# PDFelement vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against PDF Reader's 20%. PDFelement also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 408). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 $2.99 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 408, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 20% of PDF Reader's.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, PDF Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 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)** | [4.3 (408 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-document-reader/id6450378658/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 408 |
| Positive reviews | **75.9% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 200 MB | 28 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) | [Rajanibhai Sheladiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1693041623) |

## 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-document-reader/id6450378658)

This app allows users to easily find, open, read, and manage all PDF and Office files stored on their mobile device. It offers features for annotating, signing, and organizing documents, with options for offline viewing and sharing.

**Highlights:** Auto scan and find all files, Offline PDF viewer, Read and annotate PDFs, File management and organization, Share files easily, Favorite PDF pages

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly ( 1 Week ) | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly ( 1 Month ) | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly ( 1 Year ) | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very useful for processing files
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Brilliant application
- 👍 Helped with work progression

**What reviewers complain about**

-  anúncios Excessivos
- 👎 Cannot open PDFs
- 👎 App is useless
- 👎 Forced vertical orientation
- 👎 Constant ads

**Reported bugs**

- App crashed and locked PDF
- Photos not appearing in PDF conversion
- Ads cannot be closed
- App tries to load scanning software instead of reading PDF
- App does not appear in preferred app list

**Requested features**

- Save page number for resuming reading
- Respect user time before asking for payment


## 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 4.3 from 408 ratings.

### Do PDFelement or PDF Reader have ads?

Both PDFelement and PDF Reader show ads.

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

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Reader monthly. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader on September 20, 2026.

---

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