GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer vs References
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.)
References
Browse and interact with your BibTeX libraries on your mobile device. View references, follow links, and access file attachments like PDFs. Supports both classic BibTeX and BibLaTeX formats.
- Browse BibTeX libraries
- Search references
- Follow links (DOIs, URLs)
- View file attachments (PDFs)
- Supports BibLaTeX
- Group by keywords
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Carry your BibTeX libraries with you on your iPad and iPhone! A BibTeX library is a collection of bibliographic references (papers, books, reports, etc.), designed to work with the LaTeX typesetting system. Each library is stored in a specially-formatted text file (typically ending in .bib), which you can create with your favourite text editor. The References app gives you an easy way to browse through and interact with your BibTeX libraries. You can scroll, search, follow links, and view file attachments. In particular: - The app creates links from DOIs, MathSciNet references, ACM IDs, and of course URLs. - The app understands elementary LaTeX, so if your titles and/or abstracts contain markup or mathematics (and if your LaTeX is simple enough) then the app can display them nicely. - If you used BibDesk or JabRef to create your library, the app can view your file attachments (e.g., PDFs that you have attached to your references). - You can view references grouped by keywords, if you use the Keywords field in your BibTeX libraries. You can also view all of your smart/static groups from BibDesk, and your dynamic/static groups from JabRef. - The app supports BibLaTeX libraries as well as classic BibTeX. The References app can open BibTeX libraries from anywhere on your device. In particular, you can use iCloud Drive to keep them synchronised between your devices. This app is read-only, not an editor. It takes great care in helping you view and explore BibTeX libraries and their links and file attachments; however, it does not provide a way to modify your libraries. FILE ATTACHMENTS: To view file attachments (e.g., PDFs), the path to each file should be included in the corresponding entry in your BibTeX library. You can do this using the specially encoded Bdsk-File-* fields (as used by BibDesk), or the plain text File field (as used by JabRef). If you are writing your BibTeX files by hand, just add a File field giving the location of the attachment, such as File = {../PDFs/foo.pdf}. You can tell References where to find these attachments by linking folders in your app settings. The app will look for your attachments within these folders – for example, if you link your Documents folder then the app will be able to match the BibTeX field {../PDFs/foo.pdf} to a real location such as Documents/PDFs/foo.pdf or Documents/foo.pdf. The app is able to read attachments stored on your device, or on iCloud Drive, or on third-party providers including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Nextcloud or OneDrive. If you are having trouble viewing attachments from a third-party provider, please mail the References developer with the details. FURTHER INFORMATION: To learn more about BibTeX, see http://www.bibtex.org/ .
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: References at none against GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's 4. References also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 69%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 25) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On ads and iOS requirement 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
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer costs $5.99 and References $4.99 up front. GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. References asks for nothing beyond the download.
References holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer has 14K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's written reviews are positive against 88% of References's.
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer ships an update weekly, References monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer | References |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) | 4.9 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #73 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Good.iWare, Inc. | Benjamin Burton |
Customer experience
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
References
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
References
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
- Pro Pack (monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Pro Pack (annual)7 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Auto Sync$9.99
- Pro Pack$79.99
References
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer free?
Is References free?
Which has better reviews, GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or References?
Do GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or References have ads?
Which is updated more often, GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer or References?
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