PUB Reader vs Noteshelf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PUB Reader
Open, read, and convert Microsoft Publisher documents on your iOS device. Easily view document outlines, page thumbnails, and search text. Export files to Word or PDF formats for further editing.
- Open and read PUB files
- Export to Word (.docx, .doc)
- Export to RTF
- Export to PDF
- Document outlines and page thumbnails
- Text search and copy
- Document management and organization
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“PUB Reader” allows you to open and read Microsoft Publisher documents (PUB file) on iOS device. It offers you fantastic reading experience using document outlines, page thumbnails and text search features. In addition, “PUB Reader” allows you to export PUB file into Microsoft Word(.docx, .doc) and RTF to make it available for editing in other Word processing software. Do you receive Microsoft Publisher documents (.pub) as email attachments on you iPhone and iPad? Are you having plenty of Microsoft Publisher files that no decent viewer available to open on your iPhone and iPad? The easiest way to circumvent these problems is PUB Reader. - It converts the text, text characteristics, paragraphs, text frames linking, text frame columns, tables, graphics and other Publisher objects and properties to the matching Microsoft Word format objects and properties by preserving layout. - It also allows to convert PUB file into PDF. - Standard document interaction interface to share, send and save exported documents. READING FEATURES: - Fully selectable and searchable text contents. Select and copy text to clipboard for further use. - Pinch out and Pinch in to ZoomIn and ZoomOut view. - Navigate through topics by document outlines, if exist. - Search text feature to find a character, word or sentence any where in a document. - Scroll through your document by Page Thumbnails or Go to page feature. DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT - The inbuilt document browse view automatically gives you the option to share documents using the Share button or a drag-and-drop action. It also provides a standard interface for browsing and managing documents. - Automatically handles access to iCloud for you within the app. It also provides access to documents managed by third-party storage service extensions installed on your device. - Browse, find and sort documents to help you locate the document you want. Tap the PUB file that you want to open. - You can move, delete, duplicate and rename a document with document manager in browser view. - In the document manager, you can group related documents into folders so they’re easy to find. Note: “PUB Reader” is standalone application running natively to open and convert Microsoft Publisher documents (.pub) securely right on your iOS device. You can refer User Manual for any assistance Or Contact Support.
Noteshelf
Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.
- Handwritten note creation
- PDF annotation and markup
- Audio recording with notes
- AI-powered summarization and translation
- Customizable notebooks and templates
- Handwriting to text conversion
- Document scanning and import
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Write. Plan. Study. Work. Create. Noteshelf 3 brings natural handwriting, powerful AI, PDF annotation, audio recording and planning together in one beautiful app for iPad, iPhone and Mac. Free to start. FOR STUDENTS • Take lecture and class notes with lifelike pens, pencils and highlighters • Annotate textbooks, worksheets, slides and PDFs • Record audio while you write, so you never miss a word • Use Noteshelf AI to summarize and explain what you've learned FOR PROFESSIONALS • Capture meeting notes and record important discussions • Mark up contracts, reports and presentations • Present your notes on an external display with a laser pointer • Export and share notes as PDFs or images in one tap FOR PLANNERS & JOURNALERS • 200+ templates for digital planners, journals, diaries and trackers • Plan your days, track goals and keep a personal journal • Decorate pages with stickers, photos and custom covers WRITE NATURALLY • A smooth, natural handwriting experience built for Apple Pencil • Write, type, draw and sketch on the same page • Turn handwriting into text and search your notes in 65 languages • Choose lined, dotted or grid paper in any color WORK WITH PDFs & DOCUMENTS • Import and annotate PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint files and images • Highlight, mark up, write and draw directly on your documents • Scan paper documents with the built-in scanner NOTESHELF AI • Summarize handwritten pages in seconds • Explain difficult terms and concepts • Translate text into other languages • Generate notes on any topic RECORD & REMEMBER • Record lectures, meetings and ideas alongside your handwritten notes STAY ORGANIZED & SECURE • Folders, subfolders, tags, bookmarks and a table of contents • Link notebooks together to connect ideas • Lock notes with a password, Face ID or Touch ID • Sync across iPad, iPhone and Mac with iCloud • Automatic backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV YOUR NOTES, YOUR WAY • Custom notebook covers and a toolbar you can rearrange • Presentation mode, dark mode and flexible page layouts FREE TO START Create up to 3 notebooks with core pens and paper for free. Upgrade to Noteshelf Premium for unlimited notebooks, all templates, handwriting recognition, auto-backup and 100 monthly AI credits. Write beautifully. Work smarter. Stay organized. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Noteshelf at 57% against PUB Reader's 7%. Noteshelf also leads on price (Free vs $14.99) and rating (4.6 vs 3.9). PUB Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On ads 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
Noteshelf is free to download; PUB Reader costs $14.99 up front. Noteshelf sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PUB Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Noteshelf holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteshelf has 7.1K ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 7% of PUB Reader's written reviews are positive against 57% of Noteshelf's.
PUB Reader ships an update every 7 months, Noteshelf every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PUB Reader | Noteshelf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (48 ratings) | 4.6 (7.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 7.1% of reviews | 56.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48 | 7.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 558 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RootRise Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd. |
Customer experience
PUB Reader
Noteshelf
Bugs and requests
PUB Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Noteshelf
Reported bugs
5 issues- Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
- Unexpected loss of data or notes
- Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to create folders within notebooks
- Improve page organization and navigation
- Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
- Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
- Add support for custom stickers and templates
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- Optimize performance and reduce loading times
In-app purchases
PUB Reader
No in-app purchases
Noteshelf
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$7.997 Days
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- Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
- Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$19.991 Month
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$39.991 Year
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Noteshelf Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium1 Month trial$69.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$79.991 Year
- Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Premium for Noteshelf 2 users$9.99
- Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime$14.99









