# PDF Notes S vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against PDF Notes S's 2. PDF Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 5). PDF Notes S's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Notes S sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for PDF Notes S against 4.3 for PDF Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of PDF Notes S's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Reader's.

PDF Notes S ships an update every 6 weeks, PDF Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Notes S | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-s/id961336139/reviews) | **[4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews | **76.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 22 MB | 173 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMuseTec Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/342152781) | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Notes S

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-s/id961336139)

This app offers a dual-page PDF viewer with smooth scrolling and fast page turns. It also provides document management, quick previews of various file types, and annotation tools. An upgrade removes ads and unlocks full functionality.

**Highlights:** Dual-page PDF viewer, Horizontal/vertical scroll and page turns, Document browser for file organization, Quick Look for various file types, ZIP file preview without unzipping, 8 handwriting tools, Cache manager for fast page turns

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $9.99 | per year |


### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

**Highlights:** Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading, Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting), Handwritten signature insertion, File management (move, merge, copy, delete), Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud), Create blank PDFs and folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
- 👍 Great value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes appearing randomly
- Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
- Scrolling issues and page loading delays
- Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
- Support for multiple open documents
- Improved Apple Pencil integration
- Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
- Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Notes S free?

PDF Notes S is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Notes S or PDF Reader?

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Notes S averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.3 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do PDF Notes S or PDF Reader have ads?

PDF Notes S shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Notes S or PDF Reader?

PDF Notes S ships an update every 6 weeks, and PDF Reader every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Notes S was updated on September 20, 2026 and PDF Reader on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*