# Allume vs Nitro PDF Pro

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Allume at 64% against Nitro PDF Pro's 12%. Allume also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Allume sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Nitro PDF Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Allume holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 338 and 161 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Allume's written reviews are positive against 12% of Nitro PDF Pro's.

Allume ships an update every 2 weeks, Nitro PDF Pro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Allume | Nitro PDF Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (338 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allume-for-focused-thinking/id1501563902/reviews)** | [3.9 (161 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nitro-pdf-pro-read-and-edit/id1608616539/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **338** | 161 |
| Positive reviews | **64.4% of reviews** | 12.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 100 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Milestone Made, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476538400) | [Nitro Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1607870122) |

## What reviewers say

### Allume

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allume-for-focused-thinking/id1501563902)

This app provides a digital canvas for organizing thoughts and ideas. It allows users to create nested boards, link content, and combine various media types like text, images, and PDFs. Collaborate with others in real-time on shared workspaces.

**Highlights:** Nested boards for deep ideation, Linked cards for referencing, Remixing content from PDFs and images, Unified canvas for text, ink, and files, Real-time collaboration with shared workspaces, PDF annotation and export

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited membership, monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro membership, monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited membership, yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro membership, yearly | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Organize ideas and information
- 🚀 Unique and very cool features
- 👍 Indispensable app - incredibly well designed
- 👍 Great thinking and creative tool
- 👍 Exceptional app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too expensive subscription price
- 🔒 Lack of privacy of user data
- 🔒 Requires email to try
- 🐛 Bugs are prevalent
- 🔒 Outrageous pricing

**Reported bugs**

- Eraser size issues
- Undo history reset when navigating between boards
- Crashes when erasing large areas
- Syncing issues between devices
- iPhone app not usable without iPad or Mac

**Requested features**

- More pen color and workspace options
- Zoom in/out within a board
- Search functionality
- Checklists
- Support for pen tablets on Mac


### Nitro PDF Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nitro-pdf-pro-read-and-edit/id1608616539)

Edit, annotate, and secure PDF documents on the go. This app offers powerful tools for professionals to manage PDFs, including mobile scanning and AI-powered data extraction. Seamlessly integrate with cloud services and use styluses for precise markups.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDFs with precision tools, Organize pages, merge, and extract PDFs, Mobile scanning with OCR for searchable PDFs, Secure documents with password protection, AI-powered data extraction from tables, Seamless integration with cloud storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Nitro PDF Pro for iOS | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for managing project documents
- 👍 Convenient for PDF modifications
- 👍 Superior PDF handling on Mac
- 👍 Satisfactory in both Mac and Windows environments

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Pro features not available on iOS/iPadOS
- 👎 Yearly charges for basic features
- 👎 Expensive and useless
- 👎 Fails to deliver promised features
- 👎 Impossible to reorder PDF files

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot reorder PDF files
- Crashes when opening PDFs from websites/email
- Does not save markups or documents
- Difficulty creating new folders
- Cannot rotate pages

**Requested features**

- Keyboard support (Cmd + F for search)
- Ability to cancel search with Esc
- OCR and conversion to text documents on tablets
- User manual for iPad app
- Support for Apple Pencil


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Allume free?

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

### Is Nitro PDF Pro free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Allume or Nitro PDF Pro?

Allume is rated higher. Allume averages 4.6 out of 5 from 338 ratings, while Nitro PDF Pro averages 3.9 from 161 ratings.

### Do Allume or Nitro PDF Pro have ads?

Neither Allume nor Nitro PDF Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Allume or Nitro PDF Pro?

Allume ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nitro PDF Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Allume was updated on October 23, 2026 and Nitro PDF Pro on October 30, 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.*