# ApowerPDF Editor vs PDFelement

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against ApowerPDF Editor's 31%. PDFelement also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.8) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 5). ApowerPDF Editor's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ApowerPDF Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month 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 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of ApowerPDF Editor's written reviews are positive against 76% of PDFelement's.

ApowerPDF Editor ships an update every 4 weeks, PDFelement every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ApowerPDF Editor | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apowerpdf-editor/id1504177983/reviews) | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | **75.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 82 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1254320291) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### ApowerPDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apowerpdf-editor/id1504177983)

Easily modify PDF documents on your mobile device. Edit text, change fonts, manage images, and organize pages. Save your work to the cloud for access across devices.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text and fonts, Add, rotate, and resize images, Manage PDF pages (add, delete, reorder), Save documents to cloud storage, View PDF content with thumbnail navigation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Editor Monthly Bundle Plan | $2.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Yearly Bundle Plan | $6.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor (Monthly) | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Editor (Yearly) | $9.99 | one-time |


### 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

**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 ApowerPDF Editor free?

ApowerPDF Editor 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, ApowerPDF Editor or PDFelement?

PDFelement is rated higher. ApowerPDF Editor averages 1.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do ApowerPDF Editor or PDFelement have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; ApowerPDF Editor does not.

### Which is updated more often, ApowerPDF Editor or PDFelement?

ApowerPDF Editor ships an update every 4 weeks, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, ApowerPDF Editor was updated on September 19, 2026 and PDFelement on September 25, 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.*