# PDF Editor vs PDF Gear

PDF Editor and PDF Gear both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of PDF Gear's written reviews are positive against 39% of PDF Editor's. PDF Gear also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 16). PDF Editor's advantage is chart position (#35 vs unranked) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Editor sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. PDF Gear asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Editor against 4.7 for PDF Gear. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.8K and 8.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of PDF Editor's written reviews are positive against 85% of PDF Gear's.

PDF Editor ships an update fortnightly, PDF Gear monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Editor | PDF Gear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (7.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-read-scan-convert/id6443583054/reviews) | [4.7 (8.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-gear-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6465897558/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 7.8K | **8.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 39.0% of reviews | **85.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#35** | — |
| Size | 217 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rhophi Analytics LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647365609) | [PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1700412852) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-read-scan-convert/id6443583054)

**Currently charting:** #35 Top Grossing · Business, #165 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

Edit, read, scan, and convert PDF documents with a comprehensive suite of tools. Annotate, draw, and sign your files with ease. This app offers offline functionality and supports collaboration.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDF documents, Scan physical documents to PDF, Convert various file types to PDF, Convert PDF to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Sign documents electronically, Collaborate by sharing PDF files, Work offline

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

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $11.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $12.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| Black Friday Premium Sale | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📚 Comprehensive PDF editing tools
- 🚀 Reliable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🙄 Intrusive ads and feedback popups
- 📁 Limited functionality in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to save or export PDFs
- Editing tools not working as expected
- Subscription issues and billing problems

**Requested features**

- Add option to delete pages
- Improve save/export functionality
- Introduce a one-time purchase option


### PDF Gear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-gear-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6465897558)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents on mobile devices. Users can easily view, annotate, edit pages, fill out forms, and digitally sign documents. It provides a free and unlimited experience for all its powerful PDF manipulation features.

**Highlights:** View and print PDFs, Annotate with highlights, text, and drawings, Organize pages (add, delete, rotate, extract), Fill out forms and sign documents, Manage PDF files (duplicate, rename, move, share), Open and save to device & iCloud

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simplicity and reliability
- 👍 Straightforward and easy to learn
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 👍 Excellent PDF handling capabilities
- 🚀 Efficient and fast processing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or corrupted files
- 🐛 Limited functionality on iOS devices
- 🐛 Unreliable auto-save and undo/redo features
- 🐛 Inability to edit password-protected PDFs
- 🐛 Annoying popups and requests for reviews

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain PDF files
- Inability to edit text in forms on iPad
- Corrupted PDFs after repeated editing and saving

**Requested features**

- Add password protection and encryption
- Improve undo/redo functionality
- Enhance text editing capabilities
- Implement better auto-save and file recovery
- Provide more customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Editor free?

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

### Is PDF Gear free?

PDF Gear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Editor or PDF Gear?

PDF Editor and PDF Gear are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7.8K and 8.6K ratings respectively.

### Do PDF Editor or PDF Gear have ads?

Neither PDF Editor nor PDF Gear shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Editor or PDF Gear?

PDF Editor ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Gear monthly. Most recently, PDF Editor was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Gear on September 25, 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.*