# Readwise Reader vs Dark PDF

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Readwise Reader | Dark PDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (585 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **585** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 193 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readwise, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476885527) | [Muhammet Ozturk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1640983852) |

## What reviewers say

### Readwise Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reader Monthly Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Reader Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Reader Annual Plan | $95.90 | per year |
| Reader Yearly | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic reading experience
- 👍 Seamless integration with Readwise
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive UI
- 📚 All-in-one reading solution
- 🔍 Powerful search and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
- 🔍 Cluttered interface for some users
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🖥️ Lack of iPad-specific features
- 📚 Missing basic reader features (e.g., bookmarks)

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Unreliable RSS feed updates
- Frequent crashes on iPad
- Issues with resuming reading position

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-pdf-night-mode-reader/id6754808094)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly - Unlimited - Black Friday | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly - Unlimited Pdf,Black Friday | $9.99 | per year |
| Monthly - Unlimited PDF | $49.99 | per month |
| Yearly - Unlimited PDF | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Readwise Reader free?

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

### Is Dark PDF free?

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

### Do Readwise Reader or Dark PDF have ads?

Neither Readwise Reader nor Dark PDF shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Readwise Reader or Dark PDF?

Readwise Reader ships an update weekly, and Dark PDF monthly. Most recently, Readwise Reader was updated on October 16, 2026 and Dark PDF on September 30, 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.*