# pdf vs PDF Cabinet

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Cabinet at none against pdf's 3. PDF Cabinet also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (3.8 vs 3.3). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. pdf sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. PDF Cabinet asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Cabinet holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 56 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of pdf's written reviews are positive against 66% of PDF Cabinet's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

pdf ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Cabinet every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | pdf | PDF Cabinet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-for-ipad-ads/id391487223/reviews) | **[3.8 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-cabinet/id764366087/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 22 | **56** |
| Positive reviews | **68.3% of reviews** | 66.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 141 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMuseTec Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/342152781) | [Bright Nine SIA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891636727) |

## What reviewers say

### pdf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-notes-for-ipad-ads/id391487223)

Manage and annotate PDF files on your iPad with fast page turning and intuitive finger-writing. Easily import PDFs, organize them into bookshelves, and export annotated versions via email. Features include zoom, cropping, and multiple pen options.

**Highlights:** Fast page turning and scanning, Intuitive finger-writing and annotation, Easy PDF import via Dropbox, Email, iTunes, Categorized bookshelves with search, Export annotated PDFs via email, Pinch zoom and crop page margins

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2-Month Pass | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1-Year Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime License | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Great annotation tools
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 📚 Excellent for students and academics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💸 Expensive paid version
- 📤 Difficulty exporting annotated PDFs
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🖍️ Inconsistent behavior of highlighting and erasing

**Reported bugs**

- Annotated PDFs losing data during export
- Crashes after recent app updates
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Incorrect page numbering and navigation

**Requested features**

- Add text typing and editing capabilities
- Implement a table of contents feature
- Improve integration with cloud storage services
- Allow custom organization of PDF files
- Enhance the note-taking experience


### PDF Cabinet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-cabinet/id764366087)

This application offers a streamlined PDF experience for reading and annotating documents. It focuses on essential features with an intuitive interface, making it easy to mark up PDFs, share annotations, and collaborate in real-time with others. Optimized for performance, it handles large documents efficiently.

**Highlights:** Effortless PDF annotation, Intuitive user interface, Fast document review with thumbnails, Annotations sharing, Real-time collaboration, Quick note taking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Excellent annotation tools
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Simple and clean design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 💡 Limited highlighter and pen customization
- 💡 Lack of iCloud/cloud sync support
- 🐛 Text disappearing issue
- 🐛 Slow document loading and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Randomly deleting files
- Sync issues causing loss of annotations
- Crashing when opening large documents
- Navigation problems when zoomed in
- Annotations not exporting properly

**Requested features**

- Add more highlighter and pen color options
- Implement palm rejection for Apple Pencil
- Add ability to resize and move annotation tools
- Improve cloud/sync functionality (iCloud, Dropbox, etc.)
- Implement vertical scrolling for continuous reading


## Frequently asked questions

### Is pdf free?

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

### Is PDF Cabinet free?

PDF Cabinet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, pdf or PDF Cabinet?

PDF Cabinet is rated higher. pdf averages 3.3 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while PDF Cabinet averages 3.8 from 56 ratings.

### Do pdf or PDF Cabinet have ads?

pdf shows ads; PDF Cabinet does not.

### Which is updated more often, pdf or PDF Cabinet?

pdf ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDF Cabinet every 5 weeks. Most recently, pdf was updated on October 10, 2026 and PDF Cabinet on October 14, 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.*