Timber vs PDF Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Timber
Transform any text into spoken word with this versatile reader. Listen to articles, books, PDFs, or even printed pages. Offers a wide selection of voices and languages, with a focus on privacy and user experience.
- Text-to-speech conversion
- Reads articles, books, PDFs, and printed pages
- Supports 71 languages and 324 voices
- On-device processing for privacy
- Customizable reading experience
- Personal voice recording
- Export audio
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Timber turns readers into listeners. Anything you want to read, you can listen to instead. Paste a link, drop in a PDF, open a book, or snap a photo of a printed page. Timber pulls out the real text, cleanly, and reads it aloud in a voice you pick. There is a companion desktop app that moves your open browser tabs into your ears. Ever asked your phone to read a page aloud and had it stop halfway, or skip the part that mattered? That is not you missing a setting. Most reader tools are not built to get the whole article. Timber pulls the full text out first, before it ever starts speaking. What you paste is what you hear, start to finish. It was built by a teacher, after watching students struggle to read, who could not find one app that read well, respected privacy, and did not hold the basics hostage. WHAT TIMBER PROMISES • No account. No sign-up. Open it and read. • The core reader is free, and stays free. • What you read is nobody's business. Articles, books and clipboard text are processed on your device. What you read is never shared, sold, or used for ads. VOICES, PROPERLY • 300+ voices across 71 languages, free, spoken entirely on your device. • Every Apple voice on your device works, free, including Enhanced and Premium. • Every voice library includes a free male and female voice in your language. No teaser locked behind a trial. • Record a reference of your own voice and Timber can read in it. Created on device, never uploaded. A READER THAT FEELS LIKE PAPER • Warm parchment design. An open book under a reading lamp, not a tech product. • Every word lights up as it is spoken, and keeps pace whether you slow it right down or push it fast. • Tune the size, the face and the line spacing until it is comfortable. 30 palettes built in, plus a full dyslexia mode. BRING ANYTHING • Paste a link and Timber extracts the article. No ads, no popups, just the text. • Share from Safari or any browser. Import PDFs, EPUB, Word and PowerPoint. Follow RSS feeds. • Point your camera at a printed page and Timber reads it back to you. • Scanned chapters carry junk on every page. Timber spots a line that repeats and silences it across the whole document in one tap. • Browse 70,000+ free public-domain books from Project Gutenberg. • Translate an article on device, or get a quick summary on device. No cloud, no AI account. • Export any article as spoken audio to take with you. • Optional iCloud sync keeps your library on all your devices. FOR CLASSROOMS AND STUDY • Mark passages while you listen, then hand out what you marked as a worksheet. • MLA and APA citations built in. • A chapter becomes a lesson in the time it takes to listen to it. TIMBER PRO (optional, subscribe or pay once) The free reader is complete. Pro unlocks the full neural voice catalog beyond each library's free pair, the whole speed range, every palette, and ongoing personal-voice listening after the free 24-hour trial. Monthly, yearly, or lifetime. The trial simply lapses. It never auto-charges. Privacy Policy: https://timberreader.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Timber was made for the kid in the back row who hears a story better than they can read it, and for everyone whose eyes are tired, busy, or somewhere else. If that is you, welcome.
PDF Reader
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PDF Reader: Smart Book Library is a clean, focused PDF reading app designed to help you organize documents, books, and study materials in one personal library. Whether you read for school, work, or leisure, this app makes it simple to import PDFs, continue from where you left off, download files for offline access, and save important pages for later. Build Your Own Smart Book Library Stop searching through folders every time you need a file. Add PDFs from your device or paste a direct PDF link, give each book an optional title, and keep everything in a clear library view. Your collection stays organized, easy to browse, and ready whenever you want to read. Import PDFs Your Way • Upload PDF files directly from your device • Add books using a secure HTTP or HTTPS PDF link • Save each title to your personal library in seconds • Reopen any book later without hunting for the original file Read With Comfort and Focus Enjoy smooth page-by-page reading powered by a dedicated PDF viewer. Track your place automatically and return to the exact page you left. Need fewer distractions? Switch to fullscreen mode and keep your attention on the content. • Fast and clear page viewing • Continue reading from your last page • Fullscreen mode for distraction-free reading • Simple page progress so you always know where you are Download Once, Read Anywhere Traveling, studying offline, or dealing with unstable internet? Download books to your device and keep reading without a connection. Local files stay available in your library until you decide to remove them. • Download PDFs for offline reading • Open downloaded books instantly from your library • Continue progress whether you are online or offline • Delete books permanently when you no longer need them Save Pages That Matter Found a key chart, quote, formula, or reference page? Save it with a page preview and reopen it later from your Saved section. Ideal for study notes, research highlights, meeting documents, and long reports. • Bookmark important pages with image previews • Browse all saved pages in one place • Jump back to a saved page whenever you need it • Remove saved pages easily when they are no longer useful Designed for Everyday Reading PDF Reader: Smart Book Library focuses on the essentials: a personal library, reliable reading, offline access, and page bookmarks. The interface is modern, lightweight, and easy to understand from the first open. • Clean library cards with reading progress • Quick access to saved pages and settings • Multi-language support: English, Turkish, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French • Practical tools for students, professionals, and casual readers Perfect For • Students managing textbooks, lecture notes, and assignments • Professionals reading reports, contracts, manuals, and proposals • Researchers collecting papers and reference PDFs • Anyone who wants a simple personal ebook-style PDF library Why Choose PDF Reader: Smart Book Library Most PDF apps only open a file and leave you there. This app helps you build a reusable reading workflow: collect your PDFs, keep progress across sessions, download for offline use, and save the pages you may need again. It is built for real reading habits, not just one-time file opening. Start in Minutes 1. Open the app and go to your library 2. Add a PDF from your device or with a link 3. Start reading and continue later from the same page 4. Download books for offline access when needed 5. Save important pages to revisit anytime If you are looking for a PDF reader that also works as a smart book library, this app is made for you. Import your documents, organize them clearly, read comfortably, stay productive offline, and keep your most useful pages one tap away. Download PDF Reader: Smart Book Library and turn scattered PDF files into a personal reading collection you can use every day.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against Timber's 3. PDF Reader also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Timber sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Timber | PDF Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 252 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Truth in the Machine LLC | Musa Adıtepe |
In-app purchases
Timber
- Timber Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
- Timber Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
- Timber Pro Lifetime$99.99
PDF Reader
No in-app purchases









