# PDF Pro vs PDF Merge X

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Pro at 4.7 against PDF Merge X's 4.1. PDF Pro also leads on ratings volume (6.9K vs 91) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). PDF Merge X's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Merge X sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Pro has 6.9K ratings behind it against 91, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 65% of PDF Merge X's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | PDF Merge X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews)** | [4.1 (91 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-merge-x-pdf-merger/id1032533451/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 91 |
| Positive reviews | 60.3% of reviews | **64.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) | [Daniel Jirku](https://appshunter.io/developer/883861022) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656)

Edit, annotate, and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, add notes, shapes, voice recordings, and photos. Search your entire PDF library, fill out forms, and sign documents.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDFs, Highlight text and add notes, Embed audio and photo annotations, Full-text search of PDF library, Fill out and sign PDF forms, Organize PDFs with folders and tags, Import from cloud storage

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offer - Monthly - macOS | $1.99 | per month |
| Offer - Monthly - iOS | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - iOS | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - macOS | $4.99 | per month |
| Offer - Annual - iOS | $12.99 | per year |
| Offer - Annual - macOS | $22.99 | per year |
| Premium  - Annual - iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - macOS + iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - iOS + macOS | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium - Annual - macOS | $44.99 | per year |
| Premium - iOS + macOS | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium - macOS + iOS | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Excellent PDF management features
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 🎨 Great annotation tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Inconsistent search functionality
- 📖 Loses last read position
- 🖋️ Unreliable handwriting support

**Reported bugs**

- Annotations and highlights randomly disappearing
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Corrupted PDF files after editing
- Slow performance on older devices
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between PDFs

**Requested features**

- Improved bookmarking and note-taking
- Seamless iCloud/cloud storage integration
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Advanced text editing and OCR capabilities
- Better organization and folder management


### PDF Merge X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-merge-x-pdf-merger/id1032533451)

Easily merge, reorder, and rotate PDF documents. This app offers fast, secure, and offline processing for organizing notes, contracts, and more. It provides a simple interface for combining multiple files into one, with options to add pages and preview changes before sharing.

**Highlights:** Merge multiple PDFs, Reorder and rotate pages, Combine PDFs without quality loss, Add blank pages or images, Offline processing, No watermarks

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Merge X Pro | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick and easy merging
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
- 💡 Adds empty pages
- 👍 Makes users feel like wizards
- 👍 Avoids Adobe subscription

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Cannot view 2 pages side-by-side
- 🐛 No landscape mode for iPads
- 🐛 Free version limited after update
- 🐛 Cannot search for PDFs locally
- 🐛 App is not free

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot view 2 pages side-by-side
- App gets stuck on saving screen
- No landscape mode for iPads
- Latest update made free version paid
- Cannot search for PDFs on phone unless cloud/recents

**Requested features**

- Batch renaming
- Better preview zoom
- Night mode
- Landscape mode for iPads
- Advanced search functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Pro free?

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

### Is PDF Merge X free?

PDF Merge X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or PDF Merge X?

PDF Pro is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PDF Merge X averages 4.1 from 91 ratings.

### Do PDF Pro or PDF Merge X have ads?

Neither PDF Pro nor PDF Merge X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or PDF Merge X?

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Merge X every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Merge X on September 21, 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.*