PDFocus vs Black Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
PDFocus
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Black Reader
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Black Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
| Parameter | PDFocus | Black Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dev First | ZAKARIA ELAROUSSI |
In-app purchases
PDFocus
No in-app purchases
Black Reader
- Black Reader PRO$0.99





