Comparison

PDF Expert vs Read+ PDF Reader

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

Head to head
About

PDF Expert

This app allows you to edit, annotate, fill out forms, and convert PDF documents. It offers AI-powered summarization and analysis, along with tools to merge, sign, and protect your files. Work seamlessly across Apple devices with a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF text and images
  • Annotate and highlight PDFs
  • Fill out PDF forms
  • Convert files to and from PDF
  • AI-powered summarization and analysis
  • Merge and combine PDF files
  • Sign documents with e-signatures
Features
Read full description

PDF Expert is a fast and easy PDF app to read, annotate, fill and sign PDF forms, convert files to PDF, and merge, split or compress documents – all in one intuitive app for iPhone, iPad, Mac & Vision Pro. Read PDF files with comfort, highlight and mark up text, fill out forms, sign contracts, create and convert PDFs, and summarize long documents in seconds with AI-powered tools. Unlock unlimited possibilities with PDF Expert Premium and work across all your Apple devices. "PDF Expert is one of my must-have iPad apps and a desktop-class PDF reader." – MacStories "The best app for managing, editing, and reading PDFs on your iPad." – The Sweet Setup ▶ WITH PDF EXPERT, YOU CAN: READ PDFs - PDF reader with Day, Night, and Sepia modes for comfortable reading anytime - Scroll PDFs vertically or horizontally and search text in any document - Open and view PDF files from email, web, Files, or any app via the Share menu - Read PDFs out loud with Text to Speech ANNOTATE AND MARK UP PDFs - Highlight, underline, and strike through text in your PDFs - Mark up documents with pen, shapes, text, notes, and comments - Add stamps such as Approved or Confidential - Record your voice and add audio notes to PDFs FILL AND SIGN PDF FORMS - Fill out PDF forms with text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons - Sign PDF documents in seconds – draw your signature or add it from an image - Save your signature to sign contracts, agreements, invoices, and applications faster - Fill, sign, and send forms right from your iPhone – no printing or scanning needed - Supports all major form formats, including AcroForms and static XFA forms ***PREMIUM FEATURES*** EDIT PDFs - Edit text directly in a PDF – just as you would in a Word document - Add, replace, and resize images in your PDFs - Add links to other pages or websites - Add outlines to navigate large PDFs CREATE AND CONVERT PDFs - Create PDFs from Word files, images, and other documents - Convert Word to PDF, JPG to PDF, and PNG to PDF in seconds - Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, and TXT MERGE, SPLIT AND ORGANIZE PDFs - Merge and combine multiple PDF files into one - Split PDFs and extract pages into a new file - Add, delete, rotate, and reorder pages with thumbnail preview COMPRESS PDFs - Compress PDFs to reduce file size for email and sharing - Shrink large PDF files to save space on your device SUMMARIZE PDFs WITH AI – PDF COPILOT - List Main Points – get key takeaways from any PDF - Summarize – get concise summaries of entire PDFs or annotations - Ask Anything – find details with AI answers and references - Explain – get instant explanations of words or phrases PROTECT YOUR FILES - Password-protect PDF Expert - Redact – permanently black out sensitive information WORK WITH SCANNED DOCUMENTS - Open scanned PDFs to fill out, sign, annotate, and share CONSTRUCTION TOOLS - Scale and measure drawings with the Measure tab - Polygon, polyline, and redline tools MORE FEATURES - Customizable toolbar - Presentation Mode - Print and share PDFs via email or cloud ONE ACCOUNT FOR ALL YOUR APPLE DEVICES One Premium subscription covers PDF Expert on iPhone, iPad, and Mac – no need to buy versions separately. Read more about our terms and conditions here: https://pdfexpert.com/privacy https://pdfexpert.com/terms Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at http://readdle.com/contact

About

Read+ PDF Reader

This application allows users to read, manage, and annotate PDF files on their iOS devices. It offers features like text search, OCR extraction, file merging, and integration with cloud storage services. Users can also share and print their documents.

Highlights
  • Read PDF books naturally
  • Bookmark and annotate PDFs
  • Search text within files
  • Extract text with OCR
  • Merge and rearrange PDF pages
  • Cloud storage integration
  • Share and print PDFs
Features
Read full description

Read PDF files naturally by iRead PDF Reader. iRead PDF Reader is the best app to read, manage and annotate PDF files and it works beautifully on iOS 14. The most powerful PDF reader, carefully designed and optimized specially for the iPhone & iPad. [ KEY FEATURES ] • Naturally read PDF books • Bookmark PDF e-Books • Annotate PDF e-Books • Search texts in entire PDF files • Extract texts by using OCR • Merge PDF files • Rearrange PDF pages by drag & drop • Connect with Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, Photos • Import files from Files, Photos, Google Drive, Dropbox • Automatically and securely save PDF files in Files app • Share PDF files via email, text (sms), cloud solutions • Print PDF files [ Upgrade to subscription version ] Upgrading to subscription version requires auto-renewal subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled 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 and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Links to Your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.btoj.com.au/privacy.html http://www.btoj.com.au/terms.html Please feel free to contact us for anything.

Screenshots

PDF Expert4 screens
Read+ PDF Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Expert at none against Read+ PDF Reader's shown. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (216K vs 7) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Read+ PDF Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (67% vs 46%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Read+ PDF Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 67% of Read+ PDF Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, Read+ PDF Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
PDF Expert versus Read+ PDF Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ExpertRead+ PDF Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (216K ratings) — better4.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews46.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings216K — better7
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#73 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size307 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReaddle Technologies LimitedB TO J PTY LTD

Customer experience

PDF Expert

All ratings215,975 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,136 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative46.6%

Read+ PDF Reader

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

PDF Expert

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Corrupted PDFs after editing
  • Sync issues with cloud storage providers
  • Unexpected loss of annotations and edits
  • Unreliable performance on older iPad models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved palm rejection for Apple Pencil
  • Customizable toolbar and annotation presets
  • Better integration with other productivity apps
  • More flexible file management and organization
  • Ability to create fillable PDF forms

Read+ PDF Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PDF Expert

Subscriptions9
  • PDF Expert Premium Trial7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert Premium No Trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert for Education7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • PDF Expert Premium7 Days trial3 variants$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium New7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium Existing7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert – Premium Editing1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS Pro7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS7 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Expert Basic$9.99
2 purchases

Read+ PDF Reader

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Month Subscription$3.491 Month
  • 1 Year Subscription$28.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read+ PDF Reader free?
Read+ PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or Read+ PDF Reader?
PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 216K ratings, while Read+ PDF Reader averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.
Do PDF Expert or Read+ PDF Reader have ads?
Read+ PDF Reader shows ads; PDF Expert does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or Read+ PDF Reader?
PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and Read+ PDF Reader every 3 days. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 25, 2026 and Read+ PDF Reader on August 31, 2026.

Other comparisons