Nitro PDF Pro vs SmartPDF
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nitro PDF Pro
Edit, read, sign, and secure PDF documents on your iOS device. This powerful yet lightweight app allows for on-the-go productivity with features like text editing, annotation, form filling, and cloud syncing.
- Edit PDF text
- Annotate and highlight PDFs
- Fill and save PDF forms
- Sign and share PDF documents
- Password protect PDFs
- Sync with cloud storage
- Merge and organize PDFs
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Ready to do more with PDFs on iPad & iPhone? Edit, read, sign and sync PDFs in the cloud with the powerful, lightweight Nitro PDF Pro app designed for iPad & iPhone users. Packed with features to help you stay productive on the go, Nitro PDF Pro for iPad & iPhone lets you edit, sign, share and manage your documents wherever you are - all in a secure and user-friendly interface. Get started for free with a 14-day trial today. “Superior PDF handling, & economical” “Nitro PDF Pro has become an essential tool in my daily business operations! It makes everything from document preparation to communication much easier for me.” “If you are looking for a workhorse app to handle your PDFs made by responsive developers, look no further...” -> With Nitro PDF Pro you can: EDIT PDFs ON THE GO * Easily edit PDF text wherever you are, on any iOS device * Make notes and add comments to PDFs for quick, on-the-go reference * Add images or mark-up PDFs with drawings, with stylus support for iPad ANNOTATE & HIGHLIGHT PDFs * Add annotations to PDF text and documents * Highlight text to stay organized and keep track of important information FILL & SAVE PDF FORMS * Fill and save PDF forms for fast & easy productivity * Keep your PDF forms secure with password protection SIGN & SHARE PDF DOCUMENTS * Sign & share PDF documents in a snap * Save text, signatures and images in your Library for easy re-use * Keep documents synced with the cloud for on-the-go signatures PROTECT, SECURE & SYNC PDFs * Password protect PDFs to keep your data and confidential information secure * Set the level of document encryption as required * Sync with the cloud to back up PDFs on iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneNote MERGE, EXPORT & ORGANIZE PDFs * Merge multiple documents into one PDF in just a few clicks for easy organization * Import, export & organize PDFs in folders for fast access and easy on-the-go editing * Duplicate, add, delete or rearrange pages for simple, custom document creation ADDITIONAL AMAZING PDF EDITOR FEATURES * Duplicate, add, delete, rotate and rearrange pages * Enable easier PDF reading with dark mode, search and zoom * Email & Airdrop your documents, with PDF flattening for maximum compatibility * View two documents simultaneously with multiple windows (iPadOS) * Bluetooth pressure-sensitive stylus support - automatically works with Apple Pencil * Support for Adonit Jot Touch and Jot Script styluses Still exploring PDF editors for iOS? No pressure! Give Nitro PDF Pro iOS a try for free with a 14-day trial and see how you like its features and functions. We think you’ll love the value we pack into our easy-to-use PDF iOS app. Questions and issues regarding our PDF app? We're here to help! Connect with Nitro through our Community Forum: https://community.gonitro.com/ NITRO POLICY https://www.gonitro.com/legal/privacy-policy https://www.gonitro.com/legal/terms-of-service
SmartPDF
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SmartPDF — PDF Toolkit Pro is your complete PDF toolkit for iPhone. Scan, read, organize, edit, sign, and protect documents in one fast and clean workflow. 12 powerful PDF tools • Image to PDF • Word to PDF • Merge PDF • Split PDF • Compress PDF • Page Manager • OCR Extract • Annotate • Sign PDF • Watermark • Redact Text • Password Protect Scan, Read & Create • Scan documents with your camera • Import images and turn them into PDFs • Open PDFs in a built-in reader • Search text inside documents • Browse pages with thumbnails • Save bookmarks and continue where you left off Premium • 7-day free trial for premium features • One-time purchase after trial, no subscription • Restore purchases on devices using the same Apple ID SmartPDF helps you stay productive wherever you are — whether you need to scan paperwork, sign a contract, extract text with OCR, or protect sensitive files.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SmartPDF at every 5 days against Nitro PDF Pro's every 2 months. SmartPDF also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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
Both are free to download. Nitro PDF Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and SmartPDF sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nitro PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, SmartPDF every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nitro PDF Pro | SmartPDF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (161 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 12.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 161 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nitro Software, Inc. | Sergino Elisha A. |
Bugs and requests
Nitro PDF Pro
Reported bugs
19 issues- Cannot reorder PDF files
- Crashes when opening PDFs from websites/email
- Does not save markups or documents
- Difficulty creating new folders
- Cannot rotate pages
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- Cannot markup/draw on PDFs with editing disabled
- Does not save documents after editing
- Cannot rotate PDFs
- Program freezes up
- Fails to save after deleting pages
- App crashes after update
- Editing is lost prior to crash
- Crashes every time to edit a PDF
- Cannot handle deleting pages
- Crashes when opening fillable PDFs
- Crashes when typing in fields
- No Apple Pencil support
- Stylus link gives 404 error
- Bugs like suddenly not being able to draw
Requested features
10 requests- Keyboard support (Cmd + F for search)
- Ability to cancel search with Esc
- OCR and conversion to text documents on tablets
- User manual for iPad app
- Support for Apple Pencil
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- Ability to create table of contents
- Ability to create fillable forms
- Ability to rearrange pages
- Ability to add to library
- More intuitive interface
SmartPDF
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nitro PDF Pro
- Annual Subscription14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Nitro PDF Pro for iOS$9.99
SmartPDF
- SmartPDF Premium$4.99









