# Essayist vs PDF Toolbox

The clearest difference is price: Essayist at Free against PDF Toolbox's $2.99. PDF Toolbox's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Essayist is free to download; PDF Toolbox costs $2.99 up front. Essayist sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PDF Toolbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

Essayist ships an update fortnightly, PDF Toolbox every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essayist | PDF Toolbox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (429 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essayist-academic-writing-app/id1537845384/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **429** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 82 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Essayist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537845386) | [NOSHU, llc](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789740441) |

## What reviewers say

### Essayist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essayist-academic-writing-app/id1537845384)

This app simplifies academic writing by automatically formatting essays in various styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago. It includes a universal reference manager, citation tools, and equation support, allowing for distraction-free writing and easy export to PDF or Word.

**Highlights:** Automatic essay formatting, Universal reference manager, In-text citation and footnote insertion, LaTeX equation support, Export to PDF and Word, Minimalist interface

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for academic writing
- 🚀 Saves time on formatting
- 👍 Accurate citations
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🔧 Limited functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to add references
- Formatting issues when copying and pasting
- Inability to edit title pages and section headings
- Inconsistent behavior across devices (iPad vs. Mac)
- Issues with in-text citations and reference lists

**Requested features**

- Add more citation styles (e.g. MHRA, Vancouver)
- Improve table and image handling
- Integrate with reference managers like Zotero
- Add grammar and spell check tools
- Allow more customization of templates and formatting


### PDF Toolbox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-toolbox-split-merge-ocr/id6789740439)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Essayist free?

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

### Is PDF Toolbox free?

PDF Toolbox costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Essayist or PDF Toolbox have ads?

Neither Essayist nor PDF Toolbox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Essayist or PDF Toolbox?

Essayist ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Toolbox every 3 weeks. Most recently, Essayist was updated on October 29, 2026 and PDF Toolbox on October 25, 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.*