# PDF Gear vs FreePDF

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Gear at 85% against FreePDF's 11%. PDF Gear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). FreePDF's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. FreePDF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PDF Gear asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Gear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Gear has 8.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of PDF Gear's written reviews are positive against 11% of FreePDF's.

PDF Gear ships an update monthly, FreePDF every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Gear | FreePDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (8.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-gear-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6465897558/reviews)** | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freepdf-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6502199711/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8.6K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **85.1% of reviews** | 11.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 46 MB | 317 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1700412852) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### FreePDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freepdf-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6502199711)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing, scanning, converting, filling, and signing PDF documents. It includes features like scanning to editable PDFs, annotation, form filling, document security, and an AI assistant. It's designed for professionals, students, and anyone needing a versatile PDF solution.

**Highlights:** Scan to editable PDFs, PDF annotation and editing, Advanced signature and form filling, Versatile file conversion, Document security with passcodes, AI Assistant and Writing Helper

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FreePDF Unlock All Features | $2.99 | per month |
| FreePDF Lifetime Pro Unlock | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Gear free?

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

### Is FreePDF free?

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

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

PDF Gear is rated higher. PDF Gear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.6K ratings, while FreePDF averages 1.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do PDF Gear or FreePDF have ads?

Neither PDF Gear nor FreePDF shows ads.

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

PDF Gear ships an update monthly, and FreePDF every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Gear was updated on September 25, 2026 and FreePDF on August 26, 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.*