GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer Reviews

by H Aulakh

It is the worst after the upgrade to goodreader 4. I had to pay for this new version. Worst experience with their customer service. Would not reply to my email (only help you can get is via email, they said) or even won’t care about you even after sending multiple emails if the issue was not resolved). Instructions to transfer files form good reader to computer we’re terrible and I had to figure myself out how to retrieve them because their instructions were too terrible to follow and would not work...
I put the files in iCloud icon to be safe but then realized that the Speed to open theses files and search something is slow like a tortoise (takes for ever!!). I could not move them back out from the iCloud for whatever reason (why is it so complicated?). I am so mad that I paid for the updated version of GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer.
This company may update GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer in 5 years down the road and would ask customers to re-pay for their hard work for the updated version! Please suggest a better app. I really loved it before all this. My experience with the customer service and trying to deal with the problem myself for hours and days made GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer my least favorite! Don’t recommend to a friend, please save the headache

by IPhonerarooni

I think I’ve had every version of GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer since it was first released. I’m an academic and reading/annotating PDFs fills much of my day. What’s unacceptable about GoodReader? (1) The user-interface is atrocious, requires constant, cumbersome interactions to do anything, and is non-customizable in any meaningful way. (For God’s sake, let me pick what the Apple Pencil does when I use it. Don’t make me constantly hit save after every interaction. Let me pick which widgets I want displayed on the screen.) GoodReader could be used in a CS or HCI class as an example of how not to design a GUI. It really is that clumsy and badly designed. (2) After all this time, there is still no setting to ignore annotation input from anything other than an Apple Pencil on an iPad. Your fingers and palm will constantly draw on your document. Utterly astonishing this basic feature, which other apps have had for years, is still missing here. Its best features are its sync capabilities, but the glaring failures in user-interactions can’t be overlooked. This is now an app of last resort and best avoided if you need to interact with PDFs more often than once a month.

by Twohoos

When my iPad told me that Goodreader was no longer supported, I went to GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer Store and found I had to pay $5 to continue using an app I've used (and given positive reviews to) since 2010. I debated switching to Documents, but decided to stick with Goodreader because I was familiar with the interface and the Migration Assistant promised to help get my old Goodreader files back. Except it wouldn't, because the old app “wouldn't open for some reason”. No kidding, that’s what the error message said. Useless. And there’s nothing in the Troubleshooting or Help to address this catastrophic failure. So my old annotated PDFs appear to be lost forever.
The file manager interface is a lot more complicated than it used to be. You can't just open and view a file on Dropbox, you have to either download or sync it—added steps with little apparent value to me. I’m sure it adds a lot of capabilities that I will never use, but it’s less convenient and less intuitive to keep doing what I've always done (and wanted to continue doing).
All in a ll, a huge disappointment.

by 5433d

I’m using goodreader for several years now. It used to be 5 star without doubt. but the developers got greedy and instead of adding features to new versions, started to demand money for the same features over yearly subscription IN AN ALREADY PAID APP. This is rip off. Subscription based sales should be for somethings like magazines and so on. Not apps like pdf readers. I’m going to reduce 2 stars and if it does not get new features in regular update I will reduce other stars too, because I consider it outdated app.

re: 15 oct 2020
I didn’t say that the previous features are not available. I said that GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer basically didn’t get any new feature outside the subscription which is an irrational business model for offline features. If you wanted to sell new features you could just introduce new version besides this one. Or make them one time in app purchase. Having a subscription for something that basically runs offline on user’s device and is an offline feature is not acceptable as you are not truly providing an ongoing service but an offline product.
To me the last true update GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer received was a long time ago and it’s getting out of date as something like new iOS file system and multi-window support don’t work properly or are completely unavailable.

by The.Lone.Ranger

I've loved and used GoodReader for many years now. It has long served as an excellent PDF reference and markup tool with the capability to work with numerous other file types as well. While unorthodox and somewhat confusing, its nonstandard menu system was innovative and powerful for its time. Add to that the ability to (slowly) sync with Dropbox and it was as close to a perfect reference/annotation tool as one could hope for in the early days of iOS.

Now, in September 2018, many of those UI complexities have been solved by Apple and other developers, and new, faster, truly-cloud-syncing apps (like Readdle's excellent Documents and PDFExpert apps) have long surpassed GoodReader in both form and function. Meanwhile, GoodReader remains largely unchanged in its design, and its developers are years late in their release of the long-promised version 5. Sadly, even though I have held out hope and delayed as long as possible, I think the era of GoodReader in my life is ending. Having purchased the latest high-performance, all-wheel-drive, extended-cab truck of such apps, it's time to put the trusty old GoodReader station wagon in the shed.

So long, GoodReader. It's been a good run.

by Lermo10is

I’ve used GoodReader to annotate and read my textbooks and PDF for school for a few months now. I’ve really enjoyed the experience of READING pdf’s in GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer. However, it has a few setbacks. I write on almost every pdf I read with the Apple Pencil. For an app as good as GoodReader, you would expect it to have palm rejection and easily accessible/modifiable controls for writing. It does not. I find myself incredibly frustrated when my palm makes marks on the pdf after I’ve written with the pencil and have to go back and erase all those small random doodles. Nowadays many apps come integrated with Apple Pencil vs finger discrimination, which is incredibly helpful when writing on a pdf during class and trying to keep up with the professor.
Additionally, when dealing with syncing a drive with GoodReader, it would often create an error in GoodReader if I modified or moved a file in my computer.
GoodReader has, in my opinion, the most potential out of all the pdf-annotating apps in GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer Store. It is truly a great application and handles pdf’s beautifully. It just needs some refining and a few additional features.

by S K Y E F L U X

1st, It’s a great update and very welcomed! All previously used features (protected folders, file management, video downloads, etc) are here and working. No data was lost on the update. Bravo!

A few issues on ipad: The most used file management icons are now bottom left. If you hold your device in the left hand and use your right hand for tapping, you have to stretch across the screen to hit buttons. The bottom menu feels cluttered with redundant icons that I wish we could customize or remove (I’m really missing the fantastic collapsible side menu we previously had.)

Thumbnail view is crowded due to the 3 circles on the side of every icon and the black arrows on long filenames. A 1 time tutorial could show users the hotkey spot and the circles removed (or an option given to hide them). Vertical spacing of thumbnails is also tight, just enough to feel cramped.

In landscape mode long filenames run into each other like one long word. Long filenames need reduced by more characters, and those black arrows replaced/removed when not scrolling to give better space between elements.

Animated gif’s need a repeat option.

Lastly, I love me some encryption, srsly! The pro-options for encrypted/password protected zips for xferring and sharing files are an awesome addition :)

Overall, a very good update with just a few minor interface issues that I’m sure will get worked out.

by Andre0599

GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer used to be five stars now it’s horrible. It actually works in regards to reading PDFs however I can no longer sync my icloud files though it has a folder. The settings point me to the main settings. There is nothing in the main setting. Customer service never returned my email.

I even tried using Dropbox. But Dropbox doesn’t actually sync to where there’s a copy in Dropbox and GoodReader simultaneously. It downloads a copy to the hard drive.

User manual for icloud support is useless. Money talks and I’ve lost trust in this company. I will share my experience with my subordinates at work.

——————————————————————-

UPDATE: My boggle was actually with Apple and not GoodReader. After conducting more research, I’ve discovered that Apple has either made it more difficult or impossible to actually sync with GoodReader. A rep finally returned my email with some instructions however I was still unable to SYNC my files with iCloud. I want to have a folder on my computer that also keeps a copy of my files in the GoodReader app and automatically synchronizes with each other. I ultimately figured out how to do this with Dropbox but not with iCloud.

By the way, I’ve reduced my iCloud storage plan and increased my Dropbox plan. I show companies where I stand by either putting less or money money into their pockets. Shame on Apple for taking away this functionality.

by Tripp88

Two main suggestions:
1. Highlighting. I commonly use different highlighter colors to signify different things, thus am switching colors frequently. The way it works with the current version, changing colors causes everything I just highlighted prior to saving to change to that new color. Thus my options are to save, reopen highlighter tool, change color, highlight, then save again. The alternative is to save and then go back and click on which sections I want to be a different color, which can be hard to keep track of when highlighting a lot. Basically I'm asking that when highlighting we can change the color without having to close the tool or change all the previous highlights.
2. Syncing. Please have GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer sync smallest files first. I have a few large documents that don't need to be synced as frequently but get in the way of adding new small documents that I need more immediately.
Great app overall though!

by Sorry Just Being Honest

Filing system excellent. Annotating, to many steps for different colors but still great. Read PDF’s very good. This is a well managed App and it has served me well for many years. My only suggestion to help make my experience better is for stability issues. I have two.
When I am translating languages l am often switching Apps. I would like to lock the font size on an article so when I switch Apps the font does not return to the default size, until I return it to default size when I am done with my project. This could just be a lock icon at the bottom of the page with the other icons. The second subject is this. When a page is bigger then the iPad screen, as I scroll up or down the page it often jumps to the next page. Is there any way to decrease the sensitivity of the gesture so it stays on the page as you scroll up and down?.
These matters are admittedly minor things to mention but that’s because you product is so excellent. Looking forward to what’s in store, thank you

by Virtual-triplets

Goodreader was one of the first apps I ever purchased for my first gen iPad. For a long time, it was my go-to app for PDFs and document management. Then it fell behind the development curve and I switched to PDF Expert. When Goodreader 5 came out, I decided to give it another chance and paid for the pro features.

Based on a few days’ usage, it compares favorably to PDF Expert. I’m not sure yet whether I will switch back to Goodreader as my primary PDF app, but for now I will continue to use it.

I have one suggestion for the developers. I am an attorney. I use PDF Expert to redact documents for production. Being able to use the Apple Pencil to highlight areas for redaction is so much easier than using a desktop app. My only complaint with PDF Expert is that redaction areas had to be rectangular. That is fine for text that is in straight lines, but not for skewed documents or some handwriting or pictures.

Goodreader overcomes that limitation by allowing the freehand drawing tool to be used for redactions. I just set the line width to 5 or 9 pt and use it like a marker. However, there are times - a lot of them - when I want to redact a rectangular re is the highlight tool, but that only works if there is text (and not just an image of text).

So my request - please add a fill option to the rectangle tool. Goodreader allows you to draw rectangles, but as far as I can tell they can’t be filled.

by PatrickS3

Speaking specifically about making annotations, this is not a good app. It doesn’t have a setting to recognize only the Apple Pencil for annotations (so it picks up stray marks from my wrist and finger). It is configured to jump one page forward and backward when you touch pretty much anywhere within the top and bottom 30% of the page (so you’re really only allowed to touch 40% of the page without jumping around accidentally). When you start making an annotation, it automatically scrolls to put the page you’re working on in the middle of the screen, making annotating the top and bottom of any page difficult. These and other things make it a clunky annotator.

However, it has the single most robust syncing functionality of any app I’ve used in the past 5 years. Nothing else compares, and I’ve tried everything, without exaggeration. This is why I keep using it. Eliminating the headache of lost work because of syncing problems makes up for the pain of making the actual annotations. Therefore, I give it 4 stars instead of 2.

by Nbits

of the many hundreds if not thousands of iOS apps I have paid for, in terms of time, money, and typically both, that I actually use on a regular basis. The main reasons for this are stability, existence and adequacy of documentation, the absence of a requirement to create a superfluous online account with the vendor, infrequency of paid updates and online purchases, and most importantly, simple usefulness. It is unfortunate that the vast majority of mobile applications available from Apple’s store satisfy mostly the opposite of these criteria: they are unstable, undocumented or poorly so or in a foreign language, require the user to create a “cloud” or other type of account with the vendor, simply to work with desktop documents, often as a way of extracting additional passive income while undermining user’s privacy, proliferate paid updates and online purchases, and in many cases are designed as toys for children. I applaud the producers of GoodReader for such a statistically improbable achievement!

by Ksoros

I've been a user of the GoodReader App for over 6 years. It's the greatest toolkit for anything you want to do: create your portable Library of Professional &/or Personal Books, documents of ALL formats - I have 100's of books, journals, articles, for professional reference, as well as, personal favorites, such as, the Best Poetry Collection, NanoMedicine, etc. GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer will handle huge PDF files like No Other App out there. I'm talking about a single PDF greater than 1_G. It handles pictures, audio, video, anything else you can think of. Best of all, GoodReader makes a USB applet for your big Computer (multiple OS versions) so you can manage your GoodReader content directly, avoiding the massive headache that is called iTunes. Best App I ever bought, & they keep making it better!

-----Updated: 19 June 2018------
Still unparalleled in its Robust handling of huge documents/PDFs, plus Now -- pretty much any File-Type...audio, visual, etc. Just doesn't get better than this. 10-Stars!

by In The Rocks

I bought the first version when it came out. I was glad to buy the update. The file system provides functionality that I need. I keep pdfs, jpgs, and even docx documents in it. I keep forms I regularly use. I keep a lot of graphics on my iPads and GoodReader is the best tool for organizing them. The ability to annotate pdfs is crucial since I can keep the original and the annotated version. I can see things I could do with it but just haven't put them in my work flow yet. So far it works the way I want it to work on my iPad Pro including using the Apple Pencil. I purchased the Pro version and it works well. I thought the iOS Files app would reduce my need for GoodReader but it has not. There are quirks to Files that make it less useful for me. For one thing I want my primary storage to always be on my iPads. I often work in locations with no wifi access so local storage is essential. Backup to iCloud works the way I want it to.

by Gamera!

Best PDF reader!!, also great as a secure photo/video viewer, music player, browser, and file downloader. Useful for file sharing, has integrated iCloud folder and sub folders which you can export to from others apps. Integrates Touch ID/Face ID to unlock, selectable for the entire app, the browser, or individual folders (or any combination). So many great features!!! I’m not even going to go into detail on the fantastic pdf viewing/editing/annotating features, and they are stellar.

*Feature request: please make it possible to loop videos (overall, and A-B repeat), auto play the next video, and shuffle a playlist of videos. I’d pay for GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer again if a new version had these features.

**Also: GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer is really slow to initially open on the iPhone XS Max. It is way slower than my previous iPhone was (but this may be due to iOS 12?).

by Pmczz

I've had GoodReader since version 3, and it's my favorite productivity app on the iPad. It's fantastic for annotating docs. I just installed v5. It's great, seems better organized and easier to work with than v4. Lots of new features that I haven't tried yet. Only complaint so far is that I wish I could change the color scheme. Some happiness for me so far: 1. Synching (“Connect” window) is MUCH improved, much cleaner. 2. The OneDrive synching problem has been fixed. 3. The new split-screen option is great - it allows you to view two docs (or two separate sections of the same doc) side-by-side. That option's iPad-only, I think, and part of the pro pack, which was a pretty good deal for me ($4.99 covered pro pack on all three mobile devices I have). 4. I like the thumbnail page images for navigation within a doc. 5. Apple pencil double-click toggles eraser (as it should). All in all, nicely done. Also, tech support has been super helpful, very responsive when I’ve had Qs.

by DDR717

Its been part of my everyday reading and studying since my first iPad back in 2011. The new version (5) is outstanding specially since finally we are able to sync multiple iOS devices via iCloud. Well done!!!

Yet there is a minor issue, that affects regular use of GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer , specially in the annotation process. If you are working on a document on the iCloud File, and you are using any of the annotation tools, you will find that you can’t change tools by simply clicking the Tool Menu Bar on the top of the screen. This still can be done in documents not in the iCloud File, but for some reason, with these documents it kind of crashes, and it make you go to the main menu in search of the Annotation Tool’s menu bar on the right side of the screen. Currently Im using two iPad pros (not the last generation, the one before), with apple pencil first generation. It does not ruin GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer , but it definitely make it less efficient. Hope to see an upgrade soon addressing this matter.

Other than that, great work people, you have produced an outstanding APP !!!

by Ron Zarr

First off, let me say I have used GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer for many years and it is by far one of my favorites. GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer is so useful and it adds a lot of value to my iOS devices. I would just like to request Webp support to be added. Since this image format is used much more frequently due to compression and being made by Google, it is slightly frustrating that images in this format do not creat a thumbnail view in GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer and they will also not let you export or save to images. It does let you click on a file and say open as a picture and it will show, but being fully supported to allow thumbnail view and exporting/saving to images on iOS would be very beneficial. Or allowing us to convert to PNG in GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer would be another cool feature. Either one or both would be great. But again I do love GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer and would be lost without it so thank you for all you do and I hope GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer lasts another 20 years because it is so great.

by Genknit

I have used GoodReader since 2010. I downloaded the new update a week ago. I was very nervous about it, because I don’t like major changes in the products I use. But the new (basic) GoodReader is great! I only use a tiny fraction of its capabilities, but am very happy with what I’ve seen so far. Specifically, it used to be that if I was reading a large text file (say, an 800-page book), and needed to mark a problem, if I didn’t put in a bookmark first, I was unable to return to the same point in the document once I had saved my editorial comment. This is no longer the case—hurray! I edit the text, click “Save and close,” and am immediately taken right back to where I made the note. Another feature that I love is being able to email the files, without having to use The Cloud or Dropbox. What a wonderful addition to GoodReaderPDFEditorViewer —it makes my job so much easier! I can only imagine the additional capabilities that exist within the professional package. I don’t need those, so am thrilled that users are given the option of purchasing the package or not.