# PDF Notes S vs Highlights

The clearest difference is ads: Highlights at none against PDF Notes S's shown. Highlights also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 5) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). PDF Notes S's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Notes S sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Highlights holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highlights has 1.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 53% and 53% positive.

PDF Notes S ships an update every 6 weeks, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Notes S | Highlights |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-s/id961336139/reviews) | **[4.5 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews | **53.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 22 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMuseTec Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/342152781) | [Jonas Myren Ribe](https://appshunter.io/developer/794854096) |

## 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 |


### Highlights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlights-pdf-reader-and-notes/id1498912833)

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

**Highlights:** Read and browse PDF documents, Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text, Add comments and sticky notes, Extract annotations into organized notes, Convert table data and recognize text, Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex), Lookup citation metadata and DOI links

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Highlights Pro: Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Highlights Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for highlighting and annotating PDFs
- 🔍 Effective for research and note-taking
- 📚 Useful for academic and professional work
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🔗 Good integration with other apps and cloud storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🔒 Lack of customization options
- 🔧 Poor customer support and unresponsive developers

**Reported bugs**

- Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
- Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
- Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
- Syncing issues across devices
- Export functionality not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
- Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
- Allow editing of notes directly in the app
- Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Notes S free?

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

### Is Highlights free?

Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Highlights is rated higher. PDF Notes S averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.

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

PDF Notes S shows ads; Highlights does not.

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

PDF Notes S ships an update every 6 weeks, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Notes S was updated on September 20, 2026 and Highlights on October 12, 2026.

---

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