# PDF Gear vs Simple PDF Compressor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Gear at 85% against Simple PDF Compressor's 0%. PDF Gear also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

PDF Gear ships an update monthly, Simple PDF Compressor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Gear | Simple PDF Compressor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (8.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-gear-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6465897558/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **8.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **85.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 45 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PDF GEAR TECH PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1700412852) | [MITSUKO MARGOT KUBOTA ONO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1799524637) |

## 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


### Simple PDF Compressor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-pdf-compressor/id6759846627)

Easily reduce the size of PDF files or combine multiple documents into a single PDF. Offers three compression levels and allows reordering files before merging. Processed documents can be shared or saved directly to your device.

**Highlights:** Reduce PDF file size, Merge multiple PDFs, Three compression strengths, Reorder files before merging, Preview before processing, On-device processing

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Gear free?

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

### Is Simple PDF Compressor free?

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

### Do PDF Gear or Simple PDF Compressor have ads?

Simple PDF Compressor shows ads; PDF Gear does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Gear or Simple PDF Compressor?

PDF Gear ships an update monthly, and Simple PDF Compressor every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Gear was updated on October 16, 2026 and Simple PDF Compressor on October 7, 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.*