# Foxit PDF Editor vs LightPDF

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Foxit PDF Editor at 4.8K against LightPDF's 54. Foxit PDF Editor also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1). LightPDF's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 68%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Foxit PDF Editor sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and LightPDF sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Foxit PDF Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Foxit PDF Editor has 4.8K ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Foxit PDF Editor's written reviews are positive against 88% of LightPDF's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Foxit PDF Editor ships an update monthly, LightPDF every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Foxit PDF Editor | LightPDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foxit-pdf-editor/id507040546/reviews)** | [4.1 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightpdf-ai-chat-pdf-scanner/id1622949837/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.8K** | 54 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | **88.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 328 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [FOXIT SOFTWARE INCORPORATED](https://appshunter.io/developer/386527261) | [Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1254320291) |

## What reviewers say

### Foxit PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foxit-pdf-editor/id507040546)

This mobile app offers comprehensive PDF management, allowing users to view, edit, annotate, and convert PDF files on the go. It includes AI-powered features for summarization, translation, and text enhancement, alongside robust tools for creating, signing, and protecting documents.

**Highlights:** AI-powered PDF summarization and translation, Edit text and images within PDFs, Convert PDFs to and from various formats, Annotate and add handwritten signatures, Create PDFs from scans or other files, Secure PDF files with passwords and redaction, Cloud service integration for file access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Foxit AI Assistant - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor - Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor - Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Foxit AI Assistant - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor+ Yearly | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent PDF reader
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🔓 Robust annotation tools
- 💡 Convenient cloud integration
- 🔊 Helpful text-to-speech feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality
- 💰 Expensive subscription cost
- 🖌️ Poor Apple Pencil support
- 📂 Unreliable cloud sync

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription not recognized after OS update
- Pages go blank when switching apps
- Handwriting and text input issues
- Inconsistent behavior when rotating device
- Corrupted files and data loss

**Requested features**

- Allow custom highlight/text color
- Improve page navigation and bookmarking
- Integrate with more cloud storage providers
- Add OCR and text extraction capabilities
- Enhance annotation tools for better precision


### LightPDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightpdf-ai-chat-pdf-scanner/id1622949837)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents on your mobile device. It leverages AI to summarize, chat with, and convert PDFs, along with scanning capabilities, text extraction, and editing features. It also includes an ID photo maker and watermark removal.

**Highlights:** AI Chat with PDFs, Phone Scanner to PDF, PDF to Word/JPG/Excel Converter, OCR Text Extraction, PDF Editing and Annotation, ID Photo Maker, Watermark Removal

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LightPDF Weekly Subscription | $13.99 | per 7 days |
| LightPDF Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| LightPDF Yearly Subscription | $47.99 | per year |
| LightPDF Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| LightPDF Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| iOS LightPDF - 1 Week | $9.99 | one-time |
| 買一年送一年 | $79.99 | one-time |
| 1年購入で1年おまけ | $84.99 | one-time |
| 2 zum Preis von 1 | $99.99 | one-time |
| 3-Year Subscription | $99.99 | one-time |
| Mac LightPDF Lifetime Plan | $109.99 | one-time |
| Buy 3 yrs Get 3 yrs Free | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Efficient PDF tools
- ✨ High-quality PDF to Word conversion
- 💡 Impressive OCR functionality
- 💬 Helpful AI chatbot

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 High price
- ❌ App doesn't work
- 💳 Unexpected charges
- 🚫 Watermark removal issues
- 📉 Blurry pictures

**Reported bugs**

- App requests more money after payment
- Paid subscription not unlocking features
- Trial period charged despite cancellation
- Scans cut off PDF to 3 pages or under
- Performance issues

**Requested features**

- iPad support
- Edit text in the exact same font
- More advanced editing features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Foxit PDF Editor free?

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

### Is LightPDF free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Foxit PDF Editor or LightPDF?

Foxit PDF Editor is rated higher. Foxit PDF Editor averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while LightPDF averages 4.1 from 54 ratings.

### Do Foxit PDF Editor or LightPDF have ads?

Neither Foxit PDF Editor nor LightPDF shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Foxit PDF Editor or LightPDF?

Foxit PDF Editor ships an update monthly, and LightPDF every 2 weeks. Most recently, Foxit PDF Editor was updated on October 26, 2026 and LightPDF on October 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.*