Comparison

PDFelement vs Padster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDFelement

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents, including editing, scanning, converting, and signing. It leverages AI for advanced features like summarizing, translating, and chatting with your PDFs, streamlining workflows for work, study, and daily life.

Highlights
  • AI PDF editing and chat
  • Edit text, images, and links
  • Scan documents to PDF with OCR
  • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT
  • Annotate and markup PDFs
  • Fill and sign PDF forms
  • Compress and merge PDFs
Features
Read full description

PDFelement is optimized for the latest Liquid Glass experience, with a more refined interface, clearer navigation, and smoother interactions for your PDF workflow. AI PDF Editor, PDF Reader, PDF Scanner, PDF Converter, PDF Signer. One app for work, study, and everyday life. Customize Your Toolbar Arrange your PDF tools the way you work. Reorder, show, or hide toolbar items to keep your favorite actions within easy reach and create a cleaner, faster, and more efficient workspace. AI PDF • Chat with PDF: Ask questions and get instant, accurate answers from your PDFs. • AI Summarize PDF: Turn lengthy contracts, reports, and documents into concise key points. • AI Translate: Translate selected text instantly across 60+ languages. • Generate Mind Map: Transform PDF content into clear visual mind maps. • AI Record: Record, transcribe, and convert voice notes into editable text for efficient note-taking. Edit PDF Like Word • Edit PDF: Edit PDF text, images, links, and watermarks with ease. • Font Editing: Keep the original font, erase content, and adjust font size, spacing, and formatting effortlessly. Professional PDF Reader • Liquid Mode: Optimize PDFs for comfortable reading on any screen. • Bookmarks: Save and jump to important pages instantly. • Read Aloud: Listen to PDFs with your preferred voice and playback speed. Scan & OCR • PDF Scanner: Scan receipts, invoices, contracts, IDs, and certificates into high-quality PDFs. • OCR: Extract editable text from scanned documents and images. • Multi-Page Scan: Combine multiple scans into a single PDF. PDF Converter • PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Images: Convert PDFs into editable Office files or JPG, PNG, and more. • Create PDF: Convert Microsoft Office documents and images into PDFs. Annotate PDF • Markup & Notes: Highlight, underline, draw, and add sticky notes. • Comments: Review documents with professional commenting tools. • Measure: Measure distance, perimeter, and area directly inside PDFs. Create PDF • Blank PDF: Start with customizable paper templates. • Image to PDF: Create PDFs from photos or camera scans. Manage PDF • Compress PDF: Reduce file size while maintaining quality. • Merge PDF: Combine multiple PDFs into one document. • Organize Pages: Add, delete, rotate, extract, split, and rearrange PDF pages. Fill & Sign • Fill PDF Forms: Complete interactive PDF forms quickly and accurately. • E-Sign PDF: Add typed or handwritten signatures. • Custom Stamps: Create reusable stamps with text, drawings, or images. Store & Share PDF • PDFelement Cloud: Access your PDFs anytime, anywhere across your devices. • Protect PDF: Secure sensitive files with passwords and encryption. • Share PDF: Share documents via links, email, AirDrop, or social apps. PDF Templates • Professional Templates: Browse resumes, invoices, planners, contracts, invitations, and more. • Easy Customization: Personalize colors, fonts, and layouts in seconds. • Business & Education Ready: Create polished documents for work, school, and everyday use. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.wondershare.com/company/terms_conditions.html Privacy Policy: https://www.wondershare.com/privacy.html

About

Padster

Features
Read full description

Padster is a fast, offline-first notes app with a built-in password vault and secure secret sharing — built for developers and technical teams. Everything is encrypted on your device before it syncs. Your recovery passphrase never leaves your phone, so nobody can read your data — not even us. Every feature listed below is free. Padster has no subscription, no paid tier, and nothing to purchase inside the app. NOTES • Markdown notes with tags, folders and pinning • Daily notes and a calendar view • Full-text search and version history • Works completely offline VAULT • Passwords and credentials encrypted on your device • Built-in password generator • Encrypted backup, so losing your phone does not lose your logins DOCUMENTS • A personal wallet for passports, ID cards, bank cards and certificates • Attach scans and track expiry dates • Masked by default, revealed only when you tap SHARE SECRETS SAFELY • Send a password with a link and a PIN • Choose how long it lives: view once, one hour after opening, 24 hours, or 7 days • View-once secrets are destroyed the moment they are read • Revoke any share at any time, and see when it was opened SHARED WORKSPACES • Invite people to a space with its own notes, passwords and temporary secrets • Shared content is end-to-end encrypted, and removing a member rotates the keys • Members join with a single-use code — no email required SYNC AND WEB ACCESS • Sync across your devices, and open your notes in any browser at padster.ai • Encrypted cloud backup you can restore onto a new phone Your notes stay yours. Padster is offline-first by design and encrypted end to end. Privacy Policy: https://padster.ai/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PDFelement4 screens
Padster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Padster at none against PDFelement's shown. Padster also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Padster sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, Padster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PDFelement versus Padster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFelementPadster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size199 MB29 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWondershare Technology Group Co.,LTDSplat Apps Ltd.

Bugs and requests

PDFelement

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Padster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

PDFelement

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly Subscription (AI)$3.991 Month
  • PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner$6.991 Month
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro(iOS)$6.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)$6.997 Days
  • Quarterly Subscription (iOS)$9.993 Months
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)7 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription (iOS)$9.997 Days
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)2 variants$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • iOS$39.99
2 purchases

Padster

Subscriptions2
  • Padster PRO$5.991 Month
  • Padster PRO$29.991 Year

Questions

Is PDFelement free?
PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Padster free?
Padster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDFelement or Padster have ads?
PDFelement shows ads; Padster does not.
Which is updated more often, PDFelement or Padster?
PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, and Padster every 5 days. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on November 12, 2026 and Padster on October 30, 2026.

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