PDF Editor vs LocalToolbox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Editor
Easily scan paper documents, merge PDFs, and organize your files offline on iPhone and iPad. Convert various file types to PDF, annotate documents, and add signatures. Keep your paperwork tidy with nested folders and iCloud sync.
- Scan documents to PDF
- Merge and split PDFs
- Convert Office files to PDF
- Annotate and sign documents
- Organize files with folders
- iCloud sync
- Local network transfer
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Scan paper documents, merge PDFs and organize everyday paperwork on iPhone and iPad. One-time purchase. No subscriptions, in-app purchases or ads. SCAN AND CONVERT • Scan paper documents with your camera and turn photos into PDFs. • Create PDFs from plain text and Markdown. • Convert supported Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to PDF on your device. MERGE, SPLIT AND ORGANIZE • Combine multiple PDFs into one document. • Split a PDF while keeping the original. • Reorder pages with previews and delete pages you do not need. • Import from Files or compatible apps, then rename and share your PDFs. READ, ANNOTATE AND SIGN • Highlight and underline selectable text, add comments and manage supported annotations. • Draw a handwritten signature or reuse a signature saved on this device. • Insert images and image-based stamps; preview stamp background removal and save templates for reuse. • Position and resize signatures, images and stamps before saving. Image stamps are not certificate-based digital signatures. KEEP DOCUMENTS ORGANIZED • Create nested folders and move multiple PDFs at once. • Sync PDFs and folders with iCloud. Sync is on by default when iCloud is available and can be turned off in Settings. Saved signature and stamp templates stay on this device. • When you enable local network transfer, use a computer browser on the same network to upload, download and manage supported files. PROCESS ON YOUR DEVICE Scanning and file conversion happen on your device. Source files are not uploaded for conversion. PDFs in your library follow your iCloud sync setting; sharing and local network transfer happen when you choose to use them. No separate app account is required.
LocalToolbox
A privacy-focused utility app offering over 160 offline tools for daily tasks, work, and study. It provides a comprehensive suite of calculators, converters, text utilities, and specialized professional tools, all functioning locally without internet access or data collection.
- 165+ offline utility tools
- Privacy-first, no data collection
- Measurement, time, and date tools
- Text utilities and developer tools
- Finance and engineering calculators
- Local record and workplace tools
- Fun and everyday helper tools
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Local Toolbox is a privacy-first, fully offline utility app that now includes 203 practical tools for daily life, work, local records, study, image tasks, PDF and media handling, and professional use. It brings measurement tools, timers, date and unit converters, text utilities, developer tools, finance and record tools, field and workplace helpers, image tools, PDF and file tools, media tools, and fun utilities into one app. Many small tools that would normally require a separate download, or an upload to a cloud website, are already here and run entirely on device. Everything runs locally on your device. No login, no internet required, no cloud sync, no content upload, and no ads, subscriptions, or in-app purchases getting in the way. Text from image, document scanning and auto redaction are all done on device by iOS itself, so your photos, PDFs and videos never need to be handed to an AI service. It is built for people who want practical tools without privacy trade-offs. V2.3 adds ten local tools: Resize to Target (exact pixels or file size), Convert Image Format (JPEG/PNG/HEIC), Document Scanner (auto edge detection and shadow cleanup), Text from Image (offline OCR with txt export), QR & Barcode Scan (and Wi-Fi QR creation), Auto Redact (card numbers, IBANs, emails, phone numbers, IPs and faces), Images to PDF, PDF Page Tools (merge, split, rotate, delete, export pages), File Hash Check (SHA-256/SHA-1/MD5/CRC32) and Compress Video (size limit, trim, extract audio). Key features include: Measurement, timer, date, and unit conversion tools Text utilities, JSON, regex, UUID/ULID, JWT, URL parsing, Text Find and Replace, and Voice to Text Everyday helpers like bill split, unit price compare, work hours, time zone conversion, a general Date Calculator, and Exam Countdown Finance and record tools such as compound growth, fixed deposit, recurring investment, goal planning, mortgage comparison, Simple Ledger, savings records, gift records, and local logs for borrowing, inventory, warranty, recurring payments, receipts, and medication Image tools such as compression and resizing to target, format conversion, stitching, color picking, text watermark, EXIF viewing and stripping, screenshot and auto redaction, document scanning, text from image, and QR and barcode tools PDF and file tools such as Images to PDF, PDF merge/split/rotate/delete/page export, and file hash verification Media tools such as video compression and trimming, and M4A audio extraction Privacy tools such as a local authenticator, text redaction, photo metadata stripping, screenshot redaction, link tracking cleanup, and a privacy checkup checklist Professional tools for engineering, workplace, logistics, renovation, and field use Fun tools like Lucky Spinner, coin toss, reaction speed, color guess, a Yes / No Decider, Paid Slacking Tracker, and more Supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and French. Have a feature idea or want a new tool? Tell us in an App Store review.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LocalToolbox at 4.8 against PDF Editor's 4.0. PDF Editor's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $4.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
PDF Editor costs $0.99 and LocalToolbox $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LocalToolbox holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
PDF Editor ships an update every 10 days, LocalToolbox every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Editor | LocalToolbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 218 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 大鹏 张 | 鹏 杨 |
Customer experience
PDF Editor
LocalToolbox
In-app purchases
PDF Editor
No in-app purchases
LocalToolbox
No in-app purchases









