InstaPDF vs PDF Viewer by Nutrient
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
InstaPDF
This app allows you to scan, edit, and securely store your documents. It offers features like automatic cropping, text detection, and the ability to add signatures and annotations. Documents can be synced across devices and shared easily.
- Fast multipage scanning with auto page detection
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
- PDF editing (add/remove pages, merge, stamp, sign)
- Cross-device document syncing
- Folder organization and sharing
- Integrated QR code reader
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Keep your documents safe and secure. Scan, edit and sync documents to all of your devices. Smart renaming suggestions, multiple accounts, text detection and more. Featured by Apple, iMore, Verizon, The App Factor, TechRepublic, Roar News, appPicker and many more. InstaPDF Account required, which can be created In-App. FAST SCANNING WITH AUTOCROP & OCR Multipage scans with auto page detection, which captures just the part you need and performs automatic OCR. PDF EDITOR Add, remove, rotate or re-order pages. Merge documents. Stamp, markup or add signatures. Available exclusively to InstaPDF CloudSafe subscribers. MAC APP Provides an efficient drag & drop and renaming interface to quickly organise and upload multiple documents. SCAN, SIGN AND SEND WITH MARKUP Draw, Highlight, Custom & Predefined Stamp, Add Text, Annotate and Sign Documents. All changes made to the document are synced across devices. FOLDERS Share multiple documents with your anyone using a single URL/link. Documents can be added to existing folders to keep everyone updated. QR CODE READER Integrated QR code reader. Documents from other Users can be imported to your account through QR codes. UNLIMITED CLOUD SYNC Sync that works, no matter how many documents you scan. PRIVACY FOCUSED Encrypt important documents. Set public documents to private with a simple switch. Deleted documents are not recoverable. Follow us @InstaPDF on Twitter for more information. InstaPDF for macOS available at http://instapdf.com/#mac * Privacy Policy: https://instapdf.com/legal#privacy * Terms of Use: https://instapdf.com/legal#tos
PDF Viewer by Nutrient
Easily view, search, and annotate PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Access files from cloud services, fill out forms, add signatures, and organize your documents. Advanced features are available through a subscription.
- View, search, and annotate PDFs
- Cloud service integration
- Fill out forms and add signatures
- Create and edit PDF pages
- Password protection
- Night mode and text-to-speech
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PDF Viewer is a fast and beautiful app, allowing you to view, search, and annotate PDF documents with ease on your iPhone and iPad. Access your files from iCloud, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive or any other cloud solution via Apple's familiar Document Browser interface. +++ Listed as “Productivity lifesaver” on the App Store +++ "A streamlined interface packed with powerful features - it’s like having a desktop-quality PDF toolkit wherever we go" – App Store Editor Notes “I'm impressed by how the folks at PSPDFKit have been able to fine-tune the document browser to the app's needs.” – MacStories.net "If you want a PDF viewer that is designed for reading PDF books, this is it." – App Review VIEW DOCUMENTS ON THE GO • Easily import a PDF from your favorite cloud service provider, email, or directly off a website. • Supports Open In Place, Drag & Drop and features the familiar Apple Document Browser interface from the Files app. • Search for the exact text you are looking for within the document. • Double tap on the screen to Smart Zoom directly to the text you want to read. • Annotate images (JPEG, PNG) non-destructive, just like PDF documents. (PRO) ANNOTATE WITH EASE • While reviewing a document, use your finger or Apple Pencil to highlight and markup text. • Leave comments by adding a note, text, or drawing directly on the PDF. • Add images or audio. • Reply to notes. (PRO) SIGN DOCUMENTS ANYWHERE • Add your signature to any document using your finger or Apple Pencil. • Move and resize your signature as needed. • Flatten a document to ensure the signature doesn’t change. CREATE AND EDIT PDFs • Create new documents from existing documents by moving, rotating, deleting, or adding new pages. • Combine multiple documents into a single one. (PRO) • Add bookmarks to easily return to certain pages in large documents. FILL OUT FORMS • Quickly fill out PDF Forms by adding text to the fields. • Flatten and secure the form once you’re done to ensure the document doesn’t change. • Add a signature to any Form. STORE, ORGANIZE AND SHARE • Store documents, create folders and organize your documents. • Share documents by printing, emailing or saving your edits back any cloud service. PASSWORD PROTECT DOCUMENTS • Read document metadata, title and keywords. • Protect documents with user and owner passwords and limit permissions. (PRO) AND SO MUCH MORE • Conveniently switch to night mode when viewing your documents at night. • Present on external screens without the distraction of toolbars. (PRO) • Have the text from a PDF read out loud to you with text-to-speech. • PDF Viewer remembers where you were down to the page/position where you left off - even across devices. PRICING PDF Viewer comes with a large feature set, completely free. Some advanced features require the purchase of PDF Viewer Pro, available as a subscription. We offer 3-monthly and yearly subscription plans. There’s also a fully functional 7-day trial, so you can test PDF Viewer Pro (including document merging and password editing) before you commit. All plans unlock the app on iPhone and iPad. TRUSTED BY COMPANIES YOU KNOW PDF Viewer is built on top of and powered by PSPDFKit, the same PDF engine trusted around the world by companies like Dropbox, Box, IBM, Atlassian, SAP, and Lufthansa. BE PART OF THE PDF VIEWER COMMUNITY pdfviewer.io twitter.com/pdfviewerapp LEGAL Duration and price of each subscription are displayed in PDF Viewers’ storefront, updated at the time of purchase. Payment will be charged to iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off no later than 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal can be managed/turned off in the iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited as soon as a subscription is purchased. Terms of Use: https://pdfviewer.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://pdfviewer.io/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: InstaPDF at 4.9 against PDF Viewer by Nutrient's 4.6. InstaPDF also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 73%) and iOS requirement (14 vs 17.0). PDF Viewer by Nutrient's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 1.1K). On price, update cadence, ads 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. InstaPDF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and PDF Viewer by Nutrient sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
InstaPDF holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Viewer by Nutrient has 9.1K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of InstaPDF's written reviews are positive against 73% of PDF Viewer by Nutrient's.
InstaPDF ships an update fortnightly, PDF Viewer by Nutrient monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | InstaPDF | PDF Viewer by Nutrient |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.1K ratings) — better | 4.6 (9.1K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.1% of reviews — better | 73.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | 9.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 14 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Proconsult.at GmbH | PSPDFKit GmbH |
Customer experience
InstaPDF
PDF Viewer by Nutrient
User reviews
InstaPDF
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient workflow
- 🔒 Secure storage
- 💡 Helpful features (filters, stamps, etc.)
- 🚀 Quick scanning and sharing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or issues
- 🔧 Cropping/editing could be improved
- 💻 Compatibility issues with some devices
- 🔑 Password recovery/reset needs improvement
PDF Viewer by Nutrient
From 9.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless integration with iCloud and Files app
- 👍 Intuitive annotation tools with Apple Pencil
- 🎨 Versatile highlighting and drawing options
- 💾 Saves annotations to original PDF files
- 🔍 Powerful search and navigation features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
- 🤔 Confusing UI and steep learning curve
- 🔀 Difficulty managing and organizing PDF files
- 🔍 Inconsistent text selection and highlighting
- 🔒 Privacy concerns around data collection
Bugs and requests
InstaPDF
Reported bugs
3 issues- Sign-in with Apple not working for some users
- Cropping/alignment issues in certain lighting conditions
- Disappearing folders reported by some users
Requested features
4 requests- Import function for PDFs from other apps
- Password protection/encryption for sensitive documents
- Advanced editing tools (annotations, redaction, etc.)
- Integration with cloud storage services (iCloud, Google Drive, etc.)
PDF Viewer by Nutrient
Reported bugs
4 issues- Annotations randomly disappearing or not saving
- Incompatibility issues with certain PDF files
- Scrolling and panning problems on large PDFs
- Unexpected crashes after iOS updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add a rubber/eraser tool for annotations
- Implement a side-by-side PDF view mode
- Improve palm rejection and gesture support
- Allow customization of toolbar and shortcuts
- Provide better options for PDF file management
In-app purchases
InstaPDF
- CloudSafe Monthly$2.991 Month
- CloudSafe Yearly$27.991 Year
PDF Viewer by Nutrient
- PDF Viewer Pro 3 Months7 Days trial$6.993 Months
- PDF Viewer Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Questions
Is InstaPDF free?
Is PDF Viewer by Nutrient free?
Which has better reviews, InstaPDF or PDF Viewer by Nutrient?
Do InstaPDF or PDF Viewer by Nutrient have ads?
Which is updated more often, InstaPDF or PDF Viewer by Nutrient?
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