# Lumin vs PDFelement

Lumin and PDFelement both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 32% of Lumin's. PDFelement also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 940) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Lumin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Lumin asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Lumin against 4.6 for PDFelement. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 940, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Lumin's written reviews are positive against 76% of PDFelement's.

Lumin ships an update every 8 days, PDFelement every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lumin | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (940 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumin-view-edit-share-pdf/id1367372862/reviews) | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-and-scan/id1516765045/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 940 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 32.1% of reviews | **76.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 304 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Nitrolabs Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1367372861) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### Lumin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumin-view-edit-share-pdf/id1367372862)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Fast PDF rendering

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Unreliable data sync
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Buggy app experience

**Reported bugs**

- Lost work and unsaved changes
- Inability to open/access files
- Frequent login issues
- Compatibility problems on mobile

**Requested features**

- Offline mode support
- Split-screen functionality
- Improved highlight/annotation tools
- Better Google Drive integration


### PDFelement

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-and-scan/id1516765045)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents, including editing, scanning, converting, and signing. It leverages AI for advanced features like summarizing, translating, and chatting with your PDFs, streamlining workflows for work, study, and daily life.

**Highlights:** AI PDF editing and chat, Edit text, images, and links, Scan documents to PDF with OCR, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, Annotate and markup PDFs, Fill and sign PDF forms, Compress and merge PDFs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription (AI) | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner | $6.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro（iOS） | $6.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Quarterly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| iOS | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Comprehensive feature set
- 🔒 Secure document handling
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Mandatory account required
- 🔒 Unclear licensing and subscription model
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to restore purchases
- Corrupted scanned files or loss of progress
- Inconsistent behavior when editing PDF text
- Compatibility problems with older devices or OS versions

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve cloud integration and file management
- Enhance OCR accuracy and capabilities
- Introduce multi-tab support for better workflow
- Add more customization options for toolbars and UI


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lumin free?

Lumin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PDFelement free?

PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Lumin or PDFelement?

PDFelement is rated higher. Lumin averages 4.5 out of 5 from 940 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do Lumin or PDFelement have ads?

Both Lumin and PDFelement show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lumin or PDFelement?

Lumin ships an update every 8 days, and PDFelement every 11 days. Most recently, Lumin was updated on November 6, 2026 and PDFelement on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*