Readwise Reader vs Dark PDF
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Readwise Reader
This app consolidates all your reading content, including web articles, newsletters, and PDFs, into a single, organized platform. It offers advanced highlighting, text-to-speech, and AI-powered assistance to enhance your reading workflow and knowledge retention.
- Consolidate web articles, newsletters, RSS, Twitter threads, PDFs, EPUBs
- Import from Pocket, Instapaper, and Feedly
- Advanced highlighting and annotation tools
- Text-to-speech narration
- AI-powered reading assistant (Ghostreader)
- Full-text search
- Syncs across all devices, offline access
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Readwise Reader is the first read-it-later app built specifically for power readers. If you’ve ever used Instapaper or Pocket, Reader is like those except it’s built for 2024 and brings all your reading into one place including: web articles, email newsletters, RSS feeds, Twitter threads, PDFs, EPUBs and more. ______________________ “Reader has completely redesigned the read-it-later app. It’s gorgeous and blazingly fast. In many ways, it’s the Superhuman of reading — you won’t want to read anywhere else.” Rahul Vohra (Founder of Superhuman) “I spend my entire day reading, researching, & writing and Readwise is the reading tool I’ve been waiting for. The perfect complement to my writing workflow. Absolute game changer.” Packy Mccormick (Author of Not Boring) “The Readwise reading app is the first read-it-later app that enables a true workflow for serious readers. As an ex-Pocket /Instapaper power user, it's hard to imagine ever going back.” Fitz Maro (Creative Technology Lead at Pinterest) ______________________ ALL YOUR READING IN ONE PLACE Stop juggling half a dozen reading apps. Reader brings all your content into one place including: • Web articles • Email newsletters • RSS feeds • Twitter threads • PDFs • EPUBs You can even import your existing library from Pocket and Instapaper and RSS feeds from Feedly, Inoreader, Feedbin, etc. POWERFUL HIGHLIGHTING FOR POWER READERS We believe that annotations are the key to getting more out of what you read. So we’ve developed highlighting as a first-class feature inside Reader. Highlight images, links, rich text, and more. On any device. READER WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU READ We’ve reinvented the digital reading experience to apply the power of software to the printed word. This includes TEXT-TO-SPEECH (listen to any document narrated with the lifelike voice of a real human), GHOSTREADER (your integrated copilot of reading enabling you to ask questions, define terms, simplify complex language, and more), and FULL-TEXT SEARCH (find whatever you’re looking for, even if you only remember a single word). FLEXIBLE SOFTWARE TO FIT YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS Your personal interests, your professional projects, your way of doing things — they’re unique. Reader is your home base for the varied documents in your life, customizable to match the way your brain works. PDFs for work, articles for your newsletter, and ebooks for pleasure all live comfortably side-by-side. No more juggling dozens of apps. INTEGRATED WITH YOUR FAVORITE TOOLS Your annotations should flow effortlessly from your reading app into your writing tool of choice. Instead you waste hours reformatting, reorganizing, and repeating. Reader eliminates this hassle. Reader seamlessly connects to Readwise which exports to Obsidian, Notion, Roam Research, Evernote, Logseq, and more READ ANYWHERE, ANYTIME Access all of your content from any of your devices with everything in sync. Even offline. Reader syncs across all platforms, including a powerful, local-first web app and iOS. You can even highlight the open web with the Reader browser extensions. ______________________ If you’re not already a Readwise subscriber, you can get a free 30-day trial with no credit card upfront. At the end of the trial, you will not be charged unless you choose to subscribe. Support: Check out readwise.io/faq or email us at hello@readwise.io Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readwise.io/privacy
Dark PDF
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Dark PDF turns any PDF into a calm, eye-friendly reading experience. Read for hours at night — no glare, no strain, just clean pages in beautiful dark themes. Whether it's a textbook, contract, research paper, or a novel, Dark PDF makes long reading sessions comfortable on iPhone and iPad. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • 4 handcrafted dark themes — true black, dim, sepia and more for any lighting • Easy on the eyes — cut eye strain during late-night and long reading sessions • Real-time search — find any word instantly with live highlighting • Jump to any page in a tap — no endless scrolling • Pick up where you left off — recent files always one tap away • Built for iPhone & iPad — a native, responsive layout on every screen • Reads offline — your documents stay private on your device TRY IT FIRST Open a sample and feel the dark reading experience right away. When you're ready for your full library, start a 3-day free trial and unlock every theme and premium feature. Cancel anytime. PRIVACY FIRST Your files never leave your device. No accounts, no document tracking, no clutter. Give your eyes the reading experience they deserve. — Premium is an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly) with a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. It auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms: https://moz6.com/app-term • Privacy: https://moz6.com/app-privacy • info@moz6.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Readwise Reader at weekly against Dark PDF's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Readwise Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Dark PDF sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Readwise Reader ships an update weekly, Dark PDF monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Readwise Reader | Dark PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (585 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 585 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Readwise, Inc | Muhammet Ozturk |
Bugs and requests
Readwise Reader
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Unreliable RSS feed updates
- Frequent crashes on iPad
- Issues with resuming reading position
Requested features
5 requests- Improved PDF and ebook support
- Customizable reading themes and layouts
- Better integration with note-taking apps
- Reading progress and statistics tracking
- Bulk management of saved items
Dark PDF
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Readwise Reader
- Reader Monthly Plan$8.991 Month
- Reader Monthly$12.991 Month
- Reader Annual Plan$95.901 Year
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- Reader Yearly$119.991 Year
Dark PDF
- Monthly - Unlimited - Black Friday3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly - Unlimited Pdf,Black Friday3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Monthly - Unlimited PDF$49.991 Month
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- Yearly - Unlimited PDF$99.991 Year









