Comparison

iBal Rotary vs PDF Expert

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

Head to head
About

iBal Rotary

This app helps helicopter pilots quickly calculate weight and balance for their aircraft. It supports numerous helicopter models and allows users to add custom aircraft configurations. The app provides graphical displays and can email mission manifests, aiding in compliance with aviation regulations.

Highlights
  • Supports numerous helicopter types
  • Add custom aircraft configurations
  • Graphical CG displays
  • Email mission manifests
  • Detects weight and CG problems
  • Predefined load lists
Features
Read full description

iBal Rotary is a dedicated Helicopter weight and balance app for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac. Designed from the ground up for professional and private helicopter pilots, it provides for quick and easy entry of loads and checks against type-specific weight, lateral and longitudinal CG limits, load station limits etc. Graphical displays, mission and manifest sent by email and much more. Online information, help and discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/ibal-help http://www.airspayce.com/airspayce/ibal Quick Reference Sheet http://www.airspayce.com/iBal/ReferenceSheet.pdf Features: Many types supported: See http://www.airspayce.com/airspayce/ibal/ibal-types-supported for detailed list of supported types and configurations. Robinson R22 Beta, BetaII, Alpha, HP, R44, R44 II, R66 Agusta A109AII, A109E, A119 and AW119 MK II Agusta Bell AB212 IFR Pax Agusta-Westland AW109SP, AW139 Bell 205A-1 and 205A-1 with STC SH5977NM, 204B, 206B3 Jet Ranger, 206L Long Ranger (L, L1, L3, and L4 models), 210, 222U, 230, 212, 407, 412, 427, 429, 430 Schweizer/Hughes 269C/300C, 333, 333M Hughes OH-6A Eurocopter AS350 B, BA, BA+, B1, B2, B3, D Squirrel, AS332, AS355 N, NP, F1 and F2 twin Squirrel AS365 N1, N2, N3 Dauphin, BK117 A-3, A-4, B, C-1, C+, EC120B Colibri, EC130 B4, EC135 P2+, EC130/H130 EC155 B,B1, EC225 LP Enstrom 280FX, 480B Boeing CH-47 Chinook Cabri G2 MD500D (369D), MD530F-Plus (369FF), MD600N, MD902 MBB105 LS A3 Sikorsky S-76A,A+,A++, S-76B, C, S-76C++, S-92A, UH-61A,L Blackhawk Add any number of your own aircraft, including preconfigured loads and photos of your own aircraft. Send completed CG Solutions (including manifest) and CG graphs to any email address (internet connection required) Configurable Name, BEW, longitudinal and lateral arms and photo for your own aircraft (from camera or photo roll where supported). Easy entry and adjustment of passengers, fuel, cargo and suspended loads. Displays CG for loaded and empty fuel, critical fuel loads with and without any suspended load. Detects and displays weight, longitudinal and lateral CG problems. Displays available load until limits will be exceeded. Displays weights, arms and CG solutions in graphical and tabular formats, with problem alerts. Support for optional Passenger names and Flight Details which appear on the CG solution spreadsheet and are transmitted when Send tapped. This supports new FAA rules requiring FAR Part 135 (Air Taxi) Operators to manifest every flight stage and for it to be transmitted back to base. Support for Predefined Loads: user definable list of commonly carried loads and their weights. Useful for EMS staff lists, oil rig personnel lists, common cargo items etc. List of predefined loads can be accessed from the load edit page to automatically enter the weight and description. The list can be customised to include any number of your own personnel names or freight descriptions plus the weight of each. Predefined loads can be added or removed from your list at any time, and will not be lost when you update iBal. Loads can be entered in your choice of suitable unit: kg, lbs, USGals, litres, stones (also fuel % in applicable types). Supports iPhone gestures: Drag passengers and cargo between stations Flick cargo and passengers off Zoom and scroll floorplans, graphs and load sheets Aircraft-specific Custom Load Stations, allowing you to add new or non-standard loading positions to your own aircraft. Displays helpful loading data, limits and hints. Optional Alert sounds and vibration for bad solutions for easy in-flight use. Configurable fuel SGs Supports Apple AirPrint, Retina, iOS 5 and later on iPhone, iPad, etc. Works with Aeronet http://www.aeronet.co.nz/ a world class maintenance, flight and duty tracking system. Allows operators to automatically update their Aeronet records with the flight details emailed by iBal. Reduces the time and cost of records compliance.

About

PDF Expert

This app allows you to edit, annotate, fill out forms, and convert PDF documents. It offers AI-powered summarization and analysis, along with tools to merge, sign, and protect your files. Work seamlessly across Apple devices with a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF text and images
  • Annotate and highlight PDFs
  • Fill out PDF forms
  • Convert files to and from PDF
  • AI-powered summarization and analysis
  • Merge and combine PDF files
  • Sign documents with e-signatures
Features
Read full description

PDF Expert is a fast and easy PDF app to read, annotate, fill and sign PDF forms, convert files to PDF, and merge, split or compress documents – all in one intuitive app for iPhone, iPad, Mac & Vision Pro. Read PDF files with comfort, highlight and mark up text, fill out forms, sign contracts, create and convert PDFs, and summarize long documents in seconds with AI-powered tools. Unlock unlimited possibilities with PDF Expert Premium and work across all your Apple devices. "PDF Expert is one of my must-have iPad apps and a desktop-class PDF reader." – MacStories "The best app for managing, editing, and reading PDFs on your iPad." – The Sweet Setup ▶ WITH PDF EXPERT, YOU CAN: READ PDFs - PDF reader with Day, Night, and Sepia modes for comfortable reading anytime - Scroll PDFs vertically or horizontally and search text in any document - Open and view PDF files from email, web, Files, or any app via the Share menu - Read PDFs out loud with Text to Speech ANNOTATE AND MARK UP PDFs - Highlight, underline, and strike through text in your PDFs - Mark up documents with pen, shapes, text, notes, and comments - Add stamps such as Approved or Confidential - Record your voice and add audio notes to PDFs FILL AND SIGN PDF FORMS - Fill out PDF forms with text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons - Sign PDF documents in seconds – draw your signature or add it from an image - Save your signature to sign contracts, agreements, invoices, and applications faster - Fill, sign, and send forms right from your iPhone – no printing or scanning needed - Supports all major form formats, including AcroForms and static XFA forms ***PREMIUM FEATURES*** EDIT PDFs - Edit text directly in a PDF – just as you would in a Word document - Add, replace, and resize images in your PDFs - Add links to other pages or websites - Add outlines to navigate large PDFs CREATE AND CONVERT PDFs - Create PDFs from Word files, images, and other documents - Convert Word to PDF, JPG to PDF, and PNG to PDF in seconds - Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, and TXT MERGE, SPLIT AND ORGANIZE PDFs - Merge and combine multiple PDF files into one - Split PDFs and extract pages into a new file - Add, delete, rotate, and reorder pages with thumbnail preview COMPRESS PDFs - Compress PDFs to reduce file size for email and sharing - Shrink large PDF files to save space on your device SUMMARIZE PDFs WITH AI – PDF COPILOT - List Main Points – get key takeaways from any PDF - Summarize – get concise summaries of entire PDFs or annotations - Ask Anything – find details with AI answers and references - Explain – get instant explanations of words or phrases PROTECT YOUR FILES - Password-protect PDF Expert - Redact – permanently black out sensitive information WORK WITH SCANNED DOCUMENTS - Open scanned PDFs to fill out, sign, annotate, and share CONSTRUCTION TOOLS - Scale and measure drawings with the Measure tab - Polygon, polyline, and redline tools MORE FEATURES - Customizable toolbar - Presentation Mode - Print and share PDFs via email or cloud ONE ACCOUNT FOR ALL YOUR APPLE DEVICES One Premium subscription covers PDF Expert on iPhone, iPad, and Mac – no need to buy versions separately. Read more about our terms and conditions here: https://pdfexpert.com/privacy https://pdfexpert.com/terms Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at http://readdle.com/contact

Screenshots

iBal Rotary4 screens
PDF Expert4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PDF Expert at Free against iBal Rotary's $17.99. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (216K vs 23) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). iBal Rotary's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 46%) and in-app purchases (none vs 12). On ads 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

PDF Expert is free to download; iBal Rotary costs $17.99 up front. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. iBal Rotary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of iBal Rotary's written reviews are positive against 46% of PDF Expert's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iBal Rotary ships an update every 2 months, PDF Expert fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
iBal Rotary versus PDF Expert: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBal RotaryPDF Expert
Price$17.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (23 ratings)4.7 (216K ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews — better46.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23216K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#73 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB307 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperAirSpayceReaddle Technologies Limited

Customer experience

iBal Rotary

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative14.5%

PDF Expert

All ratings215,975 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,136 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative46.6%

User reviews

iBal Rotary

From 23 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and accurate calculations
  • 👍 User-friendly and simple interface
  • 🛠️ Excellent customer support
  • ✅ Reliable and functional
  • 💡 Versatile and complete

Room to improve

  • 💰 Repurchase required for new versions
  • 🔊 Annoying sounds
  • 👎 Poor user interface
  • 📉 Outdated data
  • 🤷‍♂️ Stations cannot be deleted

PDF Expert

From 216K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 💡 Powerful annotation and editing tools
  • 🔒 Seamless cloud integration
  • 📚 Excellent for reading and organizing PDFs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Subscription model for advanced features
  • 🔒 Inconsistent pricing and feature changes
  • 🔍 Cluttered and confusing UI in latest update
  • 🔍 Reduced customization options for annotations

Bugs and requests

iBal Rotary

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on iPhone 4 since latest update
  • Choose photo function does not work on iPad Mini Retina
  • Math is sometimes wrong
  • Rounding of aircraft values is annoying

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add B3E aircraft
  • Ability to modify aircraft data
  • Add BK-117 D2/D3 (H145) to aircraft list
  • Add Bell 505 to aircraft library
  • Input fuel burn to calculate flight duration estimate
Show 5 more
  • Adjustable minimum fuel
  • Add AS 350 B3 to list
  • Simplify PDF/printed page to one page
  • Remove sound features
  • Allow building own configuration with lateral c of g

PDF Expert

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Corrupted PDFs after editing
  • Sync issues with cloud storage providers
  • Unexpected loss of annotations and edits
  • Unreliable performance on older iPad models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved palm rejection for Apple Pencil
  • Customizable toolbar and annotation presets
  • Better integration with other productivity apps
  • More flexible file management and organization
  • Ability to create fillable PDF forms

In-app purchases

None

iBal Rotary

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

PDF Expert

Subscriptions9
  • PDF Expert Premium Trial7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert Premium No Trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert for Education7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • PDF Expert Premium7 Days trial3 variants$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium New7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium Existing7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert – Premium Editing1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS Pro7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS7 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Expert Basic$9.99

Questions

Is iBal Rotary free?
iBal Rotary costs $17.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iBal Rotary or PDF Expert?
PDF Expert is rated higher. iBal Rotary averages 4.4 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while PDF Expert averages 4.7 from 216K ratings.
Do iBal Rotary or PDF Expert have ads?
Neither iBal Rotary nor PDF Expert shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iBal Rotary or PDF Expert?
iBal Rotary ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Expert fortnightly. Most recently, iBal Rotary was updated on September 21, 2026 and PDF Expert on September 25, 2026.

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