# PDF Pro vs Smallpdf

The clearest difference is monetization model: Smallpdf at free with in-app purchases against PDF Pro's subscription. Smallpdf also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Smallpdf sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Pro against 4.8 for Smallpdf. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 6.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 68% of Smallpdf's.

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, Smallpdf every 9 days. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | Smallpdf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews) | **[4.8 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 6.9K |
| Positive reviews | 60.3% of reviews | **68.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 159 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) | [Smallpdf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1485259499) |

## 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


### Smallpdf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallpdf-scanner-and-pdf-editor/id1485259500)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools to manage PDF documents. Easily convert, edit, compress, sign, merge, and scan PDFs using your mobile device. It also features OCR technology to convert scanned documents into editable text.

**Highlights:** Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, JPG, PNG, Edit PDFs with text, images, and annotations, Compress PDFs to reduce file size, Sign PDFs electronically, Merge multiple PDF files, Scan documents to PDF with OCR, Fill out PDF forms

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $14.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $107.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $107.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features
- 🔒 Secure
- 🆓 Free to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 💰 Paid version required for full functionality
- 🤔 Confusing account management
- 🤯 Missing key features
- 🤖 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Files not saving properly
- Conversion issues with larger documents
- Unexpected crashes and freezes
- Compatibility problems with older devices
- Incorrect file content after compression

**Requested features**

- Add more color options for annotations
- Improve search functionality for saved documents
- Enhance iPad compatibility
- Allow inserting images into PDFs
- Provide better file management and organization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Pro free?

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

### Is Smallpdf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or Smallpdf?

Smallpdf is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Smallpdf averages 4.8 from 6.9K ratings.

### Do PDF Pro or Smallpdf have ads?

Neither PDF Pro nor Smallpdf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or Smallpdf?

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Smallpdf every 9 days. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 30, 2026 and Smallpdf on September 30, 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.*