Comparison

PDF Reader vs PDFelement

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

PDFelement

This application offers comprehensive PDF management, including advanced editing, AI-powered summarization and translation, and efficient scanning with OCR. It helps organize, convert, and secure documents for work, study, and personal use.

Highlights
  • AI Chat with PDF
  • Scan and OCR
  • PDF to Office Conversion
  • Edit PDF like Word
  • Password Protection
  • Compress PDF
Features
Read full description

AI PDF Editor, PDF Reader, PDF Scanner, PDF Converter, PDF Signer. One app for work, study, and everyday life. What's New Customize Your Toolbar Arrange your PDF tools the way you work. Reorder, show, or hide toolbar items to keep your favorite actions within easy reach and create a cleaner, faster, and more efficient workspace. AI PDF • Chat with PDF: Ask questions and get instant, accurate answers from your PDFs. • AI Summarize PDF: Turn lengthy contracts, reports, and documents into concise key points. • AI Translate: Translate selected text instantly across 60+ languages. • Generate Mind Map: Transform PDF content into clear visual mind maps. • AI Record: Record, transcribe, and convert voice notes into editable text for efficient note-taking. Edit PDF Like Word • Edit PDF: Edit PDF text, images, links, and watermarks with ease. • Font Editing: Keep the original font, erase content, and adjust font size, spacing, and formatting effortlessly. Professional PDF Reader • Liquid Mode: Optimize PDFs for comfortable reading on any screen. • Bookmarks: Save and jump to important pages instantly. • Read Aloud: Listen to PDFs with your preferred voice and playback speed. Scan & OCR • PDF Scanner: Scan receipts, invoices, contracts, IDs, and certificates into high-quality PDFs. • OCR: Extract editable text from scanned documents and images. • Multi-Page Scan: Combine multiple scans into a single PDF. PDF Converter • PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Images: Convert PDFs into editable Office files or JPG, PNG, and more. • Create PDF: Convert Microsoft Office documents and images into PDFs. Annotate PDF • Markup & Notes: Highlight, underline, draw, and add sticky notes. • Comments: Review documents with professional commenting tools. • Measure: Measure distance, perimeter, and area directly inside PDFs. Create PDF • Blank PDF: Start with customizable paper templates. • Image to PDF: Create PDFs from photos or camera scans. Manage PDF • Compress PDF: Reduce file size while maintaining quality. • Merge PDF: Combine multiple PDFs into one document. • Organize Pages: Add, delete, rotate, extract, split, and rearrange PDF pages. Fill & Sign • Fill PDF Forms: Complete interactive PDF forms quickly and accurately. • E-Sign PDF: Add typed or handwritten signatures. • Custom Stamps: Create reusable stamps with text, drawings, or images. Store & Share PDF • PDFelement Cloud: Access your PDFs anytime, anywhere across your devices. • Protect PDF: Secure sensitive files with passwords and encryption. • Share PDF: Share documents via links, email, AirDrop, or social apps. PDF Templates • Professional Templates: Browse resumes, invoices, planners, contracts, invitations, and more. • Easy Customization: Personalize colors, fonts, and layouts in seconds. • Business & Education Ready: Create polished documents for work, school, and everyday use. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.wondershare.com/company/terms_conditions.html Privacy Policy: https://www.wondershare.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
PDFelement4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against PDF Reader's 33%. PDFelement also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months). PDF Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDFelement holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K 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 76% of PDFelement's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader ships an update every 9 months, PDFelement every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDF Reader versus PDFelement: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderPDFelement
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)4.6 (7.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews75.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB200 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developer小玲 白Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD

Customer experience

PDF Reader

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

PDFelement

All ratings7,566 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews826 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative20.5%

Bugs and requests

PDF Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PDFelement

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and inability to restore purchases
  • Corrupted scanned files or loss of progress
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing PDF text
  • Compatibility problems with older devices or OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve cloud integration and file management
  • Enhance OCR accuracy and capabilities
  • Introduce multi-tab support for better workflow
  • Add more customization options for toolbars and UI

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PDF Reader

One-time1
  • Permanently remove ads$1.99
18 purchases

PDFelement

Subscriptions16
  • Monthly Subscription (AI)$3.991 Month
  • PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner$6.991 Month
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro(iOS)$6.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)$6.997 Days
  • Quarterly Subscription (iOS)$9.993 Months
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)7 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)$9.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription (All)$19.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)$24.991 Year
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Quarterly Subscription (All)$39.993 Months
  • Annual Subscription (iOS+Win)$99.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS+Mac)$99.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (All)$109.991 Year
One-time2
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro$39.99
  • iOS$39.99

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDFelement free?
PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDFelement?
PDFelement is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.
Do PDF Reader or PDFelement have ads?
Both PDF Reader and PDFelement show ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDFelement?
PDF Reader ships an update every 9 months, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 14, 2026 and PDFelement on September 24, 2026.

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