LiquidText review

LiquidText is less a PDF editor than a research desk. You import PDFs, Word files, slides and webpages into a project, then drag excerpts into a workspace beside the document, add typed or handwritten notes and group them. Tapping an excerpt jumps back to its source. Pinching a document collapses the pages between two passages so you can compare them, and you can comment on several selections at once. Paid features add freehand drawing, ink links that connect ideas across documents, full-document OCR, viewing up to 3 documents at once, Zotero and Mendeley imports, real-time collaboration and cloud sync. Projects export as a PDF or as a Word file that turns your excerpts into a linear outline. The cost is higher than most: the App Store lists LiquidText Live at $10.90 a month or $99.99 a year, with cheaper student options. It cannot edit existing PDF text, so it suits reading and analysis rather than fixing documents.

Who it is for

lawyers, researchers and students comparing many documents

Price

Free core app; LiquidText Live from $10.90 a month or $99.99 a year in the US App Store.

LiquidText Live, Monthly $10.90
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Pull excerpts from several documents into one workspace
• Pinch a document to compare distant pages side by side
• Ink links that connect excerpts, notes and pages (paid)
• Imports documents and metadata from Zotero and Mendeley (paid)
• Real-time collaboration on shared projects (paid)

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Comment on two or more selections at once
• Strength: Exports a project as PDF or as a Word file of your notes
• Strength: Replaces a document with a newer version and carries annotations over (paid)
• Weakness: Freehand drawing is a paid feature
• Weakness: Full document OCR needs a paid upgrade
• Weakness: Yearly Live plan costs $99.99

Key facts

• Platforms: iPad, iPhone, Mac, Vision Pro
• Imports: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, webpages
• Documents in view: Up to 3 at once (paid)
• Requires: iPadOS 17.0 or later

Where it ranks

LiquidText is No. 9 in our Best PDF Editors for iPad verdict.