# PDF Factory Plus vs Via Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Via Journal at 5.0 against PDF Factory Plus's 4.4. Via Journal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 26 months). PDF Factory Plus's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Factory Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Via Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Via Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Factory Plus has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PDF Factory Plus ships an update every 26 months, Via Journal every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Factory Plus | Via Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-factory-plus/id1663406658/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/via-journal/id6778611386/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 61 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [路 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/562716999) | [Peter Chang](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776431107) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Factory Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-factory-plus/id1663406658)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of local PDF processing tools, ensuring your files remain secure and private. It provides intuitive features for editing, converting, merging, and protecting PDF documents without requiring an internet connection or account creation.

**Highlights:** Local PDF processing for enhanced security, Password protection and decryption, Page deletion and extraction, Merge multiple PDFs, Image and XPS to PDF conversion, PDF repair and linearization, PDF to scanned file conversion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Factory Plus | Free | one-time |


### Via Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/via-journal/id6778611386)

This app helps you understand yourself better through simple, private daily reflections. It uses AI locally on your device to generate weekly, monthly, and yearly insights based on your entries, which can include text and photos.

**Highlights:** Private local data storage, AI-powered insights, Daily reflection prompts, Rich text and photo entries, Weekly, monthly, and yearly reviews, Bilingual support (Chinese/English)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Factory Plus free?

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

### Is Via Journal free?

Via Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Factory Plus or Via Journal?

Via Journal is rated higher. PDF Factory Plus averages 4.4 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Via Journal averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do PDF Factory Plus or Via Journal have ads?

Neither PDF Factory Plus nor Via Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Factory Plus or Via Journal?

PDF Factory Plus ships an update every 26 months, and Via Journal every 3 months. Most recently, PDF Factory Plus was updated on November 3, 2026 and Via Journal 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.*