# PDFelement vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is rating: PDFelement at 4.6 against PDF Reader's 3.7. PDFelement also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 13). PDF Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDFelement holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, PDF Reader every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFelement | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** | [3.7 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-all-pdf-viewer/id6448699108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 196 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) | [Sagar Rudani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1663592356) |

## What reviewers say

### PDFelement

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription (AI) | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner | $6.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro（iOS） | $6.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Quarterly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription (All) | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $24.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Quarterly Subscription (All) | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Win) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Mac) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (All) | $109.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $39.99 | one-time |
| iOS | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Comprehensive feature set
- 🔒 Secure document handling
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Mandatory account required
- 🔒 Unclear licensing and subscription model
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-all-pdf-viewer/id6448699108)

Easily view and manage all your PDF files on your mobile device. This app offers offline access, dark mode, and convenient file management features for efficient document handling.

**Highlights:** Offline PDF viewing, Dark mode support, File management, Bookmark pages, Search and copy text, Share files easily

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly   1 Week | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly   1 Month | $2.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads for 1 year | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDFelement or PDF Reader?

PDFelement is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while PDF Reader averages 3.7 from 13 ratings.

### Do PDFelement or PDF Reader have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDFelement or PDF Reader?

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Reader every 5 months. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Reader on August 26, 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.*