# PDF Reader vs PDF Photos ‧

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Photos ‧ at none against PDF Reader's 10. PDF Photos ‧ also leads on review sentiment (97% vs 81%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (3.8K vs 145). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PDF Photos ‧ asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PDF Reader against 4.7 for PDF Photos ‧. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.8K ratings behind it against 145, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 97% of PDF Photos ‧'s.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Photos ‧ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Photos ‧ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690/reviews) | **[4.7 (145 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-photos/id1624641004/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 145 |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | **97.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 190 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kdan Mobile Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/318936474) | [Techgear Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/524933495) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690)

Edit, convert, and manage PDF documents on your mobile device. This app allows you to directly edit text, scan documents, fill out forms, and secure your files with passwords and watermarks. It also supports OCR to extract text from scans and convert PDFs to various formats.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text directly, Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, images, OCR for text extraction from scans, Fill and sign PDF forms, Secure PDFs with passwords and watermarks, Annotate PDFs with highlights and notes, Merge and split PDF files

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KDAN Cloud | $2.99 | per month |
| Deluxe Business Pack | $5.99 | per month |
| Creativity 365 | $9.99 | per month |
| Document 365 (Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Creativity 365 - 3 Months | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Document 365 (Quarter) | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $39.99 | per year |
| Document 365 | $59.99 | per year |
| Upgrade to Premium | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 📚 Useful for reading PDFs
- 🔒 Secure file storage
- 💡 Helpful features like highlighting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔐 Locked files behind paywall
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 📢 Intrusive ads
- 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to open or access saved files
- Syncing and backup issues
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Improved file management and organization
- Better integration with cloud storage services
- More customization options
- Enhanced accessibility features


### PDF Photos ‧

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-photos/id1624641004)

This app is a comprehensive tool for creating and editing PDFs. It allows you to convert various file types, including images and documents, into PDFs and vice versa. Features include signing, annotating, and converting PDFs to images.

**Highlights:** Convert documents to PDF, Convert PDF to images (PNG, JPEG, etc.), Sign and annotate PDFs, Scan documents with camera, Extract text from PDFs, Convert photos to PDF

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Photos ‧ free?

PDF Photos ‧ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Photos ‧?

PDF Photos ‧ is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while PDF Photos ‧ averages 4.7 from 145 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or PDF Photos ‧ have ads?

Neither PDF Reader nor PDF Photos ‧ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Photos ‧?

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Photos ‧ every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 29, 2026 and PDF Photos ‧ on October 27, 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.*