Comparison

Area vs PDF Maker & Reader Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Area

Precisely measure distances and areas on a map using your device's GPS. Digitize points, lines, and areas with detailed labeling and export options. Save and share your measurements easily.

Highlights
  • Precisely digitize points, lines, and areas
  • View position, length, and area values
  • Label lines with segment lengths and angles
  • Label areas with size in acres or square meters
  • Measure distances and areas without saving
  • Create points from coordinates or text files
  • Output drawings and coordinates to PDF
Features
Read full description

A popular application of the handheld devices is to make use of the built-in Map to measure distances and areas. You may have been resigned to accepting the rough results for the lines and areas you digitize by using your finger tip or a capacitive stylus. Now, you can experience exciting digitization precision with the “Area - Distance” app. You will be able to do the following using the Area - Distance app on your iPAD, iPhone or iPod touch: * Precisely digitize Points, Lines and Areas over the built-in Map and save them as Features in WGS 84 LLA system. * View position, length or area values for the saved Features. * Label the Lines with segment lengths and directions as well as corner angles. * Label the Areas with size in acres and square feet or hectares and square meters. * Measure distances and areas without saving the shapes. * Move existing nodes to fine-tune the map drawing. * Create Points from entered coordinates. * Create Points from an imported text file. * Create a Point or record a node by picking the GPS location. * Search a location by address or by coordinates. * Save the job data file for later use. * Output the drawing and the coordinates to PDF. * Email the job data files and the PDF files to your colleagues. The Area - Distance app comes with a detailed built-in help document. Please note: Location data depends on the GPS receiver used. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. This app will let you easily toggle the built-in GPS on or off.

About

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

Create and edit PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Add text, photos, maps, and diagrams to new or existing PDFs. Easily share your creations via email or cloud storage.

Highlights
  • Create new PDF documents
  • Edit existing PDFs
  • Add text, photos, and maps
  • Input manually or with keyboard
  • Support for Apple Pencil
  • Share via email and cloud storage
Features
Read full description

PDF Maker & Reader is a simple and powerful tool for reading and creating PDF. It can be displayed PDF documents on iPhone and iPad and you can input either manually or from the keyboard and add photos, maps, lines and diagrams. And you can make a new PDF document. PDF documents that you made can be output to many applications. [Major Functions] - You can read PDF documents from iTunes, iCloud Drive and many applications.(compatible with App Extensions) - You can make a new PDF document. - You can make a PDF document in the following way.  1. You can input either manually or from the keyboard (compatible with Apple Pencil).  2. You can paste up to photos.  3. You can paste maps.  4. By pasting figures and lines, you can display PDF documents graphically. - You can upload PDF documents to iTunes, iCloud Drive, applications compatible with PDF, and you can attach PDF to emails. [Contact us] https://www.studioks.net/en/contact-us/ [Studio K's - Business Applications Maker] https://www.studioks.net/en/

Screenshots

Area4 screens
PDF Maker & Reader Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Area at 100% against PDF Maker & Reader Pro's 40%. Area also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3). PDF Maker & Reader Pro's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 35 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Area costs $9.99 and PDF Maker & Reader Pro $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Area holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Maker & Reader Pro has 12 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Area's written reviews are positive against 40% of PDF Maker & Reader Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Area ships an update every 35 months, PDF Maker & Reader Pro every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Area versus PDF Maker & Reader Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAreaPDF Maker & Reader Pro
Price$9.99$1.99 — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.3 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings112 — better
Update frequencyEvery 35 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.610.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCORVALLIS MICROTECHNOLOGY, INC.NAOAKI SEKIGUCHI

Customer experience

Area

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

None

Area

No in-app purchases

None

PDF Maker & Reader Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Area free?
Area costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Maker & Reader Pro free?
PDF Maker & Reader Pro costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Area or PDF Maker & Reader Pro?
Area is rated higher. Area averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PDF Maker & Reader Pro averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do Area or PDF Maker & Reader Pro have ads?
Neither Area nor PDF Maker & Reader Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Area or PDF Maker & Reader Pro?
Area ships an update every 35 months, and PDF Maker & Reader Pro every 3 weeks. Most recently, Area was updated on October 7, 2026 and PDF Maker & Reader Pro on October 6, 2026.

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