# PDF Maker & Reader Pro vs Smallpdf

The clearest difference is price: Smallpdf at Free against PDF Maker & Reader Pro's $1.99. Smallpdf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (68% vs 40%). PDF Maker & Reader Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.6). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Smallpdf is free to download; PDF Maker & Reader Pro costs $1.99 up front. Smallpdf sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. PDF Maker & Reader Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

Smallpdf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smallpdf has 6.9K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of PDF Maker & Reader Pro's written reviews are positive against 68% of Smallpdf's.

PDF Maker & Reader Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, Smallpdf every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Maker & Reader Pro | Smallpdf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader-pro/id1344475663/reviews) | **[4.8 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 12 | **6.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **68.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 14 MB | 159 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 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 Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader-pro/id1344475663)

Create and edit PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Add text, photos, maps, and diagrams to new or existing PDFs. Easily share your creations via email or cloud storage.

**Highlights:** Create new PDF documents, Edit existing PDFs, Add text, photos, and maps, Input manually or with keyboard, Support for Apple Pencil, Share via email and cloud storage

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Pro free?

PDF Maker & Reader Pro costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Smallpdf free?

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

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

Smallpdf is rated higher. PDF Maker & Reader Pro averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Smallpdf averages 4.8 from 6.9K ratings.

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

Neither PDF Maker & Reader Pro nor Smallpdf shows ads.

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

PDF Maker & Reader Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and Smallpdf every 9 days. Most recently, PDF Maker & Reader Pro was updated on September 18, 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.*