# pdf vs Highlights

The clearest difference is rating: Highlights at 4.5 against pdf's 4.0. Highlights also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 17). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. pdf sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Highlights holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highlights has 1.6K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of pdf's written reviews are positive against 53% of Highlights's.

pdf ships an update every 5 weeks, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | pdf | Highlights |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-for-iphone/id694946243/reviews) | **[4.5 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 17 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 48.6% of reviews | **53.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 109 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMuseTec Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/342152781) | [Jonas Myren Ribe](https://appshunter.io/developer/794854096) |

## What reviewers say

### pdf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-for-iphone/id694946243)

This app allows you to read and annotate PDF files on your iPhone with fast page turning and convenient finger-writing tools. Easily import PDFs and share your notes via email or cloud services.

**Highlights:** Fast PDF display and page turning, Finger-writing and annotation tools, Import PDFs via Dropbox, Email, iTunes, Categorized bookshelves with search, Export annotated PDFs, Password-protected bookshelves

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2-Month Pass | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1-Year Path | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime License | $4.99 | one-time |


### Highlights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833)

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

**Highlights:** Read and browse PDF documents, Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text, Add comments and sticky notes, Extract annotations into organized notes, Convert table data and recognize text, Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex), Lookup citation metadata and DOI links

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Highlights Pro: Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Highlights Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for highlighting and annotating PDFs
- 🔍 Effective for research and note-taking
- 📚 Useful for academic and professional work
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🔗 Good integration with other apps and cloud storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🔒 Lack of customization options
- 🔧 Poor customer support and unresponsive developers

**Reported bugs**

- Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
- Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
- Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
- Syncing issues across devices
- Export functionality not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
- Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
- Allow editing of notes directly in the app
- Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is pdf free?

pdf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Highlights free?

Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, pdf or Highlights?

Highlights is rated higher. pdf averages 4.0 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do pdf or Highlights have ads?

pdf shows ads; Highlights does not.

### Which is updated more often, pdf or Highlights?

pdf ships an update every 5 weeks, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, pdf was updated on September 26, 2026 and Highlights on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*