# QR Reader vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is rating: QR Reader at 4.7 against PDF Reader's 4.3. QR Reader also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (3.9K vs 162) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

QR Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 162, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of QR Reader's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

QR Reader ships an update every 6 months, PDF Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | QR Reader | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (162 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-reader/id725437436/reviews)** | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 162 | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **76.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 34 MB | 173 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iFahja](https://appshunter.io/developer/485682949) | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) |

## What reviewers say

### QR Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-reader/id725437436)

Easily scan QR codes and barcodes with your device's camera. Generate custom QR codes for various information types like URLs, contacts, and text. Features real-time scanning, a built-in web browser, and a history log of all your scans.

**Highlights:** Real-time QR code scanning, QR code generation, Integrated web browser, Scan history logs, Flashlight scanning

**In-app purchases:** none


### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

**Highlights:** Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading, Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting), Handwritten signature insertion, File management (move, merge, copy, delete), Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud), Create blank PDFs and folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
- 👍 Great value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes appearing randomly
- Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
- Scrolling issues and page loading delays
- Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
- Support for multiple open documents
- Improved Apple Pencil integration
- Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
- Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is QR Reader free?

QR Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, QR Reader or PDF Reader?

QR Reader is rated higher. QR Reader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.3 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do QR Reader or PDF Reader have ads?

Neither QR Reader nor PDF Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, QR Reader or PDF Reader?

QR Reader ships an update every 6 months, and PDF Reader every 2 months. Most recently, QR Reader was updated on November 1, 2026 and PDF Reader on November 5, 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.*