Comparison

why? vs CharisPDF

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

Head to head
About

why?

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why? We don’t think your phone is the enemy. And we don’t think every minute on your screen is a minute wasted. Sometimes you open Instagram because you need to reply to someone. Sometimes you open YouTube because you want to watch something. Sometimes you just want to do nothing. That’s okay. The problem isn’t using your phone. The problem is using it without choosing to. We unlock. We tap. We scroll. And somewhere along the way, we stop knowing why we started. So we built why? Not to block you. Not to shame you. Not to tell you how many hours of your life you’ve wasted. Just one small question, at the moment it matters: Why? Why are you opening this? What are you looking for? What do you actually want to do? Sometimes, asking the question is enough. Sometimes, you’ll realize you do want to continue. Good. Continue. Sometimes you’ll realize you don’t. Good. Close it. Both are wins. Because the goal isn’t less screen time. The goal isn’t perfect discipline. The goal isn’t becoming someone who never scrolls. The goal is something much simpler: To put you back in the driver’s seat. A phone should be a tool you pick up, not a place you disappear into. So pause. Ask yourself. And choose. Why? FREE & PRO why? is free for two apps. Pro removes the two-app limit. The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial. Monthly and yearly subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase and, for renewals, within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Lifetime is a one-time purchase and does not renew. REQUIREMENTS why? requires Screen Time access, which iOS requests during setup. You can withdraw this permission at any time. Showing all three answers together requires iOS 26.4 or later. On earlier versions, the question still appears with one answer and a way back. Fifteen minutes is the shortest access window Apple’s system allows. PRIVACY No account. No sign-up. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your device. TERMS Privacy Policy: commalabs.co/why/privacy Terms of Use: commalabs.co/why/terms Apple Standard EULA: apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

CharisPDF

Features
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CharisPDF is a free, local PDF editor for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Add your marks to any PDF β€” text, shapes, signatures, highlights β€” without an account, without ads, and without touching the original page content. No sign-up. No subscription. No watermark. Your files never leave your device. WHAT YOU CAN DO β€’ Open, read, search, and print any PDF β€’ Add text, shapes, and signatures β€” move, restyle, resize, or rotate them anytime β€’ Highlight, underline, strike through, and add notes β€’ Organize pages: reorder, rotate, insert, delete, duplicate, extract β€’ Undo and redo, all the way back β€’ Save straight to Files or Finder β€’ Full dark mode support, works completely offline WHY IT'S DIFFERENT Most free PDF tools try to rewrite the original text on the page β€” and often break the layout doing it. CharisPDF doesn't touch the original content. Everything you add sits on top as its own object, so it stays clean, selectable, and reversible. YOUR PRIVACY, BUILT IN The developer has no access to your files. Nothing is uploaded, tracked, or sold. You accept a short privacy statement once, and that's the entire "account" CharisPDF ever asks for. Charis is Greek for grace β€” the idea behind this app: put your mark on the document you have, and leave the rest alone.

Screenshots

why?4 screens
CharisPDF1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CharisPDF at none against why?'s 3. CharisPDF also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. why? sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. CharisPDF asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

why? ships an update every 5 days, CharisPDF every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
why? versus CharisPDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterwhy?CharisPDF
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS18.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size9 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperComma LabsCheng Guan Teo

In-app purchases

3 purchases

why?

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$24.99
None

CharisPDF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is why? free?
why? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CharisPDF free?
CharisPDF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do why? or CharisPDF have ads?
Neither why? nor CharisPDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, why? or CharisPDF?
why? ships an update every 5 days, and CharisPDF every 2 days. Most recently, why? was updated on October 25, 2026 and CharisPDF on October 29, 2026.

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