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, 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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

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 (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 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 reviews12.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings161 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB101 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 every 5 days. Most recently, Nitro PDF Pro was updated on October 18, 2026 and pdfmate PDF Editor on October 15, 2026.

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