# PDFgear vs Side Reader PDFgear records 2,845,280 monthly visits with -3.4% month-over-month growth and Free pricing. Side Reader records 355 monthly visits with -36.5% growth and Freemium pricing. | Metric | [PDFgear](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdfgear) | [Side Reader](https://openaitools.app/tool/side-reader) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Website URL | https://www.pdfgear.com | https://www.side-reader.com | | Categories | AI PDF, AI PDF Editor, AI OCR, AI Copilot | AI PDF, AI Reader, AI Chatbot, AI PDF Summarizer | | Pricing Model | Free | Freemium | | Monthly Visits | 2,845,280 | 355 | | MoM Growth Rate | -3.4% | -36.5% | | Primary Market | United States | Vietnam | | Direct Visits | 675,076 | 149 | | Review Score | 4.5 | 2.4 | | Saved Count | 6 | 0 | | Supported Platforms | Website | Website | ## PDFgear PDFgear targets the everyday PDF chores that usually push people toward paid subscriptions: editing text and images in a document, converting to and from Word, Excel or images, merging and splitting files, compressing large scans, filling forms and applying signatures. The core selling point is that these are available at no cost, with the software installed locally on Windows, macOS, iOS or Android, and a parallel set of browser tools for quick one-off jobs. Where it differentiates is the AI layer. The built-in assistant can summarise a long PDF, answer questions about its contents and pull specific text out of tricky layouts — useful for research papers, contracts and reports where copy-paste fails. OCR converts scanned documents into editable Word or TXT in more than 30 languages. The editor itself aims to feel like a word processor, with support for annotating, highlighting, inserting shapes and reorganising pages. The site also explains openly why the product can be free, describing its sustainability model, and it links to a related e-signing service. Because there is no account requirement for most operations and the desktop software runs offline, PDFgear suits users who are privacy-conscious or simply tired of upload limits. It is a strong general-purpose alternative to Adobe Acrobat for routine work, though highly specialised print or enterprise workflows may still need commercial tooling. **Pricing & Plans:** Free. The desktop apps and online tools are offered at no cost, with no signup required for typical tasks. A related e-signing service is also available. - **Full PDF editing:** Edit text, images, shapes, links, signatures and form fields in a document as easily as in a word processor. - **AI assistant:** Chat with a PDF, generate summaries and extract answers or text from long and awkwardly laid-out documents. - **Conversion suite:** Convert between PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT and images, including batch conversion with lossless output. - **OCR in 30+ languages:** Turn scanned or image-based documents into fully editable Word or TXT files. - **Cross-platform access:** Use native apps on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, or dozens of browser tools with no installation. **Strengths:** Genuinely free for both desktop and online use, with no account required for most tasks; AI assistant adds summarisation and document Q&A on top of standard editing; Available across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web; OCR supports more than 30 languages for scanned documents **Limitations:** Very large or highly specialised print workflows may still need commercial software; The number of separate online tools can be hard to navigate at first; AI features depend on document quality, so poor scans can produce weaker summaries [Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdfgear.md) ## Side Reader Side Reader exists to remove the friction of working with documents and AI chatbots at the same time. Normally you either paste chunks of a PDF into a chat window or juggle two tabs and lose your place. Side Reader is a Chrome extension that renders the PDF in the sidebar of ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek, so the document and the conversation sit side by side. Once a PDF is open you use built-in action buttons to summarize, translate or explain content, and you can customize those button prompts so the AI answers in your preferred format. For content that cannot be selected — charts, infographics, scanned images — a screenshot question lets you ask about a region of the page directly. The reader itself supports zoom, page navigation and width adjustment, so it behaves like a normal PDF viewer rather than a stripped-down preview. Privacy is handled simply: PDFs are stored locally in your browser and Side Reader does not keep your files. Because the AI work happens inside the ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek session you are already using, Side Reader adds document handling rather than a separate subscription to yet another model. **Pricing & Plans:** Freemium. The core Chrome extension is available to install, with a paid upgrade for extended usage; check the extension listing for current limits. - **Read PDFs beside the chat:** PDFs render directly in the sidebar next to the chat, so your document and the AI conversation are visible at the same time. - **Summarize, translate and explain:** Summarize a whole document, translate it, or have passages explained in simpler terms using the AI you are already signed into. - **Custom action button prompts:** Built-in buttons cover the common actions, and you can edit their prompts to make the AI respond in the format and tone you need. - **Screenshot questions for non-selectable content:** Ask about charts, scans or regions that cannot be selected by taking a screenshot question instead. - **Local storage and a proper reader:** Files stay local in your browser and are not stored by Side Reader, and PDFs keep zoom, page navigation and width controls. **Strengths:** Keeps the PDF and the AI conversation visible in the same window; Works with ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek rather than locking you into one model; Local-only file storage — documents are not kept on Side Reader servers; Customizable action prompts for repeatable workflows **Limitations:** Requires an active ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek session to do the AI work; Chrome only — no Firefox, Safari or Edge-specific edition; Very new/small product, so the feature set is still evolving [Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/side-reader.md) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do PDFgear and Side Reader compare in monthly traffic? PDFgear has 2,845,280 monthly visits, while Side Reader has 355. Traffic estimates describe audience size, not product quality. ### How do their growth rates compare? PDFgear has a month-over-month growth rate of -3.4%; Side Reader has -36.5%. ### How does pricing compare? PDFgear: Free. Free. The desktop apps and online tools are offered at no cost, with no signup required for typical tasks. A related e-signing service is also available. Side Reader: Freemium. Freemium. The core Chrome extension is available to install, with a paid upgrade for extended usage; check the extension listing for current limits. ## Alternatives | # | Tool Name | Monthly Visits | MoM Growth Rate | Pricing Model | Summary | Profile (Markdown) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | [Claude](https://openaitools.app/tool/claude-2) | 1,253,439,413 | +23.8% | Freemium | Anthropic's frontier AI workspace powered by Claude 5.5 for agentic coding, analysis, and nuanced writing. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/claude-2.md) | | 2 | [Wondershare](https://openaitools.app/tool/wondershare-com) | 6,646,794 | -3.6% | Freemium, Free Trial, Paid | An AI-powered creative and productivity suite spanning video, documents, diagrams and data | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/wondershare-com.md) | | 3 | [SciSpace](https://openaitools.app/tool/scispace) | 4,464,111 | +8.6% | Freemium | AI research platform for reading, understanding and writing scientific papers | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/scispace.md) | | 4 | [Sider](https://openaitools.app/tool/sider) | 2,644,740 | -10.6% | Freemium | AI sidebar and browser agent for reading, writing and research | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/sider.md) | | 5 | [Immersive Translate](https://openaitools.app/tool/immersive-translate) | 2,392,414 | -9.4% | Freemium, Free Trial | Bilingual AI translation for websites, documents, video and images | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/immersive-translate.md) | | 6 | [PDNob PDF Editor](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdnob-pdf-editor) | 2,376,518 | +1.2% | Freemium, Free Trial, Paid | Desktop document suite providing advanced editing, OCR conversion, and AI-powered chat assistance for local files. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdnob-pdf-editor.md) | | 7 | [LightPDF](https://openaitools.app/tool/lightpdf-com) | 1,742,568 | -15.3% | Freemium | Free AI-powered PDF editor, converter and reader for every device | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/lightpdf-com.md) | | 8 | [Merlin AI](https://openaitools.app/tool/merlin-ai-plugins) | 1,382,634 | +13.1% | Freemium | One AI assistant that plugs ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini into every tab | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/merlin-ai-plugins.md) | | 9 | [pdf.net](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdf-net) | 1,257,131 | -22.3% | Freemium, Free | Browser-based PDF workspace combining document conversion, e-signatures, and automated AI summarization tools. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdf-net.md) | | 10 | [UPDF AI](https://openaitools.app/tool/updf-ai) | 1,050,387 | -7.2% | Freemium, Free Trial, Paid | Cross-platform PDF editing with GPT-powered AI for reading, translating, and signing documents | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/updf-ai.md) | --- Source: https://openaitools.app/compare/pdfgear-vs-side-reader More Markdown: [Categories](https://openaitools.app/categories.md) · [Traffic rankings](https://openaitools.app/rankings.md) · [llms.txt](https://openaitools.app/llms.txt)