# PDF Max vs PDF Notes S

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Max at none against PDF Notes S's shown. PDF Max also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 5) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). PDF Notes S's advantage is review sentiment (53% vs 35%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Notes S sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Max has 1.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of PDF Max's written reviews are positive against 53% of PDF Notes S'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 Notes S every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Max | PDF Notes S |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-max-edit-sign-pdfs/id540572073/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-s/id961336139/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 35.4% of reviews | **52.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 266 MB | 22 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) | [AMuseTec Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/342152781) |

## 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 Notes S

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-s/id961336139)

This app offers a dual-page PDF viewer with smooth scrolling and fast page turns. It also provides document management, quick previews of various file types, and annotation tools. An upgrade removes ads and unlocks full functionality.

**Highlights:** Dual-page PDF viewer, Horizontal/vertical scroll and page turns, Document browser for file organization, Quick Look for various file types, ZIP file preview without unzipping, 8 handwriting tools, Cache manager for fast page turns

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Max free?

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

### Is PDF Notes S free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Max or PDF Notes S?

PDF Max is rated higher. PDF Max averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while PDF Notes S averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do PDF Max or PDF Notes S have ads?

PDF Notes S shows ads; PDF Max does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Max or PDF Notes S?

PDF Max ships an update monthly, and PDF Notes S every 6 weeks. Most recently, PDF Max was updated on October 20, 2026 and PDF Notes S on October 7, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*