LiquidText vs GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LiquidText
This app provides a dynamic workspace for reviewing and organizing information from documents and webpages. It allows users to extract key facts, connect ideas across different sources, and annotate content for research, writing, or study.
- Import documents and webpages
- Extract and organize excerpts
- Connect ideas with ink links
- Compare document sections
- Annotate PDFs, Word, and PowerPoint
- Search across all documents
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*** Named “Most Innovative iPad App of the Year” by Apple App Store *** LiquidText offers a fast, natural way to review, gather, and organize information across all your documents and webpages—then apply the results to writing reports, meeting prep, or simply studying. Pull out key facts and connect them together, squeeze a document to compare sections, draw a line to connect ideas in different documents, comment on multiple pages at once, build upon your thoughts, and much more. ► WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: * "If you want to experience the power of going beyond paper, you can download LiquidText" – Cult of Mac * One of Macworld’s Top 24 Apps for iPad Pro * One of Time Magazine's Ten Best apps for iPad Pro * * "There's a better way to organize your research, and the app is it." – iMore, Serenity Caldwell * “All you need for deep research projects.” – Macworld, Jackie Dove * "The world changed with...LiquidText" – Law360, Paul Kiesel * "LiquidText may just be *the* app for reviewing and annotating PDFs using Apple's tablet and stylus." – CIO Magazine, James Martin * “One of the most powerful, original iPad apps I've tried in years” – Federico Viticci, MacStories.net ► LIQUIDTEXT’S COMPLETE FEATURE SET INCLUDES: (Features with * require a paid upgrade.) Import • Create a workspace and import all the documents and web pages you need • Compatible with PDF, Word, and PowerPoint document types • Import from Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Box, email, and more • Import content from webpage or send to LiquidText directly from Safari • Instant OCR to select text in scanned documents; do a full document-OCR to search as well!* • Import documents & metadata directly from reference managers (supports Zotero and Mendeley)* Interact • Pull excerpts from all the documents in your project into the Workspace area • Add your own notes (typed or written) to the Workspace area • Freely draw on your notes, or on the workspace itself* • Organize excerpts and notes into groups • Connect anything - draw live “ink links” that span pages, documents, notes, and more* • Create mind-maps by drawing “ink links” connecting your excerpts/notes to one another * • Get context - tap notes and excerpts to find original source Compare • Pinch a document to compare different distant pages side by side • Collapse text to see annotated parts side-by-side • Collapse text to view search results(s) side-by-side • Import unlimited number of documents into a project, view up to 3 at once* Annotate • Freely draw* or highlight on your document, notes, or the workspace itself • Add margin notes/comments to text, images, notes, and excerpts • Comment on two or more selections simultaneously • Replace document with a newer version (and annotations are brought to new doc)* Search • Search for keywords across all your LiquidText documents • Find keywords in title or text of your documents* • Bulk highlight, tag, or link to your search results* Realtime Collaboration • Invite colleagues into your shared projects and work together in near realtime* • Leave comments and notifications for your collaborators* • Privacy controls: set whether each workspace & document in your project is shared or private* Easy Export • Export your project as a PDF (includes your Workspace and documents) • Export your project as a Word file (converts your notes/excerpts into a linear document) • Send a full LiquidText file for those with the app. • Send files by email or to Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Zotero, and more* Sync & Backup* • Real-time, cross-platform sync • Continuous cloud backup • Multi-device display: • Use your desktop or tablet as additional display for your other device • Use your tablet for freehand inking while viewing and keyboarding on your desktop See our terms of use at https://www.liquidtext.net/terms-of-use Learn more at LiquidText.net | Better Than Paper
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
This app offers robust PDF editing and annotation capabilities, alongside comprehensive file management for various document types. It allows users to securely store, organize, and access files from cloud services, enhancing productivity on mobile devices.
- PDF annotation and editing
- File management for various formats
- Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- Military-grade AES-256 encryption
- Split-screen viewing for iPad
- PDF Reflow feature
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GoodReader® Pro and our famous classic GoodReader app are essentially the same app, but this one comes with Pro Pack® pre-activated, no subscription or in-app purchase needed. 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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: LiquidText at Free against GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's $89.99. LiquidText also leads on ratings volume (6.4K vs 269) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks). GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (68% vs 50%). On rating, ads, device support 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
LiquidText is free to download; GoodReader Pro PDF Editor costs $89.99 up front. LiquidText sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month. GoodReader Pro PDF Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for LiquidText against 4.7 for GoodReader Pro PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LiquidText has 6.4K ratings behind it against 269, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of LiquidText's written reviews are positive against 68% of GoodReader Pro PDF Editor's.
LiquidText ships an update every 2 weeks, GoodReader Pro PDF Editor every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LiquidText | GoodReader Pro PDF Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $89.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.4K ratings) | 4.7 (269 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.6% of reviews | 67.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.4K — better | 269 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 317 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LiquidText, Inc. | Good.iWare, Inc. |
Customer experience
LiquidText
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
User reviews
LiquidText
From 6.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful annotation and organization features
- 📚 Excellent for academic and research work
- 💡 Innovative concept and workflow
- 🤖 Responsive and helpful customer support
- 🖼️ Smooth integration with Apple Pencil
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive, especially for the subscription model
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable at times
- 🤯 Steep learning curve and unintuitive interface
- 🔗 Lack of seamless cross-device sync and integration
- 🔍 Navigation and file management issues
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
From 269 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📂 Excellent file management
- 📚 Great for PDF organization
- ✍️ Powerful annotation tools
- 🚀 Fast loading and performance
- 🔄 Reliable syncing
Room to improve
- 💸 Expensive for some
- 🔄 Tedious data transfer to Pro
- ❓ Little difference between regular and Pro
- 🔌 Sync issues with cloud services
- 🚫 No PC version available
Bugs and requests
LiquidText
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent crashes and data loss issues
- Inconsistent behavior with Apple Pencil
- Text selection and highlighting problems
- Sync issues between iPad and Mac versions
- Unexpected changes to existing annotations
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved palm rejection and writing experience
- Better export and sharing options
- Thumbnail/outline view for easier navigation
- Ability to rotate and resize text/image annotations
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
Reported bugs
15 issues- Cannot move bookmarks from old to Pro version
- Dropbox/OneDrive sync not working
- iCloud integration issues
- App crashes when adding photos
- App freezes after annotation
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- App does not keep pattern open after closing
- iPad version web server option not working
- Cannot change or disable app password
- Encrypted PDF export issues
- Glitchy highlighter and eraser
- Cannot access files through Dropbox
- No longer syncs with OneDrive or Dropbox
- Files lost after upgrading to new app
- Cannot download embedded video
- Cannot see iCloud files without workaround
Requested features
16 requests- Proper night mode (inverted colors)
- Bookmark sharing feature
- PC version of the app
- Profile switching for open tabs
- Editable text feature
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- Support for Chinese language
- Adjustable plain text font size
- Two-page PDF viewing
- Option to ignore finger/hand annotation
- True dark mode with inverted colors
- Edit text within PDFs
- Improve note-taking and thumbnail features
- Add text editing function
- Make max number of open tabs configurable
- Improve PDF annotation experience
- Allow editing of actual text in PDFs
In-app purchases
LiquidText
- LiquidText Live, Monthly, Stu7 Days trial$5.491 Month
- LiquidText Live, Monthly, StPr7 Days trial$5.491 Month
- LiquidText Unlimited, Mo, Stu7 Days trial$10.901 Month
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- LiquidText Live, Monthly7 Days trial$10.901 Month
- LiquidText Live, Monthly, Upg7 Days trial$10.901 Month
- LiquidText Unlimited, Yr, Stu7 Days trial$19.001 Month
- LiquidText Live, Yearly, Stu7 Days trial$54.901 Year
- LiquidText Live, Yearly7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- LiquidText Live, Yearly, Upg7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- LiquidText Unlimited, Yr7 Days trial$189.991 Year
- LT Pro - For Students$19.99
- LiquidText Pro$29.99
- LiquidText Pro II$89.99
GoodReader Pro PDF Editor
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LiquidText free?
Is GoodReader Pro PDF Editor free?
Which has better reviews, LiquidText or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
Do LiquidText or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor have ads?
Which is updated more often, LiquidText or GoodReader Pro PDF Editor?
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