# PDF Highlighter vs PDFelement

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against PDF Highlighter's 0%. PDFelement also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 95 months). PDF Highlighter's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Highlighter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDFelement holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of PDF Highlighter's written reviews are positive against 76% of PDFelement's.

PDF Highlighter ships an update every 95 months, PDFelement every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Highlighter | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-highlighter-read-and-edit/id1434848610/reviews) | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **76.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 95 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 33 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Jaydeep Dhameliya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315657518) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Highlighter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-highlighter-read-and-edit/id1434848610)

Easily edit and highlight text, photos, and documents directly on your phone. This app provides realistic highlighting tools and drawing functions to mark important sections of PDFs and images, allowing you to save and share your annotated files.

**Highlights:** Edit and highlight PDF files and photos, Use realistic highlighter pen tool, Freehand drawing with pen, line, arrow, rectangle, and circle tools, Change drawing tool colors and sizes, Zoom in/out PDF pages, Export highlighted PDFs and photos, Add, delete, or edit PDF pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Week | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Month | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Highlighter Purchase Year | $110.99 | per year |


### PDFelement

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

This application offers comprehensive PDF management, including advanced editing, AI-powered summarization and translation, and efficient scanning with OCR. It helps organize, convert, and secure documents for work, study, and personal use.

**Highlights:** AI Chat with PDF, Scan and OCR, PDF to Office Conversion, Edit PDF like Word, Password Protection, Compress PDF

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| 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 |
| Monthly Subscription (All) | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $24.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Quarterly Subscription (All) | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Win) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Mac) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (All) | $109.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $39.99 | one-time |
| 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 PDF Highlighter free?

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

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Highlighter or PDFelement?

PDFelement is rated higher. PDF Highlighter averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do PDF Highlighter or PDFelement have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; PDF Highlighter does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Highlighter or PDFelement?

PDF Highlighter ships an update every 95 months, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, PDF Highlighter was updated on October 24, 2026 and PDFelement on November 1, 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.*