Papyrus vs PDF Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Papyrus
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Is your current note app slow? Meet a truly lightweight note app. - It's free ā with no stingy limit on the number of notes. - Trimmed of every bit of bloat, yet complete with the features you actually need. - Open as many notes as you like with no slowdown, and PDFs load blazingly fast. - Import and edit notes from another popular note app. - Import by the folder ā the hierarchy is preserved. [GoodNotes Import] Import .goodnotes files. Strokes, images, shapes, and masks are reproduced almost perfectly. [Handwriting] A custom vector drawing engine delivers extremely lightweight, high-precision ink. Five tools are built in: Pen, Highlighter, Eraser, Lasso, and Mask. Anything selected with the Lasso can be copied, moved, deleted, or duplicated. Mask is a study aid ā cover what you want to memorize with the pen, then tap to peek underneath. Straight-line snapping and shape recognition (rectangles, circles, lines, and more) are also supported. [PDF Import & Annotation] Import a PDF and write directly on its pages. Switch between four page layouts: continuous scroll, single page, horizontal, and two-page spread. [File Organization] Organize your notes with a Finder-like file browser, creating folders freely. Switch between list and grid views, and move files and folders by drag and drop. A Trash lets you restore notes you deleted by mistake. [Tabs & Split View (iPad)] Open multiple notes at once in tabs. On iPad, split the screen to view and edit two notes side by side (Split View). [Page Sidebar] Swipe in from the left edge to reveal page thumbnails. Press and hold a thumbnail to reorder pages, and select multiple pages to delete, copy, and paste. [Images] Paste images from Photos, Files, or the clipboard. [Export] Export notes and PDFs as a "PDF for submission/printing," a "fast annotation PDF" (PDF annotations only), or a "Papyrus Archive" (.papyrus). [Apple Pencil] - iPad: draw with Apple Pencil only; pan and zoom with your finger. - iPhone: draw with your finger while the compact ink palette is open; otherwise pan and zoom. - With Apple Pencil Pro, use the squeeze gesture to bring up the hover palette. About Papyrus Sync (Subscription) iCloud sync and sharing are available through the "Papyrus Sync" subscription (monthly or yearly, auto-renewing). All core features ā note-taking, PDF annotation, and more ā are completely free. - Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. - The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage your subscription or turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. - Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. Terms of Use (EULA): https://coremedica.jp/pages/legal/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://coremedica.jp/pages/legal/privacy-policy
PDF Viewer
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PDF Viewer opens your documents instantly and gives you real tools to work with them ā highlight, draw, sign, fill in forms, reorganize pages, and listen to any page read aloud. No account. No sign-up. No waiting. FAST, LIGHTWEIGHT READING ⢠Opens straight from Files, Mail, or the share sheet ⢠Smooth continuous scrolling, even in long documents ⢠Vertical or horizontal reading modes ⢠Adjustable page tint and light/dark themes for comfortable reading ⢠Search inside any document ⢠Outline, thumbnails, and bookmarks for fast navigation A COMPLETE ANNOTATION TOOLBAR ⢠Highlight text in any color ⢠Draw freehand with the pen tool ⢠Add text notes anywhere on the page ⢠Draw shapes ā rectangles, circles, arrows, lines ⢠Erase and undo/redo every change ⢠Annotations are saved automatically as you work SIGN AND FILL ⢠Draw your signature once and place it on any page ⢠Fill in PDF form fields directly ⢠Reuse saved signatures across documents PAGE TOOLS ⢠Reorganize, reorder, and rotate pages ⢠Extract a page range into a new document ⢠Merge several PDFs into one ⢠Print any document LISTEN TO YOUR DOCUMENTS ⢠Read-aloud narrates any page out loud ⢠Great for proofreading, studying, or reading hands-free EXPORT AND SHARE ⢠Flatten annotations permanently into the PDF ⢠Save a copy or share annotations on their own ⢠Exports are true vector burn-in ā your markup stays sharp at any zoom PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your documents never leave your device. There is no account to create, nothing to upload, and no tracking. Files you open stay in your own storage. BUILT FOR Students marking up textbooks and papers, professionals reviewing contracts and proposals, engineers reading plans and drawings, and anyone who just wants a PDF to open quickly and work properly. Questions or feedback? We read every message.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Viewer at none against Papyrus's 2. PDF Viewer also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Papyrus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PDF Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Papyrus | PDF Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | ā |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.4 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | waraku kobayashi | Mohamed Nagy |
In-app purchases
Papyrus
- Papyrus Sync Monthly$0.991 Month
- Papyrus Sync Yearly$9.991 Year
PDF Viewer
No in-app purchases









