PDF is the most trusted and best file format ever used in recent times. It is best for professional purposes as it doesn’t alter the content or format. We choose PDF format while sending a resume, sharing essential documents, quotations, or agreements. In other words, share anything digitally goes well in the PDF format. It made paper forms and document obsolete. We do have lots and lots of PDF readers, and some devices come with a PDF reader. But when it comes to iPhone or iPad, they didn’t have an in-built PDF reader. Instead, the only means of reading a PDF file on iOS is via iBooks. If that seems to be not a reliable option or you want to access additional features like highlight, bookmark, dictionary, annotating, etc., you shall look for a dedicated PDF reader. The section covers few suggestions for the best PDF Readers for iPad.
Best PDF Readers for iPad
The apps that are listed down are not selected or ordered based on any methods. We didn’t follow any criteria, but we picked them at random based on their features and popularity.
| 1. Adobe Acrobat Reader 2. Foxit PDF Reader 3. PDFElement 4. Liquid Text 5. PDF Reader – Document Expert 6. iBooks 7. KyBook 2 EBook Reader 8. Xodo PDF Pro 9. Google Play Books 10. Documents by Readdle 11. PDF Pro 3 | 12. PDF Viewer Pro 13. Markup – Annotation Expert 14. MuPDF 15. iAnnotate 16. WPS Office 17. PDFpen 18. GoodReader PDF Editor and Reader 19. PDF Expert 6 20. FileApp 21. GoodNotes |
1. Adobe Acrobat Reader
Cost: Free and Adobe Acrobat Pro version at $24.99/month; PDF Pack subscription at $9.99/month; Expert PDF at $23.99/month.
All of us would have been familiar with this application. When it comes to PDF, this app is the first thing that will come to our mind.
- Highlight, fill forms, and sign (Editable files only), protect your files with a password.
- The UI is very intuitive. Single page and continuous scroll. It comes with an in-built scanner to make PDFs.
- Search bar to search texts, and you can read the document in dark mode.
- There is also an option to annotate. Connect it to dropbox and other cloud storage. It can support 20+ languages.
- Pro version allows you to convert PDF to Word and PPT and also merge multiple PDF files into one.
2. Foxit PDF Reader
Cost: $8.00/month or $129 for one time subscription.
It is yet another most used PDF reader app. This app does give us various features, like view, edit annotates PDFs. It is indeed the best PDF reader for the iPad.
- It has additional features, like spilt-view, slides over, document scanner, and dictionary. Viewing options include single page, continuous, and thumbnail.
- In the free version, you can only view, highlight, and add comments.
- Speak feature to read the document and encrypt documents with a password.
- It supports Connected PDF, a PDF manager. You can fill forms and sign the documents digitally.
- You can download and upload PDFs to various cloud storage providers.
3. PDFElement
Cost: Free
The best on the list of best PDF readers for the iPad includes PDF Element. It is simple, free, and mainly used to boost productivity.
- The multiple Viewing mode enhances the PDF reading experience. You can perform various changes with texts and images.
- Simultaneously, you can add images by handwriting or add a digital signature.
- You can edit text and convert it into 9 different formats. Add texts, stamps, freehand drawing, highlight and underline text, etc.
- No in-app purchases. Thus, this app is completely free to use on iPad.
- Strikethrough and Underline are other features that we could enjoy on the PDFElement.
4. Liquid Text
Cost: Free. In app purchases costs $29.99.
The Liquid Text is built mainly for books, novels, and other research papers. So it is more of a digital library.
- It mainly focuses on lengthy documents, like books, research papers. So it has got lots of annotation tools.
- Liquid Text offers more fastest, easiest ways to gather, organize and review information across all your documents and webpages.
- You can import content from webpages and various cloud storage applications like Dropbox, iCloud, etc.
- Moreover, you can interact, compare, annotate, search and share with various other in-built tools.
- You can connect various documents by pulling out the key facts, squeeze the same to compare. So this is built for experts.
5. PDF Reader – Document Expert
Cost: Free
It is one of the best PDF readers for iPad that provides various rendering and reading modes. It does support document scanning features.
- This PDF reader supports bookmarks, outlines, and thumbnail features. And it does help us to access the password-protected file.
- The navigation is made so easy with all the search tools and the page sliders. It ensures you get a comfortable reading experience.
- The excellent annotation tools allow you to mark up easily. ANd it does support cloud storage so that you can upload and download various documents.
- With the in-built scanner, you can use your mobile camera as a scanner and create PDF files.
- Overall it allows you to view, edit, organize and save pdf files easily. While it also has got form filling and digital signing features.
6. iBooks
Cost: Free
It is a native app on any iPhone or iPad. In iOS 12 and above, it is Books. It is the default app for any PDF management tool. Also, iBooks is indeed one of the best PDF readers for iPad.
- iBooks supports PDF and EPUB formats. The app doesn’t have any fancy features, and it is so simple. That’s why we are looking for another option.
- Download various paid books from the Book store. And add bookmarks, notes and highlight the text in the PDF.
- It supports the Air Print feature. Moreover, you can sync Books across devices using iTunes.
- It does have night-theme mode so that you can get rest to your eyes during night time.
- No fancy features, but you save space by not downloading anything as it is native.
7. KyBook 2 EBook Reader
Cost: Free. In app purchase starts at $1.99
They say that KyBook is the perfect PDF viewer for the iPad. It took a generalist approach and supported various file formats.
- It can support multiple-formats that include PDF, EPUB, FB2, RDF, DjVu, MOBI, AZW3, CBR, CBZ, CBT, MP3, M4A, M4B. And it has got an in-built text to speech conversion tool.
- The feature package also includes cloud storage. So you can upload and download files in various cloud storage options.
- Other than that, the basic features including text search and add bookmarks and note option.
- You can customize the various reading modes and page turn modes like supporting landscapes, two-page facing modes, and loupe magnifier.
- Overall it is a full-fledged PDF reader application that is free to download from the app store.
8. Xodo PDF Reader
Cost: Free
PDF reader by Xodo may not be popular, but it does offer various features. It is a useful multi-platform reader application.
- We can view, edit and annotate tools. This is a perfect tool for those looking to edit documents on iPad and iPhone.
- It also allows you to make electronic signatures. It can render complex PDFs and encrypted documents.
- You can organize and manage files with the help of an in-built file manager. And it has lots of annotation options.
- We can also use this to convert office documents. In-built scanner to scan images to convert them into PDF.
- It supports collaborating the documents for free, and it incorporates various handy features.
9. Google Play Books
Cost: Free
It is mainly good for its cloud storage feature. Google Play Books support various documents and allow us to upload PDF and EPUB files.
- You can customize the way and reader view of use according to your own convenience.
- The feature includes highlighting, map search and also comes with an excellent built-in dictionary.
- You also have got to use the cross-platform feature and use it to sync on multiple devices. It will save your reading and bookmarks across various devices.
- Moreover, it got nightlight settings that will automatically adjust the background colours and brightness.
- The latest version has audiobooks support, and the tools are so simple and easy to navigate.
10. Documents by Readdle
Cost: Free. Document Plus subscription that cost $12.49/month.
The best PDF readers for iPad include Readdle Documents. The app combines powerful PDF features with reading, annotating and highlighting, etc.
- Documents by Readdle has an in-built browser, and you can search and find various documents. It also serves the purpose of a dictionary.
- There is also cloud-storage support, including Dropbox and Google Drive. Simultaneously, it supports Email, servers, and WebDav.
- Has handy tools to read and annotate files. You can also manage Zip files and MS documents and protect the documents with a password.
- Moreover, it does allow you to fill the forms and digitally sign the documents.
- It features a Spilt view option and an in-built file manager for audio, video, or images. You can sync it to WiFi and share the documents to PC or Mac.
11. PDF Pro 3
Cost: Free, In-app purchases
Yet another best PDF reader for iPad includes PDF Pro 3. It let you edit, view, and annotate your PDF files directly on your iPhone or iPad.
- It has a powerful search feature that offers full-text search for the entire PDF files. And an in-built browser to lookup certain texts.
- With the file management tools, you can group PDFs and organize them, import and export documents.
- Clear view, and it also has a night mode feature enabled. And it also gives an overview of all the bookmarked and annotated pages.
- It gives high speed and stable functions and also handles password-protected files. And you can easily share and print files.
- The other features include annotation, notes, document editor, multitasking, split scree, form filling, and digital signing.
12. PDF Viewer Pro
Cost: Free, Pro subscription – $6.99/3 months, and $19.99/year.
It is yet another clean and sophisticated PDF Reader for iPad with an intuitive interface and powerful annotation tools.
- The UI is not intuitive, but it has many annotation features that suit normal PDF users. The tools are useful and enough but not the power-packed ones.
- Even free users are allowed to view and annotate PDFs that are stored locally on the device. And do some basic document editing.
- You can share, zoom and browse various annotation tools from within the app itself.
- Apart from that, we can insert, organize and even delete blank lines within the PDF.
- Pro version offers you the features like merging documents, interpolating pages, an interface-free presentation mode, and customization options.
Related: Best iPad Apps for Toddlers
13. Markup – Annotation Expert
Cost: $9.99 for Ultimate version.
Markupis one of the professional PDF reader and annotation software from Kdan especially designed for iPhone and iPad.
- It supports audio notes digital signatures. It also got an in-app browser that has a web highlighter or pen or pencil to annotate.
- Moreover, this has got numerous storage and backup options that include various cloud storage options.
- In the free version number of files stored are removed.
- It also works as an extension and can be triggered by the share button or Mark up button in various apps.
- You also have got a magnifier for images and documents. And also, add various shapes like square, round, arrows, and even quote bubbles, making it easy for us to highlight.
14. MuPDF
Cost: Free
MUPDF is yet another best PDF reader for iPad and iPhone. Moreover, it is a simple application with various useful features.
- It is a lightweight PDF Reader. And also, this is another open-source application.
- It can handle file formats like PDF, XPS, CBZ, and ePUB documents with equal aplomb.
- It does support PDF 1.7, text reflows, and progressive rendering for large documents.
- Moreover, this application also got some basic tools to include text search, extraction, hyperlinks, annotations.
- You have also got to fill the forms and do the electronic signature. So nothing fancy but the simple and useful features.
15. iAnnotate
Cost: $9.99
The name says itself. It is yet another best PDF reader for iPad that comes with power-packed PDF managing features.
- It is mainly built for PDF annotation with a very functional and intuitive user interface.
- The toolbar is totally customizable, and you can keep what you use and remove the rest.
- You can also search for various keywords and terms. And also, you get to navigate through bookmarks and scroll.
- Annotation features include adding notes, draw, highlight, and even strikethrough.
- The web-capture mode will convert webpages into PDF. And it does MS office documents.
16. WPS Office
Cost: Free
After MS office Suite, WPS Office is one of the best power-packed office suites. And it is the most popularly used one as well.
- WPS Office is like an all-in-one package so that you wouldn’t need any other separate software for various document formats.
- It is a multi-purpose document manager that can handle texts, PDFs, spreadsheets, and even PPTs.
- You can add and view bookmarks and can navigate to various ages with the page numbers.
- It has various tools, including text search, annotations to PDF files along with cloud storage support.
- WPS doesn’t offer loaded and dedicated PDF tools, but still, it is the best to manage various suites and files.
17. PDFpen
Cost: Free and $4.99
Smile Software has brought the PDF pen and is one of the best PDF readers for iPad with various features and functions to explore.
- You can view, edit and annotate PDF files along with the proof marks, images and add digital signatures. With this, you can easily fill forms, and also it is easy to handle various other important documents.
- The app will detect palm and wrist so that only you can mark the selected area. You can insert texts throughout the documents.
- You can resize or copy or even remove images from the documents.
- Use flatten for documents compatibility, encrypt documents, and it does come with various cloud storage options.
- It may seem costly, but still, it has that various power-packed tools. Moreover, we also have got dark mode and various stationary tools.
18. GoodReader PDF Editor and Reader
Cost $5.99
GoodReader is yet another powerful PDF reader and editor for iOS devices. With this app, it is easy to find various books and materials to read.
- You can read, create and edit PDF annotations. Moreover, you can also copy, rename, move and transfer files and folders.
- You can access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, and HTML documents too.
- On the whole, it offers various annotation, navigation, and file management tools.
- Search tools and other reflow tools will help to make navigations so easy.
- You can read as you listen to music. And it supports all the popular cloud storage apps.
19. PDF Expert 6
Cost: Pro-version $9.99/month
It is one of the best PDF readers for iPad from Readdle. It has a neat and clean UI that allows you to enjoy the various features to annotate the PDF Files.
- You can fill forms and sign various documents in the PDF Expert 6. And it also supports various cloud storage services.
- Just use fingers or pencil to add shapes or designs, stamps, and draw. Moreover, it is easy to manage bookmarks.
- You can also protect the files with a password. And the pro version offers you to edit the document on the spot.
- It also has got search tools and navigation tools. It makes it easy to snap.
- We have also got strikethrough and underline options for annotation.
20. FileApp
Cost: Free
It is more of a file manager for the iPhone and iPad. FileApp can handle various files type like PDF, MS Office files documents, and multimedia contents.
- FileApp is a powerful PDF editor with various annotation tools, editing, comment, and bookmarking options.
- And a system-wide clipboard to copy and paste to create various files. The files include HTML, Safari web archive, Zip, .txt, .html, .Xml etc.
- It also supports all Microsoft formats and RTF and plain text as well. And it allows you to share the documents via Email too.
- Moreover, it also does have excellent file manager tools by which you can store, organize and transfer files in various ways.
- The security features include file encryption with iOS data protection, a password to protect the app, wireless transfer password if needed.
21. GoodNotes
Cost: Free
The last on the list of best PDF readers for the iPad is GoodNotes. So Good Notes is a smart digital document management system.
- You can create digital documents and notebooks and type the text with the keyboard or use the Apple Pencil. Import PDF files to annotate.
- You can create various folders and subfolders to organize the documents. And also mark documents as favorites.
- Easily navigate with a customized outline, and also instantly export the documents as PDF.
- Sync it with iCloud so you can enjoy the documents across the devices.
- Moreover, move, resize and rotate the handwriting or change colors with powerful and smarter erase tools; and navigation through hyperlinks.
So that’s all about the Best PDF Readers for iPad. Choose the one that serves your purpose the best. And which app could be the best writer to us in the comment section below.