Comparison

Slide Rule vs GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Slide Rule

Simulates a mechanical analog computer for scientific and engineering calculations. Perform multiplication, division, roots, and trigonometric functions with a digital slide rule.

Highlights
  • Multiplication and division
  • Square and cube roots
  • Trigonometry functions
  • Logarithm calculations
  • Digital slide rule simulation
  • Mechanical analog computer
Features
Read full description

This app is a slide rule simulator. The slide rule (a.k.a. slipstick) is an mechanical analog computer which was formerly used for various scientific calculations, engineering design and surveying. It consists of three linear strips and a sliding cursor and is used for multiplication, division, square, cube, square root, cubic root, trigonometry, logarithm and so on. Please note that trigonometry and logarithm are not supported and the width of the scale is 1,000 pixels in this version.

About

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

This app offers robust PDF editing and annotation capabilities, alongside comprehensive file management for various document types. It allows users to securely store, organize, and access files from cloud services, enhancing productivity on mobile devices.

Highlights
  • PDF annotation and editing
  • File management for various formats
  • Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
  • Military-grade AES-256 encryption
  • Split-screen viewing for iPad
  • PDF Reflow feature
Features
Read full description

GoodReader® Pro and our famous classic GoodReader app are essentially the same app, but this one comes with Pro Pack® pre-activated, no subscription or in-app purchase needed. First released in 2009, GoodReader® is truly a veteran of the App Store. In the modern app business, it's not easy to stay relevant that long. We're proud to say that after 17 years and counting, we've been delivering wonderful updates with extraordinary new features. And we're going to keep doing that! GoodReader is a perfect combination of document-reading and file-managing capabilities. It's your one-stop shop for all your document needs on your iOS device. Use the app once, and you'll be hooked. Soon you'll be wondering how you ever managed to work without it. -= File Reading =- PDF, TXT, MS Office, iWork, HTML, pictures, music & audio-books, videos. This is what you can view in GoodReader, plus you can also annotate PDF files and edit TXT files. -= PDF Reading and Annotating =- PDF files is where GoodReader truly shines. Reading experience is so superior, it's hard to describe. To rephrase one of our customers' review, "try it, and you'll see." While you're at it, give our PDF Reflow feature a try. You'll be surprised how much better PDF reading goes when you don't have to scroll left/right all the time, for every single line of text. Annotating PDFs is another star feature of our app. Adding notes and drawings, highlighting text, and then sharing your annotated files or annotation summaries will be your main productivity and collaboration asset. -= File Management =- While reading files is a big part of GoodReader, it's not all it can do. It can also serve as a central hub for all your files, even those that can't be opened by GoodReader itself. It's like bringing your personal computer experience to your mobile device — easily managing huge collections of files and folders will make you forget you don't have your laptop around. -= Connecting =- Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box.com, WebDAV, SMB, FTP, SFTP — these are all accessible from inside GoodReader. Download, upload, and sync individual files or huge folder collections. -= Security =- With GoodReader, your data security steps up to the level previously only dreamt of. With Pro Pack®, our new set of professional-level super-features, you'll get AES-256, a military-grade encryption, for all your data, at a price of a cup of coffee! And it's completely independent from the built-in Apple's Data Protection, so even if a hacker steals and unlocks your device, your data will still be protected by another strong layer of security, our own. -= Multi-Windows =- Seamlessly view and manage multiple files simultaneously on iPad. -= Notes =- Capture ideas and comments while reading or studying a technical document without even leaving the app. Sort and group your notes into categories.

Screenshots

Slide Rule3 screens
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Slide Rule at $0.99 against GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's $89.99. GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 29 months). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Slide Rule costs $0.99 and GoodReader Pro PDF Editor $89.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GoodReader Pro PDF Editor has 269 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Slide Rule's written reviews are positive against 68% of GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slide Rule ships an update every 29 months, GoodReader Pro PDF Editor every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Slide Rule versus GoodReader Pro PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlide RuleGoodReader Pro PDF Editor
Price$0.99 — better$89.99
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (269 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better67.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1269 — better
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#186 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasayuki AkamatsuGood.iWare, Inc.

Customer experience

Slide Rule

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative20.8%

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

All ratings269 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative30.0%

Bugs and requests

Slide Rule

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Cannot move bookmarks from old to Pro version
  • Dropbox/OneDrive sync not working
  • iCloud integration issues
  • App crashes when adding photos
  • App freezes after annotation
Show 10 more
  • App does not keep pattern open after closing
  • iPad version web server option not working
  • Cannot change or disable app password
  • Encrypted PDF export issues
  • Glitchy highlighter and eraser
  • Cannot access files through Dropbox
  • No longer syncs with OneDrive or Dropbox
  • Files lost after upgrading to new app
  • Cannot download embedded video
  • Cannot see iCloud files without workaround

Requested features

16 requests
  • Proper night mode (inverted colors)
  • Bookmark sharing feature
  • PC version of the app
  • Profile switching for open tabs
  • Editable text feature
Show 11 more
  • Support for Chinese language
  • Adjustable plain text font size
  • Two-page PDF viewing
  • Option to ignore finger/hand annotation
  • True dark mode with inverted colors
  • Edit text within PDFs
  • Improve note-taking and thumbnail features
  • Add text editing function
  • Make max number of open tabs configurable
  • Improve PDF annotation experience
  • Allow editing of actual text in PDFs

In-app purchases

None

Slide Rule

No in-app purchases

None

GoodReader Pro PDF Editor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slide Rule free?
Slide Rule costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GoodReader Pro PDF Editor free?
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor costs $89.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slide Rule or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor is rated higher. Slide Rule averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while GoodReader Pro PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 269 ratings.
Do Slide Rule or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor have ads?
Neither Slide Rule nor GoodReader Pro PDF Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Slide Rule or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
Slide Rule ships an update every 29 months, and GoodReader Pro PDF Editor every 4 weeks. Most recently, Slide Rule was updated on November 10, 2026 and GoodReader Pro PDF Editor on November 11, 2026.

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