Convert a PDF to a Mobile App for Android (APK) and iPhone
Upload a PDF and Appy Pie builds a reader app around it with your name, icon and colours. Test it on your own phone, then publish to Google Play and the App Store.
Drop your PDF here
or browse files on your deviceWhat Your PDF App Is
A PDF app is a small reader app built around your document. People install it from Google Play or the App Store, open it from their home screen and read your PDF with your name, icon and colours, without hunting for an email attachment or a download link.
- Your PDF in a branded reader app
- Your own name, icon, colours and splash screen
- Push notifications when you add something new
- More pages and documents whenever you need them
Publishing a library of books instead? The eBook app builder is made for that.
Product Manual 2026
Example: a product manual as a branded app.
How to Convert a PDF to an App in 4 Steps
From a file on your computer to an app people can install.
- STEP 1
Upload your PDF
Drop the file in the box above, or paste a link that ends in .pdf. Up to 20 MB.
- STEP 2
Brand the reader
Set the app name, icon, colours and splash screen, and add pages or push notifications.
- STEP 3
Test it on your phone
Open the test link from your dashboard on an Android phone and install the APK.
- STEP 4
Publish
Go live on Google Play from the Basic plan, or on Google Play and the App Store on Platinum.
PDF to APK: What You Actually Get
Two different builds, for two different jobs.
For you
A test APK for your own phone
- Every build gets a test link in your dashboard
- Open it on an Android phone, allow installs from unknown sources once, and tap Install
- Rebuild and test as often as you like while you edit
- For testing only, not for sharing with readers
For your readers
A Google Play app
- Published under your own Google Play account ($25 once)
- Readers find it, install it and get updates from the store
- Needs the Basic plan ($16 a month) or above
- The same project can go to the App Store on Platinum
APK or AAB? An APK installs straight onto a phone; it is what the test link gives you. Google Play has required the app bundle (AAB) format for new apps since August 2021 and turns it into APKs for each device. Want the same thing for a website rather than a PDF? See the website to APK converter.
How Do I Turn a File Into an App on My iPhone?
If the file is only for you, you don’t need an app at all.
Put a file on your home screen
Free, takes a minute, works on iOS 16 and later.
If the PDF is online
- Open the PDF’s link in Safari.
- Tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
- Name it and tap Add. The icon opens the PDF.
If the file is on your iPhone
- Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut.
- Add an action that opens your file, such as Quick Look with the file selected.
- Open the shortcut’s menu and choose Add to Home Screen.
When a shortcut isn’t enough
A home-screen icon only lives on your phone. Build an app when:
- Other people need to install it from the App Store
- You want your own name and icon on their phones
- You want to send push notifications or sell access
iPhone apps are on the Platinum plan ($60 a month). The iPhone app builder covers the iOS side in more detail.
What People Turn Into PDF Apps
Any document your customers, staff or students open again and again.
Product manuals
Setup guides and troubleshooting your customers keep on their phone.
Catalogues
A seasonal catalogue with your brand on the icon, updated when the range changes.
Menus
A restaurant or cafe menu guests install once and open from their home screen.
Training and courses
Staff handbooks, course notes and study guides for your team or students.
Brochures
Event programmes, property brochures and sales sheets in a tidy app.
Reports
Annual reports and member newsletters with push notifications for each new issue.
Publishing books? Use the eBook app builder. Running courses? The education app builder adds quizzes and video.
What a PDF App Costs
Prices as our app pricing page shows them. Try any plan free for 7 days for personal, non-commercial use.
Your PDF app on Google Play
- Android app for Google Play
- 500 push notifications a month
- Unlimited app editing
Adds selling inside the app
- Everything in Basic
- In-app purchases and premium features
- 1,000 push notifications a month
Android and the App Store
- Everything in Gold
- iPhone app for the App Store
- Help with your first store submission
Read from our pricing data on October 6, 2026.
PDF to App Converters Compared: Appy Pie, PandaSuite, Kotobee and Book2App
Each one suits a different kind of document.
| Appy Pie | PandaSuite | Kotobee | Book2App | A freelancer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price to publish | From $16 a month (Google Play); $60 for iPhone too | Single app plan €83 a month or €990 a year | Free plan with watermarked apps; paid from $30 | Free app, $1.99 per credit | Quoted per project |
| How you build | Upload the PDF, then a no-code builder | Interactive layout editor | eBook authoring tool | An iPhone app | They build it for you |
| Stores | Google Play; App Store on Platinum | Google Play and App Store on Single | App exports on paid plans | PWA and app publishing | Whatever you agree |
| Their strength | PDF plus a full app builder: push, pages, selling | Rich interactive documents | Interactive ebooks and quizzes | Cheap for a one-off | Fully custom |
| Where we fall short | No interactive page design; iPhone needs our top plan | PandaSuite and Kotobee design richer interactive pages than we do. Book2App was last updated in April 2021. | |||
PandaSuite and Book2App details read from PandaSuite’s pricing page and the App Store listing on October 6, 2026; Kotobee on September 29, 2026 from its pricing page. Check their sites before you decide.
What Customers Say About Appy Pie
Quoted as written on G2 and Capterra, with dates.
When developing your app, they will guide you every step of the way if you get stuck. If they don’t tell you how to do it, they provide a video demonstrating how to do it.
Pearl O., small business · 6 December 2023, incentivised review
We designed a sister app for our podcast episodes and behind-the-scenes content. That helped drive up our engagement and allowed to reach an audience that is more mobile than web.
Emanuel C., author, media production · 22 May 2025
The additional support when it comes to submission to the app stores is well worth it.
John M., CEO, education company · June 2025
The other side: Emanuel C. also found limited design flexibility and a couple of hurdles publishing to the store. James H. (Capterra, 3 of 5, June 2025) objected to paying $60 a month to keep an app in both stores while it was still in testing, and Barry F. (Capterra, 1 of 5, November 2025) noted the free tier does not publish. None of these reviews is about PDF apps specifically.
What This PDF App Maker Does Not Do
Read these before you start.
PDF to App FAQ
What people ask before they turn a PDF into an app, including the APK and iPhone questions.
Upload my PDFUpload your PDF in the box at the top of this page, or paste a link that ends in .pdf. Appy Pie builds a reader app around it. You then set the name, icon and colours, add pages or features, test it on your own phone and publish to Google Play, or to Google Play and the App Store on the Platinum plan.
Yes, in the sense people usually mean. Appy Pie turns your PDF into an Android app, and the dashboard gives you a test link that installs it on your own phone as an APK. That test build is for checking the app, not for sharing. To give the app to other people you publish it on Google Play, which needs a paid plan and takes an app bundle rather than an APK.
You can build and test a PDF app free during Appy Pie’s 7-day trial, which is for personal, non-commercial use. Publishing needs a paid plan from $16 a month. Other tools work differently: PandaSuite’s free editor cannot publish, Book2App charges $1.99 per credit, and Kotobee’s free plan exports watermarked apps.
Yes, on the Platinum plan ($60 a month), which publishes to the App Store under your own Apple Developer account ($99 a year, paid to Apple). Apple reviews every app, and it reviews 90% of submissions in less than 24 hours.
If you only want a file on your own home screen, you don’t need an app. For a PDF that is online, open it in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. For a file on your phone, make a shortcut in the Shortcuts app that opens it, then add that shortcut to your home screen. An app is worth building when other people need to install it.
PDF and ePub files, up to 20 MB each, or a link that ends in .pdf or .epub. Word, Pages and Google Docs files need exporting to PDF first; each of those apps can do it from its export or download menu.
Yes, with in-app purchases, which are on the Gold plan ($36 a month) and above. Google and Apple keep their share of each sale, usually 15% for small developers.
Don’t count on it. We don’t promise offline reading, so plan for readers who are online, and keep a downloadable copy of the PDF if offline access matters to them.
Use this one for a single document or a few: a manual, catalogue, menu, brochure or course notes. Use the eBook app builder if you are publishing books and want a reader app for a library of titles.
Not to build and test. You need one only when you publish, and it costs $25 once. The app is published under your account, so you own the listing.
Building the first version takes minutes. Google Play reviews a new app in a few days; Apple reviews most apps in less than 24 hours.
Yes. After the first version is built you can add more documents and pages in the builder, along with features such as push notifications.
Ready to Turn Your PDF Into an App?
Upload the file and see the app before you pay. Test it on your phone, then publish to Google Play or both stores.
Create My PDF App
Written and reviewed by
Abhinav GirdharFounder, Appy Pie
Building no-code app and website tools for 10M+ users since 2016.
About the teamLast updated