# Lumin vs UPDF

Lumin and UPDF both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of UPDF's written reviews are positive against 32% of Lumin's. UPDF also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Lumin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UPDF sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 UPDF. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 940 and 703 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Lumin's written reviews are positive against 84% of UPDF's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Lumin | UPDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (940 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumin-view-edit-share-pdf/id1367372862/reviews) | **[4.6 (703 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **940** | 703 |
| Positive reviews | 32.1% of reviews | **84.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 304 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nitrolabs Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1367372861) | [Superace Software Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1595826625) |

## 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


### UPDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623)

This app is a powerful PDF editor for mobile devices, offering AI-powered features for summarizing, translating, and chatting with documents. It allows users to read, edit, annotate, convert, and sign PDFs, as well as scan paper documents into editable files. Manage all your PDF files and protect them with security features.

**Highlights:** AI-powered summarization and translation, Edit text, images, and watermarks in PDFs, Annotate with various markup tools, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and PPT, Scan documents to editable PDFs, Sign and fill PDF forms, Organize and protect PDF files

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF AI Standard | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF Pro + AI Unlimited | $18.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $19.00 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| UPDF AI Standard | $69.00 | per year |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $79.00 | per year |
| Perpetual License | $79.99 | one-time |
| UPDF & AI Add-on for iOS | $148.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent PDF editor
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Powerful features like AI-powered summarization
- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or stability issues
- 💡 Need for more customization options
- 💡 Lack of integration with third-party cloud storage
- 🐛 Issues with handwriting recognition and annotation

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to edit text directly in PDF files
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
- Occasional loss of editing progress when app is minimized

**Requested features**

- Add password protection for PDF files
- Improve file organization and folder management
- Implement keyboard shortcuts for power users
- Expand OCR capabilities and text extraction
- Allow custom signature and stamp imports


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lumin free?

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

### Is UPDF free?

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

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

UPDF is rated higher. Lumin averages 4.5 out of 5 from 940 ratings, while UPDF averages 4.6 from 703 ratings.

### Do Lumin or UPDF have ads?

Lumin shows ads; UPDF does not.

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

Lumin ships an update every 8 days, and UPDF fortnightly. Most recently, Lumin was updated on November 6, 2026 and UPDF 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.*