DrawnStrips vs PDF Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DrawnStrips
Experience comics and manga with a fast, elegant reader designed for immersive and customizable reading on iPhone and iPad. Supports a wide range of formats and offers flexible navigation and live image enhancements.
- Universal format support (CBR, CBZ, PDF, EPUB, etc.)
- OPDS server access
- Smooth iOS performance with native gestures
- Flexible navigation for various reading styles
- Live image enhancements
- Built-in conversion tools
- Customizable shortcuts and themes
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DrawnStrips Reader – The Best Comic Experience on iPhone & iPad Read comics the way they were meant to be enjoyed. DrawnStrips Reader is a fast, elegant iOS app designed for smooth, immersive, and fully customizable reading on iPhone and iPad. Why You’ll Love It • Universal Format Support: CBR, CBZ, CB7, CBT, ZIP, RAR, TAR, PDF, EPUB, folders • OPDS Access Anywhere: Connect to your OPDS servers system-wide • Built for iOS: Smooth performance with native gestures and multitasking support • Flexible Navigation: Swipe, scroll, or use keyboard – supports Manga, Western, vertical, horizontal reading styles • Live Image Enhancements: Adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, and more in real time • Built-in Tools: Convert to ZIP, CBZ, PDF, EPUB or folders • Fully Customizable: Shortcuts, themes, auto-next issue, and more ===== SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS • Monthly: Just $1.99 USD/month • Yearly: Just $7.99 USD/year, after the 3-day free trial Prices may vary by location LIFETIME LICENSE • One-time purchase for $14.99 USD Prices may vary by location Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. — Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation — You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your account settings — No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active period — Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period — All subscription costs are listed above DrawnStrips Reader is not a free app. It uses Apple’s In-App Purchase system. Privacy Policy: https://drawnstrips.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://drawnstrips.com/tos/ =====
PDF Reader
This app helps you track your reading progress for PDF documents. It allows you to sync your PDFs and reading status across multiple devices for a seamless experience. Customize your reading environment for optimal comfort.
- Track reading progress
- Sync PDFs and progress across devices
- Configurable reading experience
- Document reader functionality
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Track your reading progress of your PDFs. Sync the pdfs and your progress between devices. Configurable reading experience. EULA: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy: https://privacy.logicalmagic.tech/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PDF Reader at 5.0 against DrawnStrips's 4.3. DrawnStrips's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. DrawnStrips sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
DrawnStrips ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DrawnStrips | PDF Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fabrice Leyne | Logical Magic Inc |
Customer experience
DrawnStrips
PDF Reader
Bugs and requests
DrawnStrips
Reported bugs
29 issues- App closes if subscription not selected
- Paywall for settings
- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Cannot download or install on Mac Sequoia
- Incapable of opening some CBR files without crashing
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- Arrow keys are backwards
- Resizing function does not work
- Export function in CBZ creation mode does not work
- Pages are not in order when exporting
- Crashing constantly
- Can only turn one page at a time
- App forgets window size
- App crashes when exiting fullscreen mode
- App quits unexpectedly when opening files
- Page turning is random and skips pages
- Double pages appear at the end of the book
- Zoom does not work with dual displays
- Touch gestures for scrolling and zoom aren't smooth
- Scrolling doesn't default to system default
- Swiping doesn't work as expected
- Up and down keys don't scroll
- Page turning with scrolling doesn't work
- App doesn't load clicked comics consistently
- Plays a noise every time trackpad is used to switch pages
- Cannot turn off page flip sound
- Not working on Mountain Lion
- Update not taken into account
- Interface issues on older displays (grainy images)
- Issues with dual monitors and scaling
Requested features
27 requests- Add Apple Vision Pro support
- Continuous vertical scrolling support
- Remember last window size and position
- Left mouse click to forward, right click to backward
- Integration with iBooks
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- Support for .zip and .rar files directly
- Settings tab for non-Retina displays
- Comprehensive toolbar tucked away when not in use
- Loupe tool
- Ability to export a page
- Quick access to change reading direction
- Smoother touch gestures for scrolling and zoom
- Regular updates and maintenance
- Gallery feature
- Automatic recognition of files on Mac
- Better organization of comics
- Library system
- Dark mode option
- Zoom to fit option
- Remember position in each comic
- Customize page turning keys
- Mouse wheel support for page turning
- Optimize comic load time
- Caching of next and previous pages
- Double-tap for zooming
- Keyboard controls
- Better library management
PDF Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DrawnStrips
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Lifetime License$14.99
PDF Reader
- Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro$49.99
Questions
Is DrawnStrips free?
Is PDF Reader free?
Which has better reviews, DrawnStrips or PDF Reader?
Do DrawnStrips or PDF Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, DrawnStrips or PDF Reader?
Other comparisons
