Comparison

PDFelement vs PDF Masker

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

PDF Masker

Easily mask sensitive keywords in PDF files before sharing. Import PDFs, specify multiple keywords, and customize redaction colors. Export as text or image-based PDFs for secure data sharing.

Highlights
  • Import PDFs via Share menu
  • Bulk keyword redaction
  • Export as text or image PDF
  • Multiple keyword support
  • Customizable redaction color
  • Save keyword histories
Features
Read full description

Protect your sensitive information before sharing files with others. PDF Masker is a powerful security tool that lets you search and black out specific keywords across your PDF documents automatically. Import any PDF directly from your device using the Share menu. Enter your target keywords, and the app instantly hides matching text so you can send your documents safely. You can choose to export your final file as a searchable text-based PDF or as an image-based PDF. The image-based option is perfect when you want to permanently erase underlying text data so it can never be copied or recovered. Key Features - Smart Bulk Redaction: Enter a keyword and automatically mask every single match across the entire document. - Multiple Keywords Support: Separate multiple terms using spaces or commas to clear different pieces of data at once. - 100 Item History Tracker: Saves up to 100 of your frequently used keywords so you can reapply them with a single tap. - Custom Redaction Colors: Change the color of your redaction blocks from classic blackout to white or any custom tone. - Flexible File Loading: Easily load files from your system file picker, in-app web browser, or straight from other apps via the Share extension. - 100 Percent Offline Security: All processing happens locally on your phone or tablet. Your private and confidential documents are never sent to external servers. - Clean and Fast User Interface: Designed to be clean, fast, and simple for everyone, with no complex setup required. Whether you are hiding account numbers, blurred names, personal addresses, or sensitive corporate contracts, PDF Masker helps you prevent data leaks on the go.

Screenshots

PDFelement4 screens
PDF Masker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFelement at 76% against PDF Masker's 0%. PDFelement also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 1). PDF Masker's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and PDF Masker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDFelement holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. 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 0% of PDF Masker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, PDF Masker monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDFelement versus PDF Masker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFelementPDF Masker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.6K ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7.6K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size199 MB14 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWondershare Technology Group Co.,LTDKazuhisa Kobayashi

Customer experience

PDFelement

All ratings7,580 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews844 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral3.6%
Negative20.3%

PDF Masker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

PDF Masker

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
1 purchases

PDF Masker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

Is PDFelement free?
PDFelement is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Masker free?
PDF Masker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDFelement or PDF Masker?
PDFelement is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while PDF Masker averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PDFelement or PDF Masker have ads?
Both PDFelement and PDF Masker show ads.
Which is updated more often, PDFelement or PDF Masker?
PDFelement ships an update every 11 days, and PDF Masker monthly. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on November 9, 2026 and PDF Masker on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons