# Lumin vs Budget First

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lumin at none against Budget First's 2. Lumin also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 months). Budget First's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget First sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Lumin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lumin ships an update every 8 days, Budget First every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lumin | Budget First |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (916 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumin-view-edit-share-pdf/id1367372862/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **916** | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 269 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Nitrolabs Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1367372861) | [剑华 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568304460) |

## 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


### Budget First

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-first/id6450870106)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscribe Annually | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lumin free?

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

### Is Budget First free?

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

### Do Lumin or Budget First have ads?

Lumin shows ads; Budget First does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lumin or Budget First?

Lumin ships an update every 8 days, and Budget First every 6 months. Most recently, Lumin was updated on October 18, 2026 and Budget First on September 11, 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.*