Comparison

pdf vs Reader's Bench

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, organize, and share your notes with friends. Offers a seamless reading and editing experience.

Highlights
  • Fast page turning and content scanning
  • Intuitive finger-writing with zoom-in
  • Easy PDF import via Dropbox, Email, or iTunes
  • Organized bookshelves with search
  • Variety of pens, highlighters, and text notes
  • Export annotated PDFs via email
Features
Read full description

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

Reader's Bench

This app is a PDF reader and markup tool designed for serious study and research. It allows users to read, annotate, take notes, and review highlighted content from PDF documents with efficient performance and a distraction-free interface.

Highlights
  • PDF reading and markup
  • Handwriting and typed notes
  • Annotation extraction for review
  • Highlight, underline, strikethrough
  • Image capture and insertion
  • Export notes and annotated PDFs
  • Word definition and sentence translation
Features
Read full description

Reader's Bench — Read, Annotate & Take Notes Reader's Bench is a powerful PDF and ePub reader built for students, researchers, and professionals who need to study documents deeply. Import PDFs and ePub files, annotate them with a rich set of tools, take handwritten notes side by side, and organize everything in one place. KEY FEATURES • PDF & ePub Reader Import PDFs from the Files app, share sheet, or Safari. Supports vertical and horizontal scrolling, single-page and continuous page views, and a comfortable dark mode for reading in any lighting. • Rich PDF Annotations Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text. Add text boxes, image boxes, freehand drawings, and capture areas with Apple Pencil or your finger. Every annotation can be edited, moved, or deleted at any time. • Annotation Review View all your annotations in a summary list, filter by type, and export the review as a separate PDF report. Revisit key points without re-reading the entire document. • Handwritten Notes Take notes on a digital canvas with Apple Pencil. Switch between Canvas (infinite scroll) and Page (discrete pages) modes. Choose from dotted, squared, lined, or blank backgrounds and customize colors. Shape detection automatically perfects hand-drawn shapes. • Split View Work with your PDF and notes side by side. Switch between horizontal and vertical layouts and resize panels with a draggable divider. • Bookmarks & Search Bookmark pages for quick access and browse them in one place. Search inside documents and jump to results by page instantly. • Export & Share Export annotated PDFs, handwritten notes as PDFs, or annotation reviews as reports. Share via the iOS share sheet or print directly from the app. • iCloud Sync Documents and annotations sync across your devices via iCloud, so your work is always with you. • ePub Support Import ePub books and convert them to PDF for reading and annotation. • Share Extension Import PDFs directly from any app using the system share sheet. Reader's Bench turns your iPad and iPhone into a complete study and research workstation.

Screenshots

Reader's Bench4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reader's Bench at Free against pdf's $9.99. Reader's Bench also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). pdf's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Reader's Bench is free to download; pdf costs $9.99 up front. Reader's Bench sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. pdf asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

pdf holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: pdf has 27 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of pdf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Reader's Bench's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pdf ships an update every 2 weeks, Reader's Bench weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
pdf versus Reader's Bench: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpdfReader's Bench
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (27 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size138 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAMuseTec Co., Ltd.Rohmiapps Inc.

Customer experience

pdf

All ratings27 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive71.5%
Neutral9.7%
Negative18.8%

Reader's Bench

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

pdf

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Reader's Bench

Subscriptions3
  • Reader's Bench Subscription14 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$69.99

Questions

Is pdf free?
pdf costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reader's Bench free?
Reader's Bench is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, pdf or Reader's Bench?
pdf is rated higher. pdf averages 4.4 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Reader's Bench averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do pdf or Reader's Bench have ads?
Neither pdf nor Reader's Bench shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pdf or Reader's Bench?
pdf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Reader's Bench weekly. Most recently, pdf was updated on October 9, 2026 and Reader's Bench on October 7, 2026.

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