Lumin vs Smallpdf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lumin
Edit, share, and collaborate on PDF documents in the cloud. This app offers a suite of tools for annotating, organizing, and signing PDFs, with seamless integration for cloud storage and real-time collaboration.
- Seamless document management
- Cloud integration and auto-save
- Versatile editing and annotation tools
- Document organization and conversion
- Pre-designed templates
- Real-time collaboration
- eSignatures and form filling
- Scanning to PDF
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Lumin for iOS allows you to edit and sync to your Google documents in seconds. Collaborate with colleagues in real-time with a diverse set of editing tools. Lumin auto-saves your changes and syncs them to all your devices. Connect your Google account and stay on top of your documents. You can effortlessly view and share files with anybody via email or shareable links. TRUSTED BY MILLIONS Join over 100 million Lumin users worldwide who use our app to edit, share, and collaborate in the cloud. From note-taking and project management to client onboarding and legal document review, Lumin empowers you across industries. KEY FEATURES - Seamless document management: Import from your favorite storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive), edit, and share PDFs effortlessly. - Cloud integration: Automatically save changes and sync across devices. - Versatile editing tools: Highlight, annotate, draw on PDFs and more. - Document organization: Organize, extract pages, merge files, convert to/from PDF,... - Pre-designed templates: Choose from various templates for various purposes and industries, such as real estate, education, job application, etc. - Collaboration: Share files and receive real-time notifications. - eSignatures: Sign and fill out forms with ease. - Scanning: Convert paper documents into portable PDFs. LUMIN IN THE REVIEWS “I use Lumin to mark up PDF drawings and send them to my subcontractors. In my role, time is of the essence. Lumin provides me with a tool to make collaboration and feedback easy.” – Construction site manager, US “We have been using Lumin for a little over two years, and it's been amazing. Using Lumin on-the-go and in-office allows us better turnaround time for our patients' care.” – Director of Services and Operations, US “It s very useful and handful for studying and I feel like they make good improvements with each upgrade. I use it for studying, it's cool that I can connect my university Google Drive to the Lumin account and I can edit, draw, write, highlight and add comments and they always get saved.” – Individual user “Too loud. You can open and edit texts from any device, everything is saved automatically, quickly. Access is very fast. The options for editing documents are diverse.” – Individual user Terms & conditions: https://www.luminpdf.com/terms-of-use/
Smallpdf
This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools to manage PDF documents. Easily convert, edit, compress, sign, merge, and scan PDFs using your mobile device. It also features OCR technology to convert scanned documents into editable text.
- Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, JPG, PNG
- Edit PDFs with text, images, and annotations
- Compress PDFs to reduce file size
- Sign PDFs electronically
- Merge multiple PDF files
- Scan documents to PDF with OCR
- Fill out PDF forms
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Smallpdf: All-In-One PDF Editor and Document Organizer Smallpdf is your go-to PDF tool, designed to simplify your document management. Whether you need to convert, compress, edit, sign, merge, or scan PDFs, our app makes it effortless. Trusted by 2.4 billion people since 2013, Smallpdf offers a seamless PDF experience right at your fingertips. Key Features: Convert PDFs Across All Document Formats Easily: PDF to Word doc PDF to Excel PDF to PPT PDF to JPG PDF to PNG Images to PDF and vice versa! Edit PDFs: Add text, images, and shapes directly in your PDF files Add annotations and highlights easily Rotate, delete, and rearrange PDF pages PDF editing tools Compress PDFs: Reduce the file size of your PDFs without compromising quality Optimize PDFs for sharing and saving storage space Shrink PDF files Compress PDF documents Sign PDFs: Add an e-signature to your documents Digitally sign PDFs securely Electronic signatures for PDFs Merge PDFs: Combine multiple PDF files into one Merge PDF documents Scan Documents to PDF: Use your camera to scan documents, receipts, notes, and more into PDFs Enhance scans with automatic cropping and optimization Convert scanned images to selectable text with OCR Scan image to PDF Scan doc to PDF Scan jpg to PDF Scan receipts to PDF OCR Technology: Convert scanned documents into selectable text with our advanced OCR feature Support for multiple languages OCR PDF converter Why Choose Smallpdf? User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive and easy to navigate, making PDF tasks simpler than ever. Cloud Integration: Access and save your files directly from your local device storage. Privacy and data protection: All uploaded files deleted 1 hour after processing (unless saved locally or to the cloud) Cross-Platform Availability: All major operating systems. Work on your PDFs anytime, anywhere. Fast and Reliable: Quick processing times ensure you can get your work done efficiently. High Security: We prioritize your privacy and data security, complying with GDPR standards. Additional Features: PDF Reader: View and read PDF documents with ease. PDF Scanner: Quickly scan and digitize your paper documents. PDF Filler: Fill out PDF forms and documents electronically. PDF Maker: Create PDFs from various file formats effortlessly. PDF Annotator: Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text in your PDFs. Download Smallpdf Now! Smallpdf is free within a daily task limit. If you would like to try out Smallpdf Pro for unlimited conversions across ALL tools, there’s a free 7-day trial available. The Smallpdf Mobile App is the all-in-one solution for all your document management needs. Simplify your tax return or scan in receipts easily using your camera to save, edit, and manage thousands of documents in all formats. Save backups on the drive or share directly to email to manage your documents on the go! Join 2.4B+ satisfied users and simplify your PDF tasks today. Download Smallpdf and enjoy a free trial of all premium features. Privacy policy: https://smallpdf.com/privacy Terms of use: https://smallpdf.com/support We love feedback, so feel free to send yours to support@smallpdf.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smallpdf at 68% against Lumin's 32%. Smallpdf also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Lumin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On price, update cadence, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Smallpdf sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Lumin asks for nothing beyond the download.
Smallpdf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smallpdf has 6.9K ratings behind it against 931, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Lumin's written reviews are positive against 68% of Smallpdf's.
Lumin ships an update weekly, Smallpdf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lumin | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (931 ratings) | 4.8 (6.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.1% of reviews | 67.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 931 | 6.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 288 MB | 112 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nitrolabs Limited | Smallpdf |
Customer experience
Lumin
Smallpdf
User reviews
Lumin
From 931 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Fast PDF rendering
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Unreliable data sync
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Buggy app experience
Smallpdf
From 6.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features
- 🔒 Secure
- 🆓 Free to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 💰 Paid version required for full functionality
- 🤔 Confusing account management
- 🤯 Missing key features
- 🤖 Poor customer support
Bugs and requests
Lumin
Reported bugs
4 issues- Lost work and unsaved changes
- Inability to open/access files
- Frequent login issues
- Compatibility problems on mobile
Requested features
4 requests- Offline mode support
- Split-screen functionality
- Improved highlight/annotation tools
- Better Google Drive integration
Smallpdf
Reported bugs
5 issues- Files not saving properly
- Conversion issues with larger documents
- Unexpected crashes and freezes
- Compatibility problems with older devices
- Incorrect file content after compression
Requested features
5 requests- Add more color options for annotations
- Improve search functionality for saved documents
- Enhance iPad compatibility
- Allow inserting images into PDFs
- Provide better file management and organization
In-app purchases
Lumin
No in-app purchases
Smallpdf
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Yearly Plan$107.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$107.991 Year
- Yearly Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year








