# PDF Maker & Reader vs Smallpdf

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smallpdf at 68% against PDF Maker & Reader's 20%. Smallpdf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). PDF Maker & Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Maker & Reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smallpdf has 6.9K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of PDF Maker & Reader's written reviews are positive against 68% of Smallpdf's.

PDF Maker & Reader ships an update every 2 months, Smallpdf every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on August 13, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Maker & Reader | Smallpdf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader/id1293534601/reviews) | **[4.8 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **6.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **68.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 27 MB | 159 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NAOAKI SEKIGUCHI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146328819) | [Smallpdf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1485259499) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Maker & Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader/id1293534601)

Create and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Easily add text, photos, maps, and diagrams to new or existing PDFs. Share your creations via iCloud Drive, email, and other compatible applications.

**Highlights:** Create new PDF documents, Read PDF documents from various sources, Add text manually or via keyboard, Insert photos, maps, and diagrams, Export PDFs to other applications, Compatible with App Extensions and Apple Pencil

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Maker & Reader Pro | $1.99 | one-time |
| License | $3.99 | one-time |


### Smallpdf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $14.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $107.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $107.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features
- 🔒 Secure
- 🆓 Free to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 💰 Paid version required for full functionality
- 🤔 Confusing account management
- 🤯 Missing key features
- 🤖 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Maker & Reader free?

PDF Maker & Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Smallpdf free?

Smallpdf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Maker & Reader or Smallpdf?

Smallpdf is rated higher. PDF Maker & Reader averages 4.2 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Smallpdf averages 4.8 from 6.9K ratings.

### Do PDF Maker & Reader or Smallpdf have ads?

PDF Maker & Reader shows ads; Smallpdf does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Maker & Reader or Smallpdf?

PDF Maker & Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Smallpdf every 9 days. Most recently, PDF Maker & Reader was updated on August 13, 2026 and Smallpdf on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*