Comparison

Highlights vs PDF Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Highlights

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

Highlights
  • Read and browse PDF documents
  • Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Add comments and sticky notes
  • Extract annotations into organized notes
  • Convert table data and recognize text
  • Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex)
  • Lookup citation metadata and DOI links
Features
Read full description

"... an app that students, academics, and anyone who does substantial amounts of PDF-based research should try" - Macstories.net "It’s the novel approach to PDF annotation that makes this app a cut above the rest"- TapSmart.com *** "App of the Day" - App Store, US *** USE HIGHLIGHTS FOR FREE Highlights is a fast and lightweight PDF reader (under 10MB) packed with features to help you do your best research. Free users have access to standard PDF reader features including document browsing, reading and annotating. There are NO ADS, time limits or tracking. READ PDF DOCUMENTS • Open PDF documents from anywhere • Browse files using the familiar document browser • Open PDFs in Single Page or Two Page scroll mode • Double tap to Smart Zoom in on a paragraph or figure • Scrub smoothly to the desired page • Search the entire document in an instant • Navigate using any connected keyboard or mouse STORE YOUR FILES WHERE YOU WANT • Full support for "Open In Place" lets you make edits to the file where it is • Access your files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box using the document browser • Or keep them privately on device only HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE FASTER • Select text with your finger, Apple Pencil or mouse pointer • Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and make image selections • Add comments to annotations or as individual sticky notes • Annotate with fewer taps using context aware popovers • Default annotation colors prevents you from having to repeatedly setting the color for the same type of annotation every time TURN ANNOTATIONS INTO NOTES • As you markup text and images the contents are extracted and sorted into notes • Customize the formatting and contents of your notes • Sort the annotations chronologically or create your own color coding EXTRACT TABLE DATA AND RECOGNIZE TEXT • Convert images containing text or tables to actual text and tables using machine learning - letting you get to the underlying data with a single tap SMART COPY Copy annotations to the desired format with one tap: • Text markup as text • Image selections as images • Tables as CSV • Citations as BibTex LOOKUP CITATIONS • Highlights will fetch DOI-links and metadata • Markup any reference and tap the link icon to look it up • If you have read the work already or have it in your reference manager library, Highlights will link you to it EXPORT ANYWHERE • Save or share your notes as portable files: Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF • Share them to your favorite notes app: Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, Evernote, DEVONThink, Keep It, MindNode, Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research or Ulysses • Or send them to a colleague via mail. It's your notes, you decide where they go MUCH MORE • Dark mode • Multi-window support on iPadOS • Keyboard shortcuts and navigation • Support for system Copy and Undo gestures • Alternative app icons • Custom accent colors • Apple Pencil double-tap gestures • Power annotation tools For a full list of features see: highlightsapp.net/features HIGHLIGHTS PRO The Highlights Pro subscription unlocks advanced features on your iPhone, iPad and Mac: • Export options for other apps and easily editable formats • Extract information using table and text recognition • Customize accent colors and alternative app icons • Power annotation tools • Citation lookups • Smart Copy Highlights Pro includes a 14-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off within 24-hour prior to the end of of the current period. Payments will be charged to your iTunes account and your account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information about Highlights Pro: highlightsapp.net/pro Privacy Policy: highlightsapp.net/privacy Terms of Use: highlightsapp.net/terms

About

PDF Editor

This application allows users to annotate PDF documents on Mac and iOS devices. Easily add notes, highlights, and comments to your files with a simple and intuitive interface. It's ideal for providing feedback or filling out forms.

Highlights
  • Add notes and comments
  • Highlight important text
  • Fill in PDF forms
  • User-friendly interface
  • Cross-device compatibility
Features
Read full description

PDF Editor is a powerful PDF annotator for Mac and iOS . It allows you to add notes, highlights, comments, and annotations to your PDF documents with ease. With a user-friendly interface, you can quickly navigate through your documents and make changes with just a few clicks. Whether you need to add feedback to a colleague's report, highlight important information, or fill in forms, PDF Editor is the perfect tool for you.

Screenshots

Highlights4 screens
PDF Editor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Editor at none against Highlights's 3. Highlights's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 19). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. PDF Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Highlights against 4.6 for PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highlights has 1.6K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of Highlights's written reviews are positive against 57% of PDF Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Highlights versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHighlightsPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.6K ratings)4.6 (19 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.2% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K — better19
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonas Myren RibeRainbowFactory LTD

Customer experience

Highlights

All ratings1,619 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews466 reviews
Positive53.2%
Neutral15.2%
Negative31.5%

PDF Editor

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

Highlights

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Export functionality not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
  • Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
  • Allow editing of notes directly in the app
  • Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation

PDF Editor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions3
  • Highlights Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Highlights Pro14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade1 Year trial$29.991 Year
None

PDF Editor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Highlights or PDF Editor?
PDF Editor is rated higher. Highlights averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.6 from 19 ratings.
Do Highlights or PDF Editor have ads?
Neither Highlights nor PDF Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Highlights or PDF Editor?
Highlights ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Editor fortnightly. Most recently, Highlights was updated on October 17, 2026 and PDF Editor on October 10, 2026.

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