# PDFelement vs CS PDF Editor

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CS PDF Editor at none against PDFelement's 20. CS PDF Editor also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 76%). PDFelement's advantage is ratings volume (7.6K vs 13) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads 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. CS PDF Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for PDFelement against 4.5 for CS PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 86% of CS PDF Editor's.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, CS PDF Editor every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFelement | CS PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** | [4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cs-pdf-editor-scanner-app/id6471626000/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 196 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) | [MACROMATRIX (PRIVATE) LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1820476435) |

## 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


### CS PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cs-pdf-editor-scanner-app/id6471626000)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing documents on iOS devices. It allows users to view, edit, and scan PDFs, convert Word documents to PDF, and add digital signatures. The app aims to enhance productivity and streamline document workflows for professionals and students.

**Highlights:** All Documents and PDF Viewer, Signature Pad, Word to PDF Conversion, PDF Editor and Annotator, Text Recognition Scan, Document Scanner

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Is CS PDF Editor free?

CS PDF Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDFelement or CS PDF Editor?

PDFelement is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while CS PDF Editor averages 4.5 from 13 ratings.

### Do PDFelement or CS PDF Editor have ads?

Both PDFelement and CS PDF Editor show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDFelement or CS PDF Editor?

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and CS PDF Editor every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on September 27, 2026 and CS PDF Editor on June 4, 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.*