Comparison

PDFocus vs Black Reader

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

Head to head
About

PDFocus

Features
Read full description

PDFocus β€” Your Smart PDF Reading Companion Transform how you read PDFs with PDFocus, the reader designed for maximum focus and effortless reading. SMART AUTO-SCROLL Free your hands! Set the scroll speed and distance to match your reading pace. Perfect for reading while cooking, exercising, or simply for added comfort. BUILT-IN READING TIMER Track your reading time precisely. Link it to auto-scroll for a seamless experience: the timer starts and stops with the scrolling. DISTRACTION-FREE FOCUS MODE Immerse yourself in your documents. Focus mode removes all distractions so you can concentrate solely on your reading. COLOR-CODED BOOKMARKS Organize your documents with customizable bookmarks. Add notes to instantly find important passages. DETAILED STATISTICS Visualize your reading habits: total time, pages read, number of sessions. Set goals and track your progress. READING REMINDERS Never lose track. Set daily or weekly notifications to maintain your reading routine. AUTOMATIC RESUME PDFocus automatically saves your position in every document. Pick up exactly where you left off. COMPLETE PRIVACY Your documents stay yours. PDFocus works 100% offline. No data collected, no account required. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Download PDFocus for free and rediscover the joy of reading.

About

Black Reader

Features
Read full description

Black Reader is a focused PDF reader for iPhone and iPad. Open PDFs from Files, iCloud Drive, AirDrop, or other apps, then read comfortably with pinch-to-zoom and your choice of dark, light, or sepia reading modes. Keep your place automatically with per-document reading progress. Bookmark important pages, add notes to a page or an entire book, and capture page snippets with notes for later reference. Black Reader includes: β€’ PDF reading with pinch-to-zoom β€’ Dark, light, and sepia reading modes β€’ Brightness control while reading β€’ Automatic last-page memory β€’ Bookmarks and favorites β€’ Page and whole-book notes β€’ Searchable recent PDFs and notes β€’ Saved PDF snippets with notes β€’ File sharing and document removal β€’ No account required Black Reader contains advertising. A one-time in-app purchase is available to remove ads permanently.

Screenshots

PDFocus4 screens
Black Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDFocus at none against Black Reader's 1. Black Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Black Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFocus ships an update every 3 weeks, Black Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
PDFocus versus Black Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFocusBlack Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS18.615.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size3 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDev FirstZAKARIA ELAROUSSI

In-app purchases

None

PDFocus

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Black Reader

One-time1
  • Black Reader PRO$0.99

Questions

Is PDFocus free?
PDFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Black Reader free?
Black Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDFocus or Black Reader have ads?
Neither PDFocus nor Black Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDFocus or Black Reader?
PDFocus ships an update every 3 weeks, and Black Reader every 3 days. Most recently, PDFocus was updated on October 2, 2026 and Black Reader on October 8, 2026.

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