Comparison

PDF Reader vs Polaris PDF Viewer

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • View PDF documents
  • WiFi file upload
  • Encrypted PDF support
  • Adaptive screen size
  • Read Word, Excel, PPT
  • App lock and gesture password
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Mobile-optimized PDF viewer
  • Text-to-speech function
  • Annotation and drawing tools
  • Cloud service integration
  • Night mode and screen dimming
  • Print PDF documents
Features
Read full description

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

PDF Reader4 screens
Polaris PDF Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Polaris PDF Viewer at 4.4 against PDF Reader's 3.5. Polaris PDF Viewer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). PDF Reader's advantage is review sentiment (33% vs 0%). On price 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

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Polaris PDF Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polaris PDF Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polaris PDF Viewer has 49 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of Polaris PDF Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader ships an update every 9 months, Polaris PDF Viewer every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
PDF Reader versus Polaris PDF Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderPolaris PDF Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)4.4 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings249 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer小玲 白Polaris Office Corp.

Customer experience

PDF Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Polaris PDF Viewer

All ratings47 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral2.1%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PDF Reader

One-time1
  • Permanently remove ads$1.99
None

Polaris PDF Viewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polaris PDF Viewer free?
Polaris PDF Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer?
Polaris PDF Viewer is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Polaris PDF Viewer averages 4.4 from 49 ratings.
Do PDF Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer have ads?
PDF Reader shows ads; Polaris PDF Viewer does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or Polaris PDF Viewer?
PDF Reader ships an update every 9 months, and Polaris PDF Viewer every 5 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 2, 2026 and Polaris PDF Viewer on October 26, 2026.

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