# PDFelement vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Editor at none against PDFelement's shown. PDFelement's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 4). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDFelement holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 4, 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 75% of PDF Editor's.

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, PDF Editor every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFelement | PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-editor/id6755438663/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **76.1% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 196 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) | [Ripan Hossain](https://appshunter.io/developer/1841496496) |

## 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


### PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-editor/id6755438663)

Transform your device into a powerful document scanner and editor. Easily scan, convert, edit, merge, and compress PDFs with advanced OCR capabilities. Securely manage and share your documents on the go.

**Highlights:** Fast and high-quality scanning, Powerful PDF editing tools, Document management and organization, Smart PDF compression, OCR text recognition, Secure on-device processing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Is PDF Editor free?

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

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

PDFelement is rated higher. PDFelement averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do PDFelement or PDF Editor have ads?

PDFelement shows ads; PDF Editor does not.

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

PDFelement ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Editor every 5 months. Most recently, PDFelement was updated on October 18, 2026 and PDF Editor on October 10, 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.*