# PDF Max vs PDF Book Reader

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Max at 4.5 against PDF Book Reader's 3.9. PDF Max also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 31). PDF Book Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (61% vs 35%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Max sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and PDF Book Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Max holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Max has 1.2K ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of PDF Max's written reviews are positive against 61% of PDF Book Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Max ships an update monthly, PDF Book Reader every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Max | PDF Book Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-max-edit-sign-pdfs/id540572073/reviews)** | [3.9 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-book-reader/id1576631236/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 35.4% of reviews | **61.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 266 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mobeera](https://appshunter.io/developer/540572076) | [B TO J PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/569308231) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Max

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-max-edit-sign-pdfs/id540572073)

This app allows you to read, annotate, and sign PDF documents on your mobile device. You can mark up text, add handwritten notes, insert stamps, fill out forms, and manage PDF pages. It also offers robust file management and cloud integration for seamless access to your documents.

**Highlights:** Read and annotate PDFs, Fill and sign PDF forms, Handwriting and text markup, Manage PDF pages, Cloud storage integration, Voice annotations

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Subscription (1 week) | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| One year premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Yearly Onboarding Offer | $34.99 | per year |
| Standard Annotating Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cloud Access Package | $1.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Annotating Package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Form Filling Package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pro Package | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Package (Update) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Package (New User) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for studies and work
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Great for annotating PDFs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔒 Unreliable cloud sync
- 💰 Paywall for basic features
- 🐛 Buggy updates
- 👎 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing documents and annotations
- Incompatibility with newer devices
- Crashes on launch
- Unreliable file saving

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to edit/delete annotations
- Better integration with cloud storage
- Split-screen viewing for PDFs
- Improved handwriting recognition


### PDF Book Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-book-reader/id1576631236)

Easily read, manage, and annotate PDF books and documents. This app offers a smooth reading experience, powerful annotation tools, and seamless cloud integration. Organize, search, and share your PDFs with ease.

**Highlights:** Natural PDF reading and navigation, PDF bookmarking and annotation, Text search and OCR extraction, PDF merging and page rearrangement, Cloud storage integration (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud), File import and export via cloud and Files app, PDF sharing and printing

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| 1 Year Subscription | $28.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Max free?

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

### Is PDF Book Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Max or PDF Book Reader?

PDF Max is rated higher. PDF Max averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while PDF Book Reader averages 3.9 from 31 ratings.

### Do PDF Max or PDF Book Reader have ads?

PDF Book Reader shows ads; PDF Max does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Max or PDF Book Reader?

PDF Max ships an update monthly, and PDF Book Reader every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Max was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Book Reader on September 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.*