# PDF Export vs PDF Tools

The clearest difference is update cadence: PDF Export at fortnightly against PDF Tools's every 5 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Export sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and PDF Tools sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Export ships an update fortnightly, PDF Tools every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Export | PDF Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-export-editor-and-converter/id633275113/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 46.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 217 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LiveBird Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/551521372) | [云峰 林](https://appshunter.io/developer/1740866485) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### PDF Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-tools-merge-split-edit/id6738097501)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Assistant Weekly VIP+Trial | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Assistant Permanent VIP | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Export free?

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

### Is PDF Tools free?

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

### Do PDF Export or PDF Tools have ads?

Both PDF Export and PDF Tools show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Export or PDF Tools?

PDF Export ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Tools every 5 months. Most recently, PDF Export was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Tools on September 12, 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.*