# PDF Pro vs PDF Maker & Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Pro at 60% against PDF Maker & Reader's 20%. PDF Pro also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). PDF Maker & Reader's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Maker & Reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Pro has 6.9K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 20% of PDF Maker & Reader's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and August 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | PDF Maker & Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews)** | [4.2 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader/id1293534601/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | **60.3% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) | [NAOAKI SEKIGUCHI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146328819) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656)

Edit, annotate, and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, add notes, shapes, voice recordings, and photos. Search your entire PDF library, fill out forms, and sign documents.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDFs, Highlight text and add notes, Embed audio and photo annotations, Full-text search of PDF library, Fill out and sign PDF forms, Organize PDFs with folders and tags, Import from cloud storage

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offer - Monthly - macOS | $1.99 | per month |
| Offer - Monthly - iOS | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - iOS | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - macOS | $4.99 | per month |
| Offer - Annual - iOS | $12.99 | per year |
| Offer - Annual - macOS | $22.99 | per year |
| Premium  - Annual - iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - macOS + iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - iOS + macOS | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium - Annual - macOS | $44.99 | per year |
| Premium - iOS + macOS | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium - macOS + iOS | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Excellent PDF management features
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 🎨 Great annotation tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Inconsistent search functionality
- 📖 Loses last read position
- 🖋️ Unreliable handwriting support

**Reported bugs**

- Annotations and highlights randomly disappearing
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Corrupted PDF files after editing
- Slow performance on older devices
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between PDFs

**Requested features**

- Improved bookmarking and note-taking
- Seamless iCloud/cloud storage integration
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Advanced text editing and OCR capabilities
- Better organization and folder management


### PDF Maker & Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-maker-and-reader/id1293534601)

Create and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Easily add text, photos, maps, and diagrams to new or existing PDFs. Share your creations via iCloud Drive, email, and other compatible applications.

**Highlights:** Create new PDF documents, Read PDF documents from various sources, Add text manually or via keyboard, Insert photos, maps, and diagrams, Export PDFs to other applications, Compatible with App Extensions and Apple Pencil

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Maker & Reader Pro | $1.99 | one-time |
| License | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Pro free?

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

### Is PDF Maker & Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or PDF Maker & Reader?

PDF Pro is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PDF Maker & Reader averages 4.2 from 25 ratings.

### Do PDF Pro or PDF Maker & Reader have ads?

PDF Maker & Reader shows ads; PDF Pro does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or PDF Maker & Reader?

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Maker & Reader every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 30, 2026 and PDF Maker & Reader on August 13, 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.*