# Whisper Notes vs PDF Viewer

The clearest difference is price: PDF Viewer at Free against Whisper Notes's $7.99. PDF Viewer also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Whisper Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

PDF Viewer is free to download; Whisper Notes costs $7.99 up front. PDF Viewer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whisper Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Whisper Notes against 4.8 for PDF Viewer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 618 and 235 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Whisper Notes's written reviews are positive against 89% of PDF Viewer's.

Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, PDF Viewer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Whisper Notes | PDF Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (618 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whisper-notes-speech-to-text/id6447090616/reviews) | **[4.8 (235 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-viewer-reader-and-editor/id6720703022/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **618** | 235 |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | **89.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 508 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SmashMelon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895995887) | [Andrew Lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1206652057) |

## What reviewers say

### Whisper Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whisper-notes-speech-to-text/id6447090616)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Productivity, #169 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app provides accurate, on-device transcription of audio and video files in over 100 languages. It offers a secure, offline experience with no subscriptions or cloud uploads. Easily record or import files and export transcripts with timestamps.

**Highlights:** 100% offline transcription, Record voice or import audio/video, Supports 100+ languages, Export transcripts with timestamps, Lock screen widget for quick capture, Secure, on-device data storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and accurate transcription
- 🔒 Offline, private processing
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🚀 Impressive speech recognition accuracy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes or freezes with longer recordings
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on older devices
- 🐛 Transcription errors or missing punctuation
- 🐛 Inability to edit transcribed text
- 🐛 Lack of batch export/import functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings disappearing after transcription
- Transcription process getting stuck at 1%
- Crashes on certain iOS/iPadOS versions
- Inability to import audio files consistently

**Requested features**

- Add support for speaker diarization
- Implement real-time transcription mode
- Allow customization of hotkey/shortcut
- Improve integration with Apple Shortcuts
- Provide option to choose transcription model size


### PDF Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-viewer-reader-and-editor/id6720703022)

Easily convert various file formats to PDF and back again. This app supports conversions from images, documents, and presentations, allowing you to manage and share your files efficiently. It also offers OCR capabilities to convert photos into editable text.

**Highlights:** Convert JPG, Word, Excel, PPT to PDF, Convert PDF to other formats, Share and save converted files, Access conversion history, Pull files from iCloud or gallery, Convert Photos to Text (OCR)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Converter: Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter: Premium | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy and intuitive to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient conversion
- 💰 Free or affordable pricing
- 📄 Excellent PDF conversion and merging capabilities
- 🎨 Clean and simple interface design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Forced review prompt before app usage
- ❌ Missing file deletion option
- 📸 No in-app camera scanning capability
- ⚙️ No file size customization options
- 🔄 Inconsistent performance across devices

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't function on iPad mini (current model)
- Forced review requirement blocks app access
- Document quality issues when converting images to PDF
- Occasional glitches during operation

**Requested features**

- Add file deletion functionality
- Implement in-app camera scanning feature
- Add page merge and delete options
- Include file size/quality customization
- Support for more device types (iPad compatibility)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Whisper Notes free?

Whisper Notes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PDF Viewer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Whisper Notes or PDF Viewer?

PDF Viewer is rated higher. Whisper Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 618 ratings, while PDF Viewer averages 4.8 from 235 ratings.

### Do Whisper Notes or PDF Viewer have ads?

Neither Whisper Notes nor PDF Viewer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or PDF Viewer?

Whisper Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and PDF Viewer every 3 months. Most recently, Whisper Notes was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Viewer on September 8, 2026.

---

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