Smart PDF+ Editor vs StrataRead

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Smart PDF+ Editor

This app allows users to read, sign, and annotate PDF documents, especially with stylus input. It's designed for professionals to quickly handle documents and for students to take notes on study materials. Features include a built-in file manager for organization.

Highlights
  • Ink annotations
  • Document signing
  • File organization
  • PDF reading
  • Document sharing
Features
Read full description

Smart PDF is a PDF editor specially optimized for ink annotations. Use it with an Apple Pencil for the ultimate ease in note taking. Great for professionals Quickly sign and send documents. Review, annotate and share files with your colleagues. Great for students If you spend a lot of time reading and studying documents on your iPad, then Smart PDF is an indispensable tool for getting the most out of your study time. Take notes on documents in class, or while studying at home. Keep all your files organized with the built-in file manager, with color-coded categories. We hope you enjoy Smart PDF! -- The App Makers @ Qrayon

About

StrataRead

Features
Read full description

StrataRead is a research library and PDF reader for people who read closely, collect evidence, and write with sources. Bring your papers, books, and reports into an organized workspace. Search your library, highlight important passages, capture notes, and carry your research into your writing without losing its connection to the original source. READ AND ANNOTATE • Read PDFs with native rendering, zooming, and navigation. • Highlight passages with color-coded annotations. • Attach notes to the text you are reading. • Review source information, notes, and extracts in the Inspector. FIND INFORMATION ACROSS YOUR LIBRARY • Search indexed PDF text as well as bibliographic metadata. • Narrow searches by fields such as author, title, and year. • Use quoted phrases and search-field autocomplete. • Filter notes and extracts to focus on passages matching your search. • Find and open sources through Spotlight and supported Siri and Shortcuts actions. KEEP YOUR RESEARCH ORGANIZED • Browse your sources in Library and return to recent reading. • Organize sources with projects, keywords, and reading status. • Explore projects, keywords, and source groups through the Library Map. • On iPad, sort table columns and preview notes and extracts without opening each PDF. • On iPhone, use a streamlined reading workspace with essential controls within reach. CAPTURE AND REUSE YOUR NOTES • Collect highlighted text and notes as source-linked extracts. • Clean up common PDF text issues, including broken lines and hyphenation. • Export notes and extracts as structured Markdown with citation information. • Create a separate Markdown file for each source. • Bring your research into StrataWrite, Obsidian, and other writing or knowledge-management tools. BUILD BETTER REFERENCES • Find bibliographic information using DOI, title, author, or ISBN. • Manage details for journal articles, books, edited volumes, chapters, theses, dissertations, reports, and webpages. • Copy formatted citations in supported styles, including APA and Chicago. • Identify records with missing metadata and PDFs needing attention. • Find open-access replacement PDFs when available. KEEP YOUR LIBRARY WITH YOU • Synchronize library records, notes, and PDFs through iCloud. • Keep downloaded PDFs available for offline reading. • Share PDFs and export your notes when it is time to collaborate or write. PRIVACY AND CONTROL Your PDFs and notes remain in your library, with iCloud synchronization available across your devices. Full-text search indexes stay on your device. Metadata lookups use online bibliographic services. StrataRead contains no advertising, tracking, or developer analytics. Privacy & AI settings explain how the app handles your information. Built for researchers, students, educators, and anyone who wants to turn careful reading into useful, well-organized knowledge.

Screenshots

Smart PDF+ Editor4 screens
StrataRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StrataRead at every 3 weeks against Smart PDF+ Editor's every 4 months. Smart PDF+ Editor's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Smart PDF+ Editor costs $4.99 and StrataRead $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart PDF+ Editor ships an update every 4 months, StrataRead every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Smart PDF+ Editor versus StrataRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart PDF+ EditorStrataRead
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.8 (53 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews5.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings53 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQrayon, LLCStance Hurst

In-app purchases

None

Smart PDF+ Editor

No in-app purchases

None

StrataRead

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Smart PDF+ Editor free?
Smart PDF+ Editor costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StrataRead free?
StrataRead costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Smart PDF+ Editor or StrataRead have ads?
Neither Smart PDF+ Editor nor StrataRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smart PDF+ Editor or StrataRead?
Smart PDF+ Editor ships an update every 4 months, and StrataRead every 3 weeks. Most recently, Smart PDF+ Editor was updated on October 21, 2026 and StrataRead on October 12, 2026.

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