Comparison

PDF Reader vs Light PDF

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

Light PDF

Features
Read full description

Light PDF is a powerful PDF processing tool designed to provide users with a convenient PDF reading and management experience. Whether it is viewing documents, splitting files, merging multiple PDFs, or even converting photos and pictures to PDF format, our application can easily meet your needs. Key functions: PDF reading: Supports fast reading of PDF documents and provides a smooth reading experience. PDF splitting: Can quickly split large PDF files into multiple small files for easy sharing and storage. You can choose the page number of the split as needed. PDF merging: Easily merge multiple PDF files into one, keeping the original format, suitable for organizing and archiving files. Photo to PDF: Use the mobile phone camera to take pictures of documents or paper materials, the application will automatically recognize and generate high-quality PDF files, convenient for recording and saving important information at any time. Image to PDF: Supports converting various image formats to PDF files, ensuring that the image quality is not affected, suitable for making electronic photo albums or graphic materials. There are many other features for you to explore. Privacy Policy: https://lightpdfai.com/publish/Notice.pdf

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
Light PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Light PDF at none against PDF Reader's 10. Light PDF also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). PDF Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price 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. Light PDF asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, Light PDF every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PDF Reader versus Light PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderLight PDF
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKdan Mobile Software LTD其达 林

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

Light PDF

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Light PDF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Light PDF free?
Light PDF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PDF Reader or Light PDF have ads?
Light PDF shows ads; PDF Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or Light PDF?
PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Light PDF every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and Light PDF on September 14, 2026.

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