# PDF Pro vs PDF Splitter + PDF Merge

The clearest difference is monetization model: PDF Splitter + PDF Merge at free with in-app purchases against PDF Pro's subscription. PDF Splitter + PDF Merge also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). PDF Pro's advantage is ratings volume (6.9K vs 139) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Splitter + PDF Merge sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Pro has 6.9K ratings behind it against 139, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 88% of PDF Splitter + PDF Merge's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, PDF Splitter + PDF Merge every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | PDF Splitter + PDF Merge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews)** | [4.5 (139 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-splitter-plus-pdf-merge/id651952889/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 139 |
| Positive reviews | 60.3% of reviews | **88.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) | [青青 余](https://appshunter.io/developer/633344484) |

## 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 Splitter + PDF Merge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-splitter-plus-pdf-merge/id651952889)

Easily combine multiple PDF files into a single document or extract specific pages from existing PDFs. This tool supports merging password-protected files if the password is known.

**Highlights:** Extract pages from PDF, Merge specified pages of multiple PDFs, Merge password-protected PDFs, Combine PDFs into one

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock（without restriction） | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock iOS without restriction | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and efficient
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Reliable and consistent
- 👍 Excellent value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with sorting/reordering files
- 🐛 Limitations on number of files
- 🔧 Outdated or basic interface design
- 💰 Requests payment after trial period

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupts text in merged PDF documents
- Paid version does not work as expected

**Requested features**

- Add page preview functionality
- Allow merging of other file types (not just PDFs)
- Improve file sorting/reordering capabilities
- Provide more customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Pro free?

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

### Is PDF Splitter + PDF Merge free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or PDF Splitter + PDF Merge?

PDF Pro is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PDF Splitter + PDF Merge averages 4.5 from 139 ratings.

### Do PDF Pro or PDF Splitter + PDF Merge have ads?

Neither PDF Pro nor PDF Splitter + PDF Merge shows ads.

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

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Splitter + PDF Merge every 3 months. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Splitter + PDF Merge on September 23, 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.*