# Smallpdf vs PDFelement

The clearest difference is ads: Smallpdf at none against PDFelement's shown. Smallpdf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). PDFelement's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 68%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Smallpdf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and PDFelement sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Smallpdf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 7.6K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Smallpdf's written reviews are positive against 76% of PDFelement's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Smallpdf ships an update every 2 weeks, PDFelement every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smallpdf | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500/reviews)** | [4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6.9K | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 67.6% of reviews | **76.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 112 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Smallpdf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1485259499) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### Smallpdf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $14.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $107.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features
- 🔒 Secure
- 🆓 Free to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 💰 Paid version required for full functionality
- 🤔 Confusing account management
- 🤯 Missing key features
- 🤖 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### 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 (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 Smallpdf free?

Smallpdf 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, Smallpdf or PDFelement?

Smallpdf is rated higher. Smallpdf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do Smallpdf or PDFelement have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; Smallpdf does not.

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

Smallpdf ships an update every 2 weeks, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, Smallpdf was updated on November 4, 2026 and PDFelement on November 4, 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.*