Comparison

PDFelement vs Scribas

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

Scribas

Features
Read full description

Let your imagination run wild. Scriba isn’t just a writing tool—it’s your creative sidekick. Whether you’re dreaming up epic adventures, building new worlds, or writing the next great game story, Scriba is here to help you bring your ideas to life. Simple, powerful, and made for storytellers like you.

Screenshots

PDFelement4 screens
Scribas3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scribas at none against PDFelement's 10. Scribas also leads on ads (none vs shown). PDFelement's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price and device support 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. Scribas asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, Scribas every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PDFelement versus Scribas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFelementScribas
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size199 MB268 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWondershare Technology Group Co.,LTDOscar Garcia Martinez

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

Scribas

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
None

Scribas

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDFelement free?
PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scribas free?
Scribas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PDFelement or Scribas have ads?
PDFelement shows ads; Scribas does not.
Which is updated more often, PDFelement or Scribas?
PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, and Scribas every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on November 6, 2026 and Scribas on November 4, 2026.

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