# PDF Export vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against PDF Export's 12. PDF Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (77% vs 47%). PDF Export's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Export sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Export holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.7K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of PDF Export's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Export ships an update fortnightly, PDF Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Export | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-export-editor-and-converter/id633275113/reviews)** | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 46.5% of reviews | **76.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 217 MB | 173 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LiveBird Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/551521372) | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Export

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-export-editor-and-converter/id633275113)

This app provides comprehensive tools for creating, editing, converting, and organizing PDF files on your mobile device. It offers features like scanning documents, merging files, adding watermarks, and even transcribing audio to text, all without requiring an internet connection.

**Highlights:** Convert Word, Excel, JPG to PDF, Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, Edit PDF text and images, Annotate and sign documents, Merge and split PDFs, Scan documents with OCR, Compress and secure PDFs

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Fax Credit | $0.99 | one-time |
| Convert 5 Documents Online | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Fax Credit | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Pro Plus | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Pro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Convert 30 Documents Online | $4.99 | one-time |
| 10 Fax Credit | $5.99 | one-time |
| 20 Fax Credit | $9.99 | one-time |
| Convert 70 Documents Online | $9.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Full Access | $12.99 | one-time |
| 50 Fax Credit | $19.99 | one-time |
| Convert 150 Documents Online | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent PDF conversion capabilities
- 🚀 Fast and efficient performance
- 💡 Comprehensive set of PDF tools
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 👍 Helpful for personal and professional use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 💰 Paid features required for basic functionality
- 🔒 Confusing in-app purchase and upgrade process
- 🔍 Poor discoverability of features
- 🗂️ Lack of cloud sync and cross-device support

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain PDF files
- Formatting issues when converting documents to PDF
- Inability to restore previous purchases

**Requested features**

- Improved PDF splitting and merging capabilities
- Annotation and editing tools for PDFs
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- Clearer pricing and feature structure
- Enhanced user interface and navigation


### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

**Highlights:** Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading, Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting), Handwritten signature insertion, File management (move, merge, copy, delete), Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud), Create blank PDFs and folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
- 👍 Great value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes appearing randomly
- Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
- Scrolling issues and page loading delays
- Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
- Support for multiple open documents
- Improved Apple Pencil integration
- Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
- Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Export free?

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

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Export or PDF Reader?

PDF Export is rated higher. PDF Export averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.3 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do PDF Export or PDF Reader have ads?

PDF Export shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Export or PDF Reader?

PDF Export ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Reader every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Export was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader on September 23, 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.*