# Researchist vs AI PDF Reader

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AI PDF Reader at 14.0 against Researchist's 27.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Researchist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year and AI PDF Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Researchist ships an update fortnightly, AI PDF Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Researchist | AI PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Size | 113 MB | 226 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Essayist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537845386) | [Software Tailor (HK) Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776648111) |

## What reviewers say

### Researchist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/researchist-pdf-reader/id6749282472)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Researchist Pro (Yearly) | $39.99 | per year |


### AI PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-pdf-reader-on-device/id6779994987)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Personal - Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Pro Business - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Personal - Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Pro Business - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Researchist free?

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

### Is AI PDF Reader free?

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

### Do Researchist or AI PDF Reader have ads?

Neither Researchist nor AI PDF Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Researchist or AI PDF Reader?

Researchist ships an update fortnightly, and AI PDF Reader every 2 weeks. Most recently, Researchist was updated on October 4, 2026 and AI PDF Reader on September 29, 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.*