Comparison

PDF Pro vs PDF Export

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDF Pro

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
Read full description

PDF Pro lets you read, edit and annotate your PDF documents directly on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, take notes, embed shapes or draw with your finger. You can even embed voice recordings or photo annotations. Full-text-search your entire PDF library with just a single tap. Above all PDF Pro comes with full-featured PDF form and signature support. Key-Features At A Glance: • POWERFUL SEARCH: ∙ Full-text-search your entire PDF library. ∙ Search inside specific documents with easy navigation through the search results. ∙ Look-up selected text directly on Wikipedia or in the included dictionaries. • FILE-MANAGEMENT: ∙ Group your PDFs in folders and tag them with colorful labels. ∙ Import PDFs from your Dropbox®, Microsoft OneDrive® or Google Drive®. ∙ Add PDFs via USB or WiFi. ∙ Open E-Mail attachments. • CLEAR VIEW: ∙ Easily browse through all your annotations. ∙ Full PDF outline support. You can even search the outline. ∙ Get an overview of all your bookmarked or annotated pages just with a single tap. • SHARE and PRINT: ∙ Easily share your annotated documents with your friends or co-workers. ∙ Print your annotated and edited PDFs. ∙ You can even share or print single pages of a document. • HIGH SPEED and STABILITY: ∙ Rapid viewing of PDF documents. ∙ Smooth display of very large PDF files. • NIGHT MODE: ∙ Makes reading in the dark much easier on the eyes. • SECURITY: ∙ Support for password-protected PDFs • AND MUCH MORE... Premium Features and Premium Offer include: • ANNOTATIONS and NOTES: ∙ Highlight text, take notes or draw with your finger. ∙ Powerful shape editor for arrows, rectangles, circles, lines and much more. ∙ Embed audio and photo annotations into your PDFs. ∙ Use predefined stamps or create your own. • DOCUMENT EDITOR: ∙ Create new pages. ∙ Export pages or merge them into existing documents. ∙ Reorder, rotate and delete pages. • CONTENT EDITOR: • Modify the existing content of PDF documents. • MULTITASKING: ∙ Work with multiple PDFs at a time. ∙ Copy and paste annotations, shapes, images or text from one PDF document into another. • FORM SUPPORT: ∙ Just fill out your PDF form, sign it with your handwritten signature and you are ready to send it via E-Mail or print it via AirPrint®. A monthly or annual subscription is required to get access to all premium features and premium offer. --- Subscriptions automatically renew monthly or yearly depending on your plan unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Plans are priced at $3.99USD monthly and $24.99USD yearly (pricing may vary in countries other than the U.S.). Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. To avoid automatic renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your App Store Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://pdf-pro.net/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://pdf-pro.net/privacy-policy/

About

PDF Export

This app provides comprehensive tools for creating, editing, converting, and organizing PDF files on your mobile device. It offers features like scanning documents, merging files, adding watermarks, and even transcribing audio to text, all without requiring an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Convert Word, Excel, JPG to PDF
  • Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT
  • Edit PDF text and images
  • Annotate and sign documents
  • Merge and split PDFs
  • Scan documents with OCR
  • Compress and secure PDFs
Features
Read full description

Tired of switching between multiple apps just to handle PDFs? PDF Export brings scanning, editing, converting, signing, compressing, chat exporting and 30+ PDF tools together in one simple app. Scan a document, edit a PDF, convert Office files, export WhatsApp chats, add signatures, protect files and much more — right from your iPhone or iPad. Pay once. No subscription. No monthly fee. # ANNOTATE & EDIT PDFs - Work directly inside your PDF. - Highlight important text, draw, add comments, annotate pages and edit PDF content without recreating the entire document. # SCAN ANY DOCUMENT - Turn your iPhone or iPad into a portable document scanner. - Scan receipts, contracts, notes, forms and multi-page documents in seconds. Automatic edge detection helps create clean, professional-looking PDFs without needing a separate scanner. # OCR — EXTRACT TEXT FROM IMAGES - Need text from a photo, scanned document or handwritten document? - OCR can recognize and extract text from images, scanned documents, handwritten documents and image-based PDFs. - Copy, search or work with the extracted text without typing everything again. # MERGE & SPLIT PDFs - Organize PDF pages exactly the way you need. - Combine multiple PDF files into a single document, or split a large PDF into smaller files. Great for reports, invoices, forms and document collections. # SIGN DOCUMENTS - Sign PDFs directly on your iPhone or iPad. - No printing, signing and scanning again. Simply open your document, add your signature and share the completed PDF. # CONVERT FILES TO PDF — OR BACK AGAIN - Quickly convert documents between popular formats: - Word to PDF - PDF to Word - Excel to PDF - PDF to Excel - PowerPoint to PDF - PDF to PowerPoint - JPG to PDF - PDF to JPG - Web Page to PDF - PDF to Text - PDF to HTML - PDF to RTF Keep your documents in the format you actually need. # COMPRESS PDFs - Large PDF taking too much space? - Reduce PDF file size to make documents easier to email, share, upload or store while maintaining useful document quality. # PROTECT, UNLOCK & WATERMARK PDFs - Keep sensitive documents protected. - Add password protection to PDFs, unlock files you have permission to access, and add watermarks to help protect your work. # CHAT TO PDF - Export WhatsApp chats as beautifully formatted PDFs or interactive HTML. - Choose from WhatsApp-style or clean document layouts, personalize with themes, search messages, jump between months, and view shared media easily. - Perfect for saving memories, keeping records, and archiving important conversations. # ROTATE & CROP PDF PAGES - Fix poorly oriented or badly cropped pages in seconds. - Rotate pages with a tap, remove unwanted margins, or crop multiple pages to create a cleaner document. # MORE PDF TOOLS - PDF Export includes many additional tools for everyday document work, including: - Blank PDF editor - Web to PDF - Clipboard to PDF - Add page numbers - Extract images - Repair PDFs - Transcribe content - Send fax And more TRY BEFORE YOU BUY See how the tools work before purchasing. Import your own file for a trial, or use the built-in sample document anytime to explore available features. # WHY PDF EXPORT? - 30+ PDF tools in one app - One-time purchase — no subscription - Scan, edit, sign and convert documents - Export WhatsApp chats to PDF or interactive HTML - Designed for iPhone and iPad - Many document tools work offline - Simple tools for everyday PDF tasks Whether you're scanning paperwork, signing a contract, converting an Office document, compressing a large PDF or preserving an important WhatsApp conversation, PDF Export gives you the tools to get it done in one place. Download PDF Export and make PDF and document management simpler.

Screenshots

PDF Pro4 screens
PDF Export4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: PDF Export at free with in-app purchases against PDF Pro's subscription. PDF Export also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). PDF Pro's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (60% vs 47%). On price, rating, 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. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Export sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Pro against 4.7 for PDF Export. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 47% of PDF Export's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, PDF Export fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PDF Pro versus PDF Export: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ProPDF Export
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.9K ratings)4.7 (1.7K ratings)
Positive reviews60.3% of reviews — better46.5% of reviews
Number of ratings6.9K — better1.7K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB217 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDominic RodemerLiveBird Technologies Private Limited

Customer experience

PDF Pro

All ratings6,925 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews423 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral10.4%
Negative29.3%

PDF Export

All ratings1,727 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews417 reviews
Positive46.5%
Neutral5.5%
Negative48.0%

User reviews

PDF Pro

From 6.9K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

PDF Export

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent PDF conversion capabilities
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient performance
  • 💡 Comprehensive set of PDF tools
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 👍 Helpful for personal and professional use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Paid features required for basic functionality
  • 🔒 Confusing in-app purchase and upgrade process
  • 🔍 Poor discoverability of features
  • 🗂️ Lack of cloud sync and cross-device support

Bugs and requests

PDF Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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 Export

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when opening certain PDF files
  • Formatting issues when converting documents to PDF
  • Inability to restore previous purchases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved PDF splitting and merging capabilities
  • Annotation and editing tools for PDFs
  • Better integration with other productivity apps
  • Clearer pricing and feature structure
  • Enhanced user interface and navigation

In-app purchases

12 purchases

PDF Pro

Subscriptions12
  • Offer - Monthly - macOS3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Offer - Monthly - iOS3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium - Monthly - iOS3 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Premium - Monthly - macOS3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Offer - Annual - iOS3 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Offer - Annual - macOS3 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Premium - Annual - iOS3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Offer - macOS + iOS3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Offer - iOS + macOS3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Premium - Annual - macOS3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Premium - iOS + macOS3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Premium - macOS + iOS3 Days trial$49.991 Year
12 purchases

PDF Export

One-time12
  • 1 Fax Credit$0.99
  • Convert 5 Documents Online$0.99
  • 5 Fax Credit$3.99
Show 9 more
  • PDF Export Pro Plus$3.99
  • PDF Export Pro$3.99
  • Convert 30 Documents Online$4.99
  • 10 Fax Credit$5.99
  • 20 Fax Credit$9.99
  • Convert 70 Documents Online$9.99
  • PDF Export Full Access$12.99
  • 50 Fax Credit$19.99
  • Convert 150 Documents Online$19.99

Questions

Is PDF Pro free?
PDF Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Export free?
PDF Export is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or PDF Export?
PDF Pro and PDF Export are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6.9K and 1.7K ratings respectively.
Do PDF Pro or PDF Export have ads?
PDF Export shows ads; PDF Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or PDF Export?
PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Export fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Export on September 24, 2026.

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