Comparison

PDFelement vs PDFDarkMode

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

Head to head
About

PDFelement

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
Read full description

AI PDF Editor, PDF Reader, PDF Scanner, PDF Converter, PDF Signer. One app for work, study, and everyday life. What's New 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

PDFDarkMode

Easily convert PDFs to a comfortable dark mode with custom text and background colors. Reduce eye strain while reading or studying long documents. Save and revisit your personalized PDFs in a private library.

Highlights
  • Upload PDFs from device
  • Customize text and background colors
  • Preview dark mode changes
  • Download converted PDFs
  • Personal PDF library
  • Private by design
Features
Read full description

PDFDarkMode makes your PDFs easier on the eyes, day or night. Upload any PDF, choose your own text and background colors, preview your changes, and download your converted document directly within the app. Whether you’re studying, reading long-form writing, or reviewing technical documents, PDFDarkMode helps reduce eye strain and make your PDFs visually comfortable and fully personalized. Features • Upload any PDF from Files or your device • Customize text color and background color • Preview your converted PDF in full dark mode • Download it directly • Save and revisit all converted PDFs in your personal library • One-time in-app purchase to download a dark mode PDF for $2.99 • Upgrade to PDFDarkMode Pro for $9.99 to unlock unlimited dark mode PDF downloads Private by Design No logins. No analytics. No tracking. Your PDFs stay private.

Screenshots

PDFelement4 screens
PDFDarkMode4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PDFDarkMode at none against PDFelement's shown. PDFDarkMode also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). PDFelement's advantage is ratings volume (7.6K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDFDarkMode sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDFDarkMode 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of PDFelement's written reviews are positive against 100% of PDFDarkMode's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, PDFDarkMode every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDFelement versus PDFDarkMode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFelementPDFDarkMode
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.6K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size200 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWondershare Technology Group Co.,LTDWildcatter LLC

Customer experience

PDFelement

All ratings7,566 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews826 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative20.5%

PDFDarkMode

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

PDFDarkMode

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

18 purchases

PDFelement

Subscriptions16
  • Monthly Subscription (AI)$3.991 Month
  • PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner$6.991 Month
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro(iOS)$6.991 Month
Show 13 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
  • Monthly Subscription (All)$19.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)$24.991 Year
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS)3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Quarterly Subscription (All)$39.993 Months
  • Annual Subscription (iOS+Win)$99.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (iOS+Mac)$99.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription (All)$109.991 Year
One-time2
  • PDF Editor & Scanner Pro$39.99
  • iOS$39.99
5 purchases

PDFDarkMode

One-time5
  • Download PDF (up to 100 pages)$0.99
  • Dark Mode PDF Download2 variants$2.99
  • Download PDF (up to 500 pages)$4.99
Show 2 more
  • PDFDarkMode Pro$9.99
  • Download PDF (500+ pages)$9.99

Questions

Is PDFelement free?
PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDFDarkMode free?
PDFDarkMode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDFelement or PDFDarkMode?
PDFDarkMode is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while PDFDarkMode averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PDFelement or PDFDarkMode have ads?
PDFelement shows ads; PDFDarkMode does not.
Which is updated more often, PDFelement or PDFDarkMode?
PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and PDFDarkMode every 4 days. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDFDarkMode on September 10, 2026.

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