GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer vs Polaris Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
This app offers robust PDF editing and viewing capabilities, alongside comprehensive file management tools. It allows users to annotate PDFs, manage files from various cloud services, and secure sensitive data with advanced encryption. Enjoy a superior reading experience with features like PDF Reflow and split-screen viewing.
- PDF annotation and editing
- Extensive file format support
- Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- AES-256 military-grade encryption
- Split-screen viewing for iPad
- File management and organization
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First released in 2009, GoodReader® is truly a veteran of the App Store. In the modern app business, it's not easy to stay relevant that long. We're proud to say that after 17 years and counting, we've been delivering wonderful updates with extraordinary new features. And we're going to keep doing that! GoodReader is a perfect combination of document-reading and file-managing capabilities. It's your one-stop shop for all your document needs on your iOS device. Use the app once, and you'll be hooked. Soon you'll be wondering how you ever managed to work without it. -= File Reading =- PDF, TXT, MS Office, iWork, HTML, pictures, music & audio-books, videos. This is what you can view in GoodReader, plus you can also annotate PDF files and edit TXT files. -= PDF Reading and Annotating =- PDF files is where GoodReader truly shines. Reading experience is so superior, it's hard to describe. To rephrase one of our customers' review, "try it, and you'll see." While you're at it, give our PDF Reflow feature a try. You'll be surprised how much better PDF reading goes when you don't have to scroll left/right all the time, for every single line of text. Annotating PDFs is another star feature of our app. Adding notes and drawings, highlighting text, and then sharing your annotated files or annotation summaries will be your main productivity and collaboration asset. -= File Management =- While reading files is a big part of GoodReader, it's not all it can do. It can also serve as a central hub for all your files, even those that can't be opened by GoodReader itself. It's like bringing your personal computer experience to your mobile device — easily managing huge collections of files and folders will make you forget you don't have your laptop around. -= Connecting =- Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box.com, WebDAV, SMB, FTP, SFTP — these are all accessible from inside GoodReader. Download, upload, and sync individual files or huge folder collections. -= Security =- With GoodReader, your data security steps up to the level previously only dreamt of. With Pro Pack®, our new set of professional-level super-features, you'll get AES-256, a military-grade encryption, for all your data, at a price of a cup of coffee! And it's completely independent from the built-in Apple's Data Protection, so even if a hacker steals and unlocks your device, your data will still be protected by another strong layer of security, our own. -= Multi-Windows =- Seamlessly view and manage multiple files simultaneously on iPad. -= Notes =- Capture ideas and comments while reading or studying a technical document without even leaving the app. Sort and group your notes into categories. (Note: Some features require a Pro Pack® subscription.)
Polaris Viewer
This app offers a mobile-optimized experience for viewing various document types, including Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and TXT. It provides smart document management features and supports cloud integration for easy access to your files.
- Mobile optimized document viewer
- Supports Microsoft Office, PDF, TXT, Zip, CSV
- Cloud storage integration (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
- Smart document management
- App lock with fingerprint, face, or password
- Night mode and paper texture background options
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Polaris Office, selected by 100 million users across the world, provides mobile optimized document viewer at the requests of numerous users. Using compact and stable Polaris Office Viewer which takes some edit functions out and strengthens view function, quickly and easily manage all the document files such as Microsoft Office, TXT, Zip file, as well as Adobe PDF! ■ Supporting Languages ■ • English, Korean, Japanese, German, Russian, Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese ■ Supported formats ■ • (NEW) Now we support CSV format. • Microsoft Word : DOC, DOCX • Microsoft Excel : XLS, XLSX • Microsoft Powerpoint : PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX • Other documents and files : PDF, TXT, ODT, Zip ■ Main functions ■ Mobile optimized document viewer : Supporting must-have functions to easily view the documents in Mobile. • Landscape mode / Portrait mode / Multi window mode • View per page, View in a row • Able to dim the screen and choose background (Providing Night mode and Paper texture) • Supporting text copy function in document Smart document managing : Supporting the functions for managing various documents more efficiently. • Able to check all the documents in My device storage & other cloud service (Supporting iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, WebDAV, FTP) • Able to manage main documents separately through bookmark settings. • Support various sorting methods. (Name order / Date order / Size order etc) • Support view function per document format. • Able to search document you need through search function. • Able to use App lock function (via fingerprint, face, password) ■ Note ■ • Homepage : Polarisoffice.com • Facebook : facebook.com/polarisoffice • Youtube : youtube.com/user/infrawareinc • Inquiry : support@polarisoffice.com • Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy : www.polarisoffice.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Polaris Viewer at Free against GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's $6.99. Polaris Viewer also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On rating, 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
Polaris Viewer is free to download; GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer costs $6.99 up front. GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Polaris Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer against 4.6 for Polaris Viewer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer has 14K ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's written reviews are positive against 56% of Polaris Viewer's.
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer ships an update weekly, Polaris Viewer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer | Polaris Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) — better | 4.6 (74 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews — better | 56.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 74 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #28 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 177 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Good.iWare, Inc. | Polaris Office Corp. |
Customer experience
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
Polaris Viewer
Bugs and requests
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
Reported bugs
3 issues- Syncing issues with cloud storage providers
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
Requested features
5 requests- Continuous scrolling for better reading experience
- Improved search functionality with advanced filters
- Ability to set custom color schemes and themes
- Enhanced support for ebook formats like EPUB
- Streamlined annotation tools and workflow
Polaris Viewer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
- Pro Pack (monthly)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Pack (annual)7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Auto Sync$59.99
- Pro Pack$89.99
Polaris Viewer
- Remove Ads$10.99
Questions
Is GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer free?
Is Polaris Viewer free?
Which has better reviews, GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or Polaris Viewer?
Do GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or Polaris Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or Polaris Viewer?
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