PDF Reader vs Smallpdf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Reader
Easily view PDF documents on your mobile device or tablet. Upload files via WiFi, open encrypted PDFs with a password, and enjoy adaptive screen sizing for comfortable reading. Protect your documents with app lock and gesture passwords.
- View PDF documents
- WiFi file upload
- Encrypted PDF support
- Adaptive screen size
- Read Word, Excel, PPT
- App lock and gesture password
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PDF Reader, Easy read PDF documents for Mobile and Pad . WiFi easy Upload PDF documents to the phone. Support to view encrypted PDF documents, long press the document to enter the password. Document adaptive screen size, easy to read. Support read word, excel, ppt and other format documents. APP lock, gesture password, protect privacy, protect document security.
Smallpdf
This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools to manage PDF documents. Easily convert, edit, compress, sign, merge, and scan PDFs using your mobile device. It also features OCR technology to convert scanned documents into editable text.
- Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, JPG, PNG
- Edit PDFs with text, images, and annotations
- Compress PDFs to reduce file size
- Sign PDFs electronically
- Merge multiple PDF files
- Scan documents to PDF with OCR
- Fill out PDF forms
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Smallpdf: All-In-One PDF Editor and Document Organizer Smallpdf is your go-to PDF tool, designed to simplify your document management. Whether you need to convert, compress, edit, sign, merge, or scan PDFs, our app makes it effortless. Trusted by 2.4 billion people since 2013, Smallpdf offers a seamless PDF experience right at your fingertips. Key Features: Convert PDFs Across All Document Formats Easily: PDF to Word doc PDF to Excel PDF to PPT PDF to JPG PDF to PNG Images to PDF and vice versa! Edit PDFs: Add text, images, and shapes directly in your PDF files Add annotations and highlights easily Rotate, delete, and rearrange PDF pages PDF editing tools Compress PDFs: Reduce the file size of your PDFs without compromising quality Optimize PDFs for sharing and saving storage space Shrink PDF files Compress PDF documents Sign PDFs: Add an e-signature to your documents Digitally sign PDFs securely Electronic signatures for PDFs Merge PDFs: Combine multiple PDF files into one Merge PDF documents Scan Documents to PDF: Use your camera to scan documents, receipts, notes, and more into PDFs Enhance scans with automatic cropping and optimization Convert scanned images to selectable text with OCR Scan image to PDF Scan doc to PDF Scan jpg to PDF Scan receipts to PDF OCR Technology: Convert scanned documents into selectable text with our advanced OCR feature Support for multiple languages OCR PDF converter Why Choose Smallpdf? User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive and easy to navigate, making PDF tasks simpler than ever. Cloud Integration: Access and save your files directly from your local device storage. Privacy and data protection: All uploaded files deleted 1 hour after processing (unless saved locally or to the cloud) Cross-Platform Availability: All major operating systems. Work on your PDFs anytime, anywhere. Fast and Reliable: Quick processing times ensure you can get your work done efficiently. High Security: We prioritize your privacy and data security, complying with GDPR standards. Additional Features: PDF Reader: View and read PDF documents with ease. PDF Scanner: Quickly scan and digitize your paper documents. PDF Filler: Fill out PDF forms and documents electronically. PDF Maker: Create PDFs from various file formats effortlessly. PDF Annotator: Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text in your PDFs. Download Smallpdf Now! Smallpdf is free within a daily task limit. If you would like to try out Smallpdf Pro for unlimited conversions across ALL tools, there’s a free 7-day trial available. The Smallpdf Mobile App is the all-in-one solution for all your document management needs. Simplify your tax return or scan in receipts easily using your camera to save, edit, and manage thousands of documents in all formats. Save backups on the drive or share directly to email to manage your documents on the go! Join 2.4B+ satisfied users and simplify your PDF tasks today. Download Smallpdf and enjoy a free trial of all premium features. Privacy policy: https://smallpdf.com/privacy Terms of use: https://smallpdf.com/support We love feedback, so feel free to send yours to support@smallpdf.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Smallpdf at 4.8 against PDF Reader's 3.5. Smallpdf also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (68% vs 33%). PDF Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smallpdf sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Smallpdf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smallpdf has 6.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 68% of Smallpdf's.
PDF Reader ships an update every 9 months, Smallpdf every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Reader | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 4.8 (6.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 68.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 6.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 159 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 小玲 白 | Smallpdf |
Customer experience
PDF Reader
Smallpdf
Bugs and requests
PDF Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Smallpdf
Reported bugs
5 issues- Files not saving properly
- Conversion issues with larger documents
- Unexpected crashes and freezes
- Compatibility problems with older devices
- Incorrect file content after compression
Requested features
5 requests- Add more color options for annotations
- Improve search functionality for saved documents
- Enhance iPad compatibility
- Allow inserting images into PDFs
- Provide better file management and organization
In-app purchases
PDF Reader
- Permanently remove ads$1.99
Smallpdf
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$14.991 Month
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- Yearly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Yearly Plan$107.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$107.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year









