PDFBook vs PDF Reader Pro

Paid 99p, got charged£29.99 a month for it?

PDFBook is a privacy-first PDF reader and library manager for Windows, macOS, and Linux. $89 once for a real Lifetime: no auto-enrolment, no "Lifetime that requires a subscription", no $29.99 charge a month after you thought you were done. Free for up to 50 books. Cancel any subscription cleanly from a Stripe portal, no fee.

Try PDFBook freeSee pricing

Why people leave PDF Reader Pro

Common frustrations with PDF Reader Pro from public reviews, and how PDFBook solves each.

Reviewers report a "Lifetime" that still needs a subscription

PDF Reader Pro's product page advertises a one-time "Lifetime License", but Trustpilot reviewers report that essential conversion features still require an active subscription on top of the one-time payment. PDFBook Lifetime is exactly what the word means: $89 once, every feature unlocked, no extra subscription on top.

99p purchase, a recurring charge appears on your card

Multiple Trustpilot reviewers report buying a one-off conversion for around £0.99 / $0.99 and being charged around £30 a month later (PDF Reader Pro's published plans are annual or a one-time license. Reviewers report the recurring charge regardless). The cancellation flow blocks the actual cancellation. PDFBook charges what you see at checkout: Stripe-hosted, with the next renewal date in plain English in your manage page.

The cancellation page doesn't actually cancel

Reviewers describe trying to cancel through the official site and finding it impossible, with some forced to block PDF Reader Pro at the card-issuer level to stop the charges. PDFBook subscriptions cancel from your manage page with one click. You see the cancellation confirmation in the same session.

Support is unresponsive after the charge

Trustpilot reviews describe support either never replying or telling users to "contact the App Store" for refunds the company itself triggered. PDFBook support is `support@pdfbook.app`: one human, replies within 24 h on weekdays, processes refunds within 5 business days.

Cross-platform but every platform is the same scheme

PDF Reader Pro ships on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android with the same billing model across all of them, so buying on one device doesn't help you on another. PDFBook's $89 Lifetime unlocks up to 3 devices on any combination of Windows, macOS, or Linux. One purchase, three machines, forever.

No real library, just a recent-files list

PDF Reader Pro is fundamentally a PDF viewer with conversion tooling bolted on. There's no library, no tags, no reading state. PDFBook treats your PDFs as a personal library you own: folders, tags, ratings, reading state, per-book notes, library search by title, author, tag, and path.

Feature comparison

Where PDF Reader Pro wins, we say so. Honest comparison beats marketing.

FeaturePDF Reader ProPDFBook
Pricing model
Confusing mix of "Lifetime" + ongoing subscription for features
$89 once (Lifetime) · $6.99/mo Pro · Free up to 50 books
What "Lifetime" actually means
Lifetime label, then upsell to subscription for full features (per Trustpilot)
Lifetime means every feature, forever, on 3 devices
Surprise charges after cheap entry
Multiple users report £0.99/$0.99 entry → £29.99/$29.99/mo without clear consent
Stripe-hosted checkout. Renewal date visible. Receipt for every charge
Cancellation
Reviewers report cancel pages that don't actually cancel. Some block at card-issuer level
One-click cancel from /manage. Confirmation in-session
Refund policy
Often deflected to App Store / Microsoft Store
14-day no-questions-asked refund on Pro and Lifetime, processed within 5 business days
Support response
Trustpilot users report no reply for weeks
support@pdfbook.app, replies within 24h on weekdays
Devices per license
Annual plans cover 4 devices (Mac/Win/iOS/Android); the one-time Permanent license is 1 device only
3 devices on any mix of Win/Mac/Linux
Library management
Recent files list only
Folders, tags, ratings, reading state, notes, search by title/author/tag/path
Reading modes
Single page or continuous
Page-flip (book-like) and vertical scroll
OCR
Yes (paywalled)
No OCR
PDF editing
Yes (paywalled)
Not supported: PDFBook focuses on reading + library
Telemetry
Not disclosed
None on desktop. Once-a-day license check (14-day offline grace)
Account required
Yes (account + subscription)
No. License key only.
Linux support
Not officially supported
Native AppImage + .deb
Open pricing
Public store page exists, but reviewers report the recurring/auto-renew terms weren't clear at checkout
Single pricing page, every charge listed, no hidden tiers

What users are actually saying

“I needed to convert a pdf so paid the 0.99p on 2nd February and just been charged £29.99 and emailed to explain I didn't sign up for subscription.”

— Trustpilot: PDF Reader Pro

“Cannot cancel the subscription when tried either. The website does not allow. Blocked the company from taking another subscription from my card in 12 months time. Total scam artists!”

— Trustpilot: PDF Reader Pro

Stop paying rent on your PDF reader.

Try the Free tier today. Upgrade to Lifetime when you're sure. 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.

Download PDFBook freeSee Lifetime ($89)

Frequently asked questions

Is PDF Reader Pro's "Lifetime License" actually lifetime?+
Not in the way most people expect. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers report buying the Lifetime tier and then discovering that core features (PDF-to-image conversion, etc.) still require an active subscription. PDFBook Lifetime is $89 once and unlocks every feature: there's nothing else to buy.
Why are users being charged £29.99 after a 99p purchase?+
Several Trustpilot reviewers report that the £0.99 / $0.99 introductory price auto-enrols you into a £29.99 / $29.99 monthly subscription, with the actual subscription disclosure obscured at checkout. PDFBook checkout is Stripe-hosted with the recurring price and the next renewal date visible before you confirm.
Can I migrate my PDFs from PDF Reader Pro?+
Yes. PDF Reader Pro doesn't lock PDFs into a proprietary format. Your PDFs live on disk in standard PDF format. Point PDFBook at the folder you keep them in and it indexes them in place. Annotations made inside PDF Reader Pro that are saved into the PDF itself carry over. Those stored only in the app's local database may not.
Does PDFBook do everything PDF Reader Pro does?+
No, and we'd rather be honest. PDF Reader Pro has OCR and PDF editing (paywalled, but functional). PDFBook focuses on reading + library management and doesn't include those yet. If editing is core to your workflow, keep Adobe Acrobat or Foxit alongside PDFBook. If you mostly read PDFs and want to be done with surprise charges, PDFBook is the cleaner choice.
How do I actually cancel my PDF Reader Pro subscription?+
Trustpilot users describe the cancel page not working, and many had to block PDF Reader Pro at the card-issuer level. If you bought through the App Store or Microsoft Store, cancel via those stores' subscription settings. If you bought directly from pdfreaderpro.com, contact your bank to block future charges and file a chargeback for the unauthorised one.
What's PDFBook's refund policy?+
14 days, no questions asked, on Pro and Lifetime. Email support@pdfbook.app and we process within 5 business days through Stripe. No "contact the App Store" runaround: we're the seller of record.
Does PDFBook send my PDFs anywhere?+
No. The desktop app reads PDFs from the folders you point it at and stores everything locally. Once a day it sends a license-validation request to our server containing only your license key and a device fingerprint, never PDF contents, file names, paths, or reading history. 14-day offline grace if your machine isn't online.
Can I use PDFBook on multiple devices like PDF Reader Pro?+
Yes, and better. PDFBook's $89 Lifetime unlocks up to 3 devices across any mix of Windows, macOS, and Linux. PDF Reader Pro's one-time Permanent license covers a single device on Mac or Windows only, so multi-device use means an annual subscription.
Is PDFBook available on iOS / Android?+
Not yet. PDFBook is desktop-first (Win/macOS/Linux) and has a web reader at pdfbook.app/reader for quick browser-based reading. If iOS/Android is a hard requirement, PDF Reader Pro covers those platforms, but be careful about the billing model described above.
Where can I read more user reviews of PDF Reader Pro?+
The Trustpilot page (trustpilot.com/review/www.pdfreaderpro.com) is the most candid source: both the company's responses and the unfiltered user reports are public there.
Use Cases·Tools·Pricing

PDF Reader Pro is a trademark of PDF Technologies, Inc.. This comparison page is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PDF Technologies, Inc.. Claims about PDF Reader Pro pricing and behaviour are sourced from the vendor's pricing and legal pages and from public community discussions; we've linked sources where applicable.