Comparison

PDF Reader vs PDF Compressor

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

Head to head
About

PDF Reader

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
Read full description

KDAN PDF, formerly KDAN PDF Reader, is a mobile PDF editor and reader for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Edit text directly on your device. Then scan, organize, convert, sign, and share your PDFs in one simple and powerful app. Trusted by millions, KDAN PDF connects your workflow across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making it easy to review, annotate, and finalize documents anywhere. Who Recommends Us? - Featured as “10 Essentials” in Utility on iTunes - Featured in “10 Best PDF Reader Apps For iPhone & iPad 2019” by FOSSBYTES - Featured as “Best Utility App” in App Store Rewind KEY FEATURES PDF EDITOR • Edit and correct any typos directly on PDFs • Merge multiple files into one PDF • Split a large PDF into several small PDFs • Rotate, delete, add, and rearrange pages • Extract pages or images from PDFs • Change PDF background color PDF CONVERTER • Online & Offline PDF converter • Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT & image conversions (docx, xlsx, pptx, jpg, png, gif & bmp). • Save webpages and images as PDFs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) • Recognize and extract text from scans • Export OCR results as text or searchable PDFs • Support 50+ languages SIGN, FORM FILLING, SHARE • Fill out & edit PDF forms • Sign on PDFs • Customize and manage signatures SHARE FILES • Get files from KDAN Cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Evernote, FTP, or WebDAV client • Compress PDFs • Share flatten PDFs • Send faxes directly from within the app PDF SECURITY • Add passwords to lock PDFs • Remove passwords & restrictions from PDFs • Add & remove PDF watermarks • Validate certificates & signatures in PDF documents VIEW FILES • Supports all mainstream file formats, including Vitrium* PDF format (Like University of Phoenix Ebooks) • Text Reflow & Auto Flow • Present a PDF as a slideshow • View multiple PDFs as tabs • Dark mode supported (only for iOS13 & macOS Mojave and later) • Convert text to spoken audio (text-to-speech) ANNOTATE & REVIEW PDF • Annotate PDFs with highlights, underlines, strikeout text, shapes, sticky notes & text boxes • Add pre-designed stamps, including Approved, Sign Here, Confidential, and more • Add custom stamps with time and date information • Insert hyperlinks to external websites, target pages, and email address • Attach audio notes & insert images to PDFs • Turn handwriting into text with Scribble (Available for iPad) • Add handwritten notes to PDFs MANAGE ANNOTATIONS • Save annotations in XFDF format • Remove all annotations in one tap - Recommended by Techradar, Techworm & Softsonic UPGRADE OPTIONS DOCUMENT 365 • Try for $0.00 for 7 days • Access KDAN PDF on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and other platforms. • Annual plan: billed at USD 59.99/year after the 7-day free trial ends • Quarterly plan: billed at USD 19.99/quarter after 3-day free trial ends • Monthly plan: billed at USD 9.99/month after 3-day free trial ends Subscriptions will be charged to your Apple account upon purchase and will auto-renew 24 hours before the current period ends at the same price and duration. Cancellation during the active period is not allowed. Manage your trial and subscription in your Apple account. Terms of service: https://pdf-reader.kdandoc.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://pdf-reader.kdandoc.com/privacy-policy Got a question? Contact us at helpdesk@kdanmobile.com or check out https://support.kdanmobile.com

About

PDF Compressor

Reduce the size of your PDF documents with this easy-to-use tool. Select your file, choose the desired output quality, and compress your PDFs with a single tap. Save disk space and speed up uploads and downloads.

Highlights
  • Compress PDF files
  • Reduce PDF file size
  • Select output PDF quality
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Single-tap compression
Features
Read full description

If you want to reduce your PDF file size, save your disk space back and faster on uploads and downloads, ... then let PDF Compressor - Compress PDF File app help you. You can easily compress your PDF files right on your device, with just one tap to select your file Select quality of output PDF to reduce file size PDF. PDF Compressor is a tool to compress PDF documents to reduce PDF file size. Compress PDF files allows you to select heavy PDF files to reduce their size. PDF compressor will simply reduce pdf file size with a single tap. PDF Compressor is free and the best tool to reduce PDF file size. Do download this compressor app and tell us more about how we can improve it. Compressing PDF file size makes it possible for anyone to reduce your PDF document size, especially useful for those PDF files with many scan graphics and photos. Compressed PDF documents require less disk space for storage and faster uploads and downloads save transmission time and cost. This app gives you access to compression options to help you to reduce PDF file size without compromising the document's integrity. Compress PDF File rewrites the entire PDF documents using selected compression options as efficiently as possible. Some PDF documents might not get compressed, because the PDF documents might be already compressed or have nothing much to compress. With our simple and easy-to-use app, you can compress/reduce pdf file sizes using your IOS device. Compress PDF file size has the following features: - Very smart and easy-to-use PDF compressor. - Compress PDF files to reduce PDF file size.

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
PDF Compressor3 screens

Verdict

The call

PDF Reader and PDF Compressor both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 26% of PDF Compressor's. PDF Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 813). PDF Compressor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, rating, update cadence 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PDF Reader against 4.6 for PDF Compressor. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.5K and 813 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 26% of PDF Compressor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PDF Reader versus PDF Compressor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderPDF Compressor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3.5K ratings)4.6 (813 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better26.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3.5K — better813
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKdan Mobile Software LTDVishalbhai Vaghasiya

Customer experience

PDF Reader

All ratings3,542 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews2,194 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.3%

PDF Compressor

All ratings813 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive26.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative74.0%

User reviews

PDF Reader

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

PDF Compressor

From 813 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient compression
  • 👍 Simple and easy-to-use interface
  • 💰 Free to download and use
  • ✅ Effective file size reduction
  • 📧 Solves email attachment size issues

Room to improve

  • 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
  • ❌ File compression increases size instead of reducing it
  • 🔄 App requires restart after each compression
  • ⚠️ Suspicious ad permissions and potential security concerns

Bugs and requests

PDF Reader

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

PDF Compressor

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on second compression attempt
  • File size increases instead of decreasing
  • App exits unexpectedly after compression
  • Compressed file unrecognizable or corrupted
  • Keyboard numbers display as blank
Show 4 more
  • Slow compression times (5+ minutes for small files)
  • Unable to save or retrieve compressed files
  • Document pages expand instead of compress
  • App crashes on launch

Requested features

5 requests
  • Reduce or eliminate advertisements
  • Add compression quality/control settings
  • Batch file compression capability
  • Improved preview functionality for multiple documents
  • Better file naming conventions for compressed files

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PDF Reader

Subscriptions9
  • KDAN Cloud$2.991 Month
  • Deluxe Business Pack$5.991 Month
  • Creativity 3653 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Document 365 (Month)3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone$12.993 Months
  • Creativity 365 - 3 Months3 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Document 365 (Quarter)3 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone$39.991 Year
  • Document 3657 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Upgrade to Premium$2.99
None

PDF Compressor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Compressor free?
PDF Compressor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Compressor?
PDF Compressor is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while PDF Compressor averages 4.6 from 813 ratings.
Do PDF Reader or PDF Compressor have ads?
PDF Compressor shows ads; PDF Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Compressor?
PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Compressor every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Compressor on September 21, 2026.

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