# PDFelement vs Forma

The clearest difference is update cadence: PDFelement at every 10 days against Forma's monthly. PDFelement also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Forma's advantage is chart position (#102 vs unranked) and ratings volume (26K vs 7.6K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Forma sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for PDFelement against 4.7 for Forma. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 26K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 69% of Forma's.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, Forma monthly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFelement | Forma |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews) | **[4.7 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forma-pdf-document-editor/id1658514439/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7.6K | **26K** |
| Positive reviews | **75.9% of reviews** | 69.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#102** |
| Size | 200 MB | 201 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) | [BPMobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/1085442365) |

## 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

**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


### Forma

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forma-pdf-document-editor/id1658514439)

**Currently charting:** #102 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

This AI-powered app allows users to edit, fill, sign, scan, and convert PDF documents. It offers features like text editing, form filling, e-signatures, OCR scanning, and file conversion. An AI assistant can summarize, rewrite, or generate content, and users can create invoices and resumes.

**Highlights:** AI-powered PDF editing, Fill and e-sign forms, Built-in OCR scanner, Convert PDFs to various formats, AI assistant for content generation, Create and send invoices, Resume builder

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forma Pro | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Forma Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| 1 month Pro 100Gb storage | $10.99 | per month |
| 1 year Pro 10Gb storage | $19.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $20.99 | per year |
| 1 year Pro 100Gb storage | $24.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Forma Pro | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful features like autofill and cloud sync
- 🚀 Seamless document management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 🚫 Limited editing capabilities

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect document formatting after editing
- Inability to load or edit pre-existing documents
- Unexpected charges and billing issues

**Requested features**

- Undo/redo functionality
- Ability to edit existing text in documents
- Support for more file formats
- Stylus support for precise editing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Is Forma free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDFelement or Forma?

Forma is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Forma averages 4.7 from 26K ratings.

### Do PDFelement or Forma have ads?

Both PDFelement and Forma show ads.

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

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and Forma monthly. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on September 24, 2026 and Forma on September 24, 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.*