Comparison

Nitro PDF Pro vs pdfmate PDF Editor

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

Head to head
About

Nitro PDF Pro

Edit, annotate, and secure PDF documents on the go. This app offers powerful tools for professionals to manage PDFs, including mobile scanning and AI-powered data extraction. Seamlessly integrate with cloud services and use styluses for precise markups.

Highlights
  • Edit and annotate PDFs with precision tools
  • Organize pages, merge, and extract PDFs
  • Mobile scanning with OCR for searchable PDFs
  • Secure documents with password protection
  • AI-powered data extraction from tables
  • Seamless integration with cloud storage
Features
Read full description

Nitro PDF Pro is the modern PDF solution with everything you need to edit, annotate, manage, and secure documents on the go. Built for professionals who need powerful PDF tools anywhere, anytime. Create, edit, and manage PDFs seamlessly across iPhone and iPad. Nitro PDF Pro integrates with Apple's Files app and your favorite cloud services—iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and more—so your documents are always within reach. Work with Apple Pencil or Bluetooth styluses for freehand drawing, writing, and annotating, and use mobile scanning to turn receipts and documents into PDFs. GET MORE DONE WITH NITRO'S POWERFUL PDF FEATURES EDIT AND ANNOTATE Highlight, underline, draw, add text, and leave comments on any PDF with precision tools designed for touch and Apple Pencil. • Edit text and images with full-page paragraph reflow • Add sticky notes, text edits, and freehand drawings • Highlight and underline key passages • Mark documents with stamps such as Approved or Draft PAGE MANAGEMENT Organize your documents your way. • Add, delete, reorder, and rotate pages • Extract specific pages into a new document • Merge multiple PDFs and documents into a single file MOBILE SCANNING Turn paper into searchable PDFs instantly. • Scan documents, receipts, and business cards directly on your device • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction • Turn scanned documents into searchable, editable PDFs with OCR • Batch scan multiple pages in one session SECURE AND PROTECT Keep every document, and everything inside it, safe with password protection, encryption, and permission controls. • Password-protect files and restrict copying or editing • Permanently redact sensitive information AI-POWERED PRODUCTIVITY Get AI tools built for privacy and control, so you can boost productivity without compromising security. • Automatically extract structured data from tables and forms SEAMLESS INTEGRATION Work where you work, with the tools you trust. • Open PDFs directly from the Files app, OneDrive, and SharePoint • Share via AirDrop, Mail, or third-party apps • Access your documents across iPad and iPhone with iCloud sync Try Nitro PDF Pro for free with a 14-day trial and see why it's the PDF editor for professionals who need to create, edit, and collaborate on PDFs with confidence—from the office to anywhere. Questions about Nitro PDF Pro? User Guides give you step-by-step instructions for editing, annotating, scanning, securing, and managing documents. Get instant support via our in-app Knowledge Assistant or connect directly with our expert team.

About

pdfmate PDF Editor

Features
Read full description

Everything you need for PDFs, in one app. pdfmate lets you open, edit, combine, and sign PDF files without switching between tools. Key features - Fast viewer: page navigation, zoom, text search, outline, and bookmarks - Annotations: highlight, sticky notes, and freehand pen - Page editing: delete, rotate, and reorder pages - Merge & split: combine several PDFs into one, or extract just the pages you need - Signature: draw your signature by hand and place it on the document - Save & share: save your edits as a copy and share anywhere Built to respect your privacy - Your documents are processed entirely on your device. Nothing is uploaded to or stored on any server. - The original file is never overwritten — edits are always saved as a copy. Start free, unlock when you need more - Free: 3 edit-saves per day, merge up to 2 PDFs - One-time unlock: unlimited edit-saves and merges, plus ad-free (not a subscription) Contracts, scanned documents, study material, work paperwork — handle any PDF with pdfmate.

Screenshots

Nitro PDF Pro4 screens
pdfmate PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Nitro PDF Pro at none against pdfmate PDF Editor's shown. pdfmate PDF Editor's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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. Nitro PDF Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and pdfmate PDF Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nitro PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, pdfmate PDF Editor weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Nitro PDF Pro versus pdfmate PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNitro PDF Propdfmate PDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (161 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews12.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings161 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNitro Software, Inc.SEONYONG LEE

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
Show 14 more
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • Ability to create table of contents
  • Ability to create fillable forms
  • Ability to rearrange pages
  • Ability to add to library
  • More intuitive interface

pdfmate PDF Editor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nitro PDF Pro

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Subscription14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Nitro PDF Pro for iOS$9.99
1 purchases

pdfmate PDF Editor

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$7.99

Questions

Is Nitro PDF Pro free?
Nitro PDF Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is pdfmate PDF Editor free?
pdfmate PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nitro PDF Pro or pdfmate PDF Editor have ads?
pdfmate PDF Editor shows ads; Nitro PDF Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Nitro PDF Pro or pdfmate PDF Editor?
Nitro PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and pdfmate PDF Editor weekly. Most recently, Nitro PDF Pro was updated on November 7, 2026 and pdfmate PDF Editor on October 31, 2026.

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