Comparison

(beat) for iOS vs PDF Highlighter

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

Head to head
About

(beat) for iOS

This screenwriting app offers a distraction-free environment for writers to focus on their craft. It supports Fountain markup for portable and future-proof documents, with features like automatic scene numbering and auto-completion for efficient writing.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free UI
  • Fountain markup support
  • Automatic scene numbering
  • Auto-complete for scene headings and character names
  • PDF export
  • Final Draft import/export
  • Novel mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

An elegant Fountain screenwriting app, created by a screenwriter for screenwriters. The perfect companion for full macOS version of Beat. Beat lets you write in a flow: Just start typing and let Beat take care of the formatting. There are as little distractions as possible to let you concentrate on writing. The app uses Fountain markup to store your documents, so everything you write is portable and future-proof. Your files are stored only on your own accounts and devices, and they are kept completely private. • Distraction-free UI • Index cards • Automatic scene numbering • Auto complete for scene headings and character names • PDF export • Final Draft import and export • Revision/edit tracking • Novel mode • Collection of templates for a quick start

About

PDF Highlighter

Effortlessly highlight key information in PDF documents with custom colors and multiple search terms. This tool automates the highlighting process, saving time for professionals and students alike. Export or print your annotated PDFs with ease.

Highlights
  • Automatic highlighting of words and phrases
  • Multiple highlight colors
  • Supports multiple search terms
  • Regular expression support for advanced searches
  • Export and print highlighted documents
  • Direct sharing from other apps
Features
Read full description

Instantly add highlights to PDF documents - add multiple highlights with different colours for different words. No need to search and laboriously add highlights manually. Highlight individual words or the entire line - great for finding team members or individuals in long lists of names. Each search can match on multiple different words or phrases. Great for highlighting all the members of your sports team. Designed specifically for swimming team managers and coaches - instantly find your team on event start lists and heat sheets. Highlight each squad in a different colour, pick out individuals or highlight event names and numbers. Share start list PDFs directly into the app from results websites. Copy or save your highlighted document to a file, or send it to a printer. Also great for: • Sports team managers and coaches • Students, academics & researchers • Lawyers & legal professionals • Journalists & writers • Business professionals • Language learners • Medical & scientific professionals • Project managers & analysts Supports multiple search terms, and multiple highlights and shortcuts integration. Search terms support regular expressions for advanced use cases.

Screenshots

(beat) for iOS4 screens
PDF Highlighter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PDF Highlighter at $1.99 against (beat) for iOS's $11.99. PDF Highlighter also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%). (beat) for iOS's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#48 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

(beat) for iOS costs $11.99 and PDF Highlighter $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

(beat) for iOS ships an update every 3 days, PDF Highlighter every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
(beat) for iOS versus PDF Highlighter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter(beat) for iOSPDF Highlighter
Price$11.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.3 (44 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#48 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLauri-Matti ParppeiTaptix Ltd

Customer experience

(beat) for iOS

All ratings44 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative13.0%

PDF Highlighter

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

(beat) for iOS

No in-app purchases

None

PDF Highlighter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is (beat) for iOS free?
(beat) for iOS costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Highlighter free?
PDF Highlighter costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do (beat) for iOS or PDF Highlighter have ads?
Neither (beat) for iOS nor PDF Highlighter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, (beat) for iOS or PDF Highlighter?
(beat) for iOS ships an update every 3 days, and PDF Highlighter every 5 weeks. Most recently, (beat) for iOS was updated on October 25, 2026 and PDF Highlighter on October 18, 2026.

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