Comparison

PDF Expert vs PDF Scanner & Simple 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

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

Transform paper documents into searchable PDFs using your device's camera. Read, bookmark, and organize your scanned files offline with a simple, intuitive interface. Offers tools for page extraction and merging for efficient document management.

Highlights
  • Document scanning to PDF
  • Simple PDF reader with zoom
  • Continue reading from last page
  • Bookmark important pages
  • Offline PDF access
  • Extract and merge PDF pages
Features
Read full description

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader helps you scan paper documents into PDF, then read, bookmark, and keep them offline on your device. Use your camera to save receipts, handwritten notes, contracts, study papers, manuals, certificates, and everyday documents as PDFs. Open scanned files right away, return to them from recent files, and continue reading without a complicated editor. KEY FEATURES Document Scan to PDF • Scan paper documents with your camera • Save receipts, notes, contracts, and study material as PDF • Create multi-page PDFs from scanned images • Open the scanned PDF immediately after saving Simple PDF Reader • Fast PDF opening for everyday documents • Smooth vertical scrolling and pinch-to-zoom • Page-by-page navigation • Clean reading screen with a floating toolbar Continue Reading & Bookmarks • Keep recently opened PDFs in one place • Continue from the last page you read • Bookmark important pages • Jump back to saved pages quickly Offline & Private • Read PDFs offline • Files are stored locally on your device • Open password-protected PDF files • No account required for basic reading PDF Tools • Extract selected pages into a new PDF • Merge PDF files • Save only the pages you need • Use scan, export, and merge as part of your document workflow PRO BUNDLE Upgrade to Pro for more room to work: • Unlimited document scanning • Unlimited PDF export • Unlimited PDF merge • Clean ad-free reading PERFECT FOR Students • Scan handouts, notes, textbooks, and study papers • Read saved PDFs offline • Bookmark important pages for review Work & Business • Scan contracts, receipts, reports, and forms • Keep documents easy to reopen • Extract or merge pages when needed Everyday Documents • Save receipts, certificates, manuals, and letters • Turn paper documents into PDFs you can read later • Keep a simple local document library WHY SIMPLE READER? • Scan first: turn paper documents into PDF • Read right away: open scanned PDFs instantly • Simple: no complicated menus • Offline: keep files on your device • Accessible: clean reading UI • Flexible: scan, read, bookmark, extract, and merge PDFs Download PDF Scanner & Simple Reader and start turning paper documents into readable PDFs. FEEDBACK & SUPPORT Send us your feedback through the in-app feature. Your input helps us improve the reading and scanning experience. PRIVACY PROTECTION PDF files are stored only on your device. No PDF content is sent to external servers. TERMS & POLICIES • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://general-beaufort-538.notion.site/Pdf-2853c0f6ead280999815c6b541866c07

Screenshots

PDF Expert4 screens
PDF Scanner & Simple Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Expert at 45% against PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's 0%. PDF Expert also leads on chart position (#74 vs unranked). PDF Scanner & Simple Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 PDF Scanner & Simple Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
PDF Expert versus PDF Scanner & Simple Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ExpertPDF Scanner & Simple Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (216K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings216K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#74 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size295 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReaddle Technologies LimitedKunWoo Kwon

Customer experience

PDF Expert

All ratings216,128 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,166 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral7.5%
Negative47.0%

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

PDF Scanner & Simple 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

PDF Scanner & Simple Reader

Subscriptions1
  • remove ads (one month)$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • remove ads (life time)$4.99

Questions

Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scanner & Simple Reader free?
PDF Scanner & Simple Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Expert or PDF Scanner & Simple Reader have ads?
Neither PDF Expert nor PDF Scanner & Simple Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or PDF Scanner & Simple Reader?
PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader weekly. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on October 14, 2026 and PDF Scanner & Simple Reader on October 14, 2026.

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