# PDF Pro vs PDF Export

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | PDF Export |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews) | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-export-editor-and-converter/id633275113/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **60.3% of reviews** | 46.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 217 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) | [LiveBird Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/551521372) |

## 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 Export

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-export-editor-and-converter/id633275113)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Fax Credit | $0.99 | one-time |
| Convert 5 Documents Online | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Fax Credit | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Pro Plus | $3.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Pro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Convert 30 Documents Online | $4.99 | one-time |
| 10 Fax Credit | $5.99 | one-time |
| 20 Fax Credit | $9.99 | one-time |
| Convert 70 Documents Online | $9.99 | one-time |
| PDF Export Full Access | $12.99 | one-time |
| 50 Fax Credit | $19.99 | one-time |
| Convert 150 Documents Online | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*