Comparison

pdf vs Garden Timer

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

Head to head
About

pdf

Manage and annotate PDF files on your iPad with fast page turning and intuitive finger-writing. Easily import PDFs, organize them into bookshelves, and export annotated versions via email. Features include zoom, cropping, and multiple pen options.

Highlights
  • Fast page turning and scanning
  • Intuitive finger-writing and annotation
  • Easy PDF import via Dropbox, Email, iTunes
  • Categorized bookshelves with search
  • Export annotated PDFs via email
  • Pinch zoom and crop page margins
Read full description

[notice] pdf-notes for iPad (ads) involves advertisements. Paid version is available at http://itunes.apple.com/app/id4172008446 Utilize pdf-notes to manage all the pdf files on your iPad. Fast display, quick page-turning even a thousand pages, useful finger-writing and email your notes to your friends. Differentiation-1. While turning pages of paperbooks fast, you can glance over the pages. While turning pages of pdf-notes fast, you can still run over the contents. Speedy page turning and scanning the contents with pdf-notes or paperbooks. Differentiation-2. There are many pdf readers allow you to annotate; but do you know which app allows you can write any notes in a second? If you are using pdf-notes, you may experience very fast and intuitive finger-writing like: zoom-in and note by double-tap or; writing with one finger, page-turning with two fingers, pen-changing with three fingers. - Easy importing PDF files through (DropBox, Email or Safari's) "Open In..." or iTunes - Categorized multiple bookshelves(booklists) with powerful search - Displaying pages as optimized size 1024x768 of iPad - Portrait and landscape view - Pinch zoom and crop page-margins - Fast loading and Speedy page-turning - Finger-writing with a variety of pens, highlighters and text notes - Easy "zoom-in and note" on a magnified screen by a double tap - One-step page-turning using 2 fingers on editing mode - One-step pen-changing or undo/redo using 3 fingers on editing mode - Exporting annotated PDF files to Email - External display and screen brightness controls - AirPrint and multi-tasking Misunderstandings about pdf-notes: - Not only pdf-notes but every app recently updated is removed from the open-in menu because iOS5 or formers currently show only 10 apps in open-in menu. - iPad/iphone Mail/iBooks can't display PDF annotations so that please open it in the other pdf apps. - please visit the support site for more information http://bit.ly/f6D31P Blog http://pdf-notes.com Email musebook@musebook.com Twitter http://twitter.com/musebook4u YouTube http://youtu.be/4AyRyFq9yxg NOTE: All content contained herein is subject to change without notice.

About

Garden Timer

This app transforms focus sessions into a growing virtual garden. Each completed focus period contributes to the evolution of your persistent garden world, offering a unique visual representation of your productivity. Ambient soundscapes enhance deep work sessions.

Highlights
  • Persistent virtual garden growth
  • Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration
  • Ambient soundscapes for focus
  • Detailed focus analytics (Pro)
  • Landscape Desk Mode (Pro)
  • Ad-free experience (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Every time you focus, something grows. Garden Timer turns your focus sessions into a cherry blossom garden that remembers every minute you put in. Not a disposable plant that resets. A living world that evolves — bare branches to first buds to full bloom — all built by you showing up. Set your timer. Put the phone down. When you come back, your garden has grown. WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT Other focus apps grow a single tree and forget it. Garden Timer builds a persistent world across every session. Your garden is yours — it accumulates, it changes, it reflects how far you've come. That's not a gimmick. That's the thing that makes you open the app again tomorrow. YOUR FOCUS, ALWAYS VISIBLE Start a session and your timer appears on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. Glance at your phone without picking it up. See your time counting down, your garden stage progressing, right there. No need to unlock. No temptation to open anything else. SOUNDS THAT ACTUALLY HELP Rain on leaves. Morning birds. A quiet stream. Not a generic white noise loop — ambient soundscapes designed to pair with the garden you're growing. Put your headphones in and disappear into deep work. BUILT FOR iOS 26 Liquid Glass interface. Smooth crossfade animations between growth stages. Native SwiftUI from the ground up — this isn't a web app stuffed into a shell. It feels like it belongs on your phone because it was built for your phone. GARDEN PRO Unlock every garden scene with 12 growth stages, all ambient sound packs, unlimited session history, detailed focus analytics, landscape Desk Mode, and an ad-free experience. Start with a free trial. The people who build something every day are the ones who show up again. Your garden is proof you did. Privacy Policy: https://jmrely.github.io/gardentimer-site/privacy.html Support: https://jmrely.github.io/gardentimer-site/support.html

Screenshots

Garden Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Garden Timer at 5.0 against pdf's 3.3. Garden Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 68%). pdf's advantage is ratings volume (23 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Garden Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Garden Timer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: pdf has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of pdf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Garden Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pdf ships an update every 3 weeks, Garden Timer weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
pdf versus Garden Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpdfGarden Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (23 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings23 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB315 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAMuseTec Co., Ltd.Ely Martinez

Customer experience

pdf

All ratings21 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative38.1%
Written reviews294 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral9.9%
Negative22.1%

Garden Timer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

pdf

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Annotated PDFs losing data during export
  • Crashes after recent app updates
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Incorrect page numbering and navigation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add text typing and editing capabilities
  • Implement a table of contents feature
  • Improve integration with cloud storage services
  • Allow custom organization of PDF files
  • Enhance the note-taking experience

Garden Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

pdf

One-time3
  • 2-Month Pass$0.99
  • 1-Year Pass$4.99
  • Lifetime License$9.99
3 purchases

Garden Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Garden Pro3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Garden Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Garden Pro$49.99

Questions

Is pdf free?
pdf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Garden Timer free?
Garden Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, pdf or Garden Timer?
Garden Timer is rated higher. pdf averages 3.3 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Garden Timer averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do pdf or Garden Timer have ads?
pdf shows ads; Garden Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, pdf or Garden Timer?
pdf ships an update every 3 weeks, and Garden Timer weekly. Most recently, pdf was updated on November 10, 2026 and Garden Timer on October 31, 2026.

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