# PDFelement vs PDF Master

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against PDF Master's 40%. PDFelement also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). PDF Master's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Master sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Master holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 40% of PDF Master's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, PDF Master every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFelement | PDF Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-and-scanner/id1606486950/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **76.1% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 199 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) | [shellmob](https://appshunter.io/developer/1573900492) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### PDF Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-and-scanner/id1606486950)

This app is a comprehensive PDF tool for iPhone and iPad users. It offers editing, conversion, scanning, reading, and signing capabilities in a single, user-friendly interface. Streamline your document management for work, study, or daily tasks.

**Highlights:** Professional PDF editing and annotation, Convert PDFs to/from Word, Excel, PPT, Images, TXT, HD mobile scanner with OCR, Image to PDF conversion, Smooth PDF reader and file manager, Electronic and handwritten signatures

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Converter Premium Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Converter Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter Premium quarter | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| PDF Photos Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Quarterly | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| PDF Photos Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter Premium Yearly | $25.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| PDF Converter Premium Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Is PDF Master free?

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

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

PDF Master is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while PDF Master averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do PDFelement or PDF Master have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; PDF Master does not.

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

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Master every 2 months. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on November 1, 2026 and PDF Master on October 26, 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.*