Comparison

PDF Reader Pro Edition® vs PDF Hero

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

Head to head
About

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

This powerful application allows users to read, manage, edit, and annotate PDF files on iOS devices. It offers real-time online collaboration, form filling, and advanced annotation tools. Create, organize, and secure your PDF documents with ease.

Highlights
  • Real-time online collaboration and chat
  • Fillable PDF forms
  • Extensive annotation tools (highlight, notes, signature)
  • EasyReview mode for text markup
  • Create new PDF files
  • Secure Vault folder
  • Built-in scanner
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

**Winner of the Tabby Awards for best iPad- Productivity/Documents App** PDF Reader Pro Edition is the best app to read, manage and annotate PDF files and it works beautifully on iOS 12. The most powerful PDF reader, carefully designed and optimized specially for the iPhone & iPad. The best mobile PDF reader for your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Part of the @work campaign by Apple. Some of the great features of PDF Reader Pro Edition are: • Real-time online collaboration & chat Now you can collaborate and add annotations with other users on the same file over the internet in real time and you can chat about your progress simultaneously. They will be able to see what changes you are making as you make them all in real time. • PDF forms support 
Now you can fill out PDF forms directly on your iPad/iPhone. • Full Annotations/highlight support
 Now you can add notes directly from your iPad anywhere on the document. Highlighter, stamps, sticky notes, text boxes, underlines, strikeout, dynamic stamps (with date & time), freehand drawing, signature, free highlight, lines, arrows, rectangles and ovals, fully compatible with Apple Preview and Adobe Acrobat. • New EasyReview mode With this new amazing feature you are able to mark up PDF documents faster and easier than ever before. Just tap on the part of text where you need to make changes and correct it in the text editor (similar to Word). The text will be marked as removed and the new text will have a different color so you can easily identify it. When you save the PDF file all the modifications will appear as standard annotations (replace text and insert text annotations). • Fresh new user interface specially design to merge beautifully with iOS 12. • Create new PDF files Extract and email pages from a PDF file or create a new document using pages from an existing file. • Share & collaborate Connect with all your colleagues and friend to share and collaborate your PDF files and annotations in real time. • Rotate function You can rotate a single page or the whole document. • Vault folder Securely store your important PDF files. • Bookmarks/Outlines Bookmark pages on your PDF files. Add outlines to create or modify a table of contents for your document directly from your iPad. • Reflow mode • Full Web browser to download PDF files from the web • Scanner Create multipage documents in PDF format. • Document manager Copy, cut, paste and delete your documents. Organize your PDFs into folders. • PDF hyperlinks support Jump back and forth within the document. Jump back button to quickly go back to the page you came from. • Text search Easily find any word on your PDF file. • Save email attachments Open attachments directly from the Mail app, you can also open PDF files from any other application using the Open in function. • Download PDF files from Safari Use the Open in function to download a PDF file from Safari to PDF Reader Pro Edition. • Transfer files You can easily and securely copy your PDF files from your Mac or PC using Airdrop, the USB or WiFi sharing feature. • Print Print your PDF files and annotations directly from the app. • Email your files Email your PDF files directly from the app, you can email the entire document with all annotations or you can also email specific pages from a PDF file. You can also email a flatten copy of a PDF file, this option will compress and flatten your annotations onto the document to prevent them from being modified. • Cloud support Download/upload your PDF files to iCloud, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, SugarSync & OneDrive. • Great for presentations Use Airplay or an HDMI cable to show your documents on an external display while you annotate them in real time. • The only mobile PDF Reader application that supports Vitrium* protected PDF files (Like University of Phoenix ebooks) Join the hundred of thousands users already enjoying all the great features of PDF Reader Pro Edition. More amazing features coming soon!

About

PDF Hero

Edit, create, and manage PDF documents on your mobile device. Annotate, fill forms, sign, and share files with ease. Offers advanced features like OCR and compression for enhanced document control.

Highlights
  • Create PDFs from scratch
  • Edit text and annotate documents
  • Fill and sign PDF forms
  • Convert images/documents to PDF
  • OCR for editable text
  • Compress and merge PDFs
  • Password-protect sensitive data
Features
Read full description

Looking for a convenient and easy-to-use PDF editor? View and edit PDF files on the go with PDF Hero! The app works on iPhone and iPad. PDF Hero helps you take control of your papers and run your business in the ever-changing digital world. Create and read PDFs, then annotate, edit, fill and sign forms, or share files. Manage paperwork hassle-free from anywhere – the office, remotely, or from home. There’s no need for printed copies when you can access and edit the docs you need, on the go – all in an app. Stay one step ahead when it comes to document management. CREATE & VIEW - Create PDFs from scratch. - Open and view any PDF file. - Zoom in and out while reading. - Search to find the necessary information using text search. - Read PDFs easier with Read Mode by creating bookmarks and navigating conveniently. EDIT & ANNOTATE - Edit text in your PDF files, fix typos, and correct paragraphs. - Add comments and annotations using text notes. - Write on PDFs with your finger or stylus. - Fill PDF forms. - Highlight key ideas and add shapes. - Insert images, crop, resize, or change the angle if necessary. MANAGE & STORE - Import files from your device or online storage services like iCloud and Dropbox. - Delete pages from a multi-page PDF document. - Share PDF files with or without annotations for further reading and commenting. - Print files right from your device. Level up with Premium features! PRO EDITING - Convert images and documents to PDF files. - Sign docs right on the screen of your device. - Add stamps to PDF documents. - Transform PDF files into editable text with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. PRO MANAGEMENT - Compress PDFs and share them as ZIP files. - Manage PDF pages: add pages, rotate, and reorder them. - Share selected pages of a multi-page PDF file. - Merge two or more PDF pages into a single document. - Password-protect sensitive data. *To digitize printed copies and transform them into editable PDF scans, try our Scan Hero app! Subscription payments will be charged to your App Store account at confirmation of your purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew and you will be charged unless auto-renew is turned off or unless you cancel at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription or trial period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. The cost of renewal depends on the Subscription Plan you choose. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to Account Settings after purchase or by contacting Customer Support. Privacy Policy: https://support.bendingspoons.com/privacy.html?app=1512973255 Terms of Service: https://support.bendingspoons.com/tos.html?app=1512973255 Got questions or suggestions? Please don’t hesitate to email us at pdfhero@bendingspoons.com

Screenshots

PDF Reader Pro Edition®4 screens
PDF Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PDF Hero at Free against PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s $1.99. PDF Hero also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (10K vs 1.7K). PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s advantage is review sentiment (54% vs 18%) and in-app purchases (none vs 14). On rating, ads, chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PDF Hero is free to download; PDF Reader Pro Edition® costs $1.99 up front. PDF Hero sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. PDF Reader Pro Edition® asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Hero holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Hero has 10K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s written reviews are positive against 18% of PDF Hero's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader Pro Edition® ships an update every 4 months, PDF Hero every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
PDF Reader Pro Edition® versus PDF Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Reader Pro Edition®PDF Hero
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (1.7K ratings)4.6 (10K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews — better17.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.7K10K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#131 — better#194
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB536 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC.Mosaic S.r.l.

Customer experience

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

All ratings1,730 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative37.2%

PDF Hero

All ratings10,328 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive17.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative76.9%

User reviews

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and easy to use
  • 📁 Good file organization and management
  • ✍️ Useful annotation and highlighting tools
  • 🔒 Secure document storage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Poor search functionality
  • 📤 Difficulty sharing/exporting annotated files
  • 🤔 Unintuitive user interface

PDF Hero

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Useful PDF editing features
  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Signature functionality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and malfunctions
  • 🐛 Inconsistent behavior and glitches
  • 🔋 High subscription cost
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 👎 Poor text editing capabilities

Bugs and requests

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when opening certain PDF files
  • Annotations disappear or fail to save
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Slow performance on older iPad models

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for password-protected PDFs
  • Improve annotation tools with better undo/redo
  • Implement cloud storage integration (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.)
  • Add ability to insert, delete, and rearrange PDF pages

PDF Hero

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Text disappearing or jumping around during editing
  • Inability to save or transfer edited documents
  • App crashing or freezing during use
  • Incorrect rendering of PDF content

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved text editing and manipulation
  • Better file management and organization
  • Seamless integration with other apps
  • Clearer subscription and cancellation policies

In-app purchases

None

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

PDF Hero

Subscriptions12
  • Weekly with free trial7 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$3.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium$5.997 Days
Show 9 more
  • Weekly Premium with Free Trial7 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Month$9.991 Month
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Month3 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Month3 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Convert & Merge PDF Documents3 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • PDF Hero Premium 3 Months3 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Year3 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Year3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • PDF Hero Premium 1 Year3 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Reader Pro Edition® free?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Hero free?
PDF Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or PDF Hero?
PDF Hero is rated higher. PDF Reader Pro Edition® averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while PDF Hero averages 4.6 from 10K ratings.
Do PDF Reader Pro Edition® or PDF Hero have ads?
Neither PDF Reader Pro Edition® nor PDF Hero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or PDF Hero?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® ships an update every 4 months, and PDF Hero every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader Pro Edition® was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Hero on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or PDF Hero?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® currently peaks at #131 in the App Store charts, and PDF Hero at #194. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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