# MXTNote vs Reader's Bench

The clearest difference is rating: MXTNote at 5.0 against Reader's Bench's 3.5. MXTNote also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reader's Bench sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MXTNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

MXTNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

MXTNote ships an update every 2 weeks, Reader's Bench weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MXTNote | Reader's Bench |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mxtnote/id1518415738/reviews)** | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readers-bench-pdf-and-notes/id1671846175/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 131 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tao Ma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518415737) | [Rohmiapps Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/982578674) |

## What reviewers say

### MXTNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mxtnote/id1518415738)

This app helps organize research and study materials by linking PDFs, notes, and web pages. It offers PDF reading, text and handwriting notes, and an arXiv explorer for academic papers. Create a knowledge graph to visualize connections between your research fragments.

**Highlights:** PDF reader with link navigation, Text and handwriting note-taking, Link notes and PDFs to create a knowledge graph, ARXIV explorer for academic papers, Web page import (HTML to PDF), OCR and image search for PDFs, Sync across devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Reader's Bench

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readers-bench-pdf-and-notes/id1671846175)

This app is a PDF reader and markup tool designed for serious study and research. It allows users to read, annotate, take notes, and review highlighted content from PDF documents with efficient performance and a distraction-free interface.

**Highlights:** PDF reading and markup, Handwriting and typed notes, Annotation extraction for review, Highlight, underline, strikethrough, Image capture and insertion, Export notes and annotated PDFs, Word definition and sentence translation

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reader's Bench Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MXTNote free?

MXTNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Reader's Bench free?

Reader's Bench is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MXTNote or Reader's Bench?

MXTNote is rated higher. MXTNote averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Reader's Bench averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do MXTNote or Reader's Bench have ads?

Neither MXTNote nor Reader's Bench shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MXTNote or Reader's Bench?

MXTNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Reader's Bench weekly. Most recently, MXTNote was updated on September 24, 2026 and Reader's Bench on September 20, 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.*