PDF Field Guide vs Emphasized
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Field Guide
Quickly access, search, and share your essential PDF documents. Organize and import files for offline viewing, and convert images into searchable PDFs. Smart zoom and full-screen reading enhance your experience.
- Organize and group documents
- Import PDFs for offline viewing
- Create searchable PDFs from images
- Smart zoom and full-screen reading
- Keyword search and table of contents
- Share documents via multiple methods
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PDF Field Guide is the #1 quick reference companion helping you recall information quickly! Add, view, search and share your most important PDF documents quickly and easily from your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Helping you recall information quickly when you need it most! ADD - Organize and group your most needed documents for fast access. - Import PDFs from iCloud or Files App for offline viewing. - Create searchable PDFs using your camera and automatic document recognition. - Convert images to searchable PDFs from your photos or camera roll. VIEW - Double tap on the screen to Smart Zoom to the text you want to read. - Automatically switch to full screen reading mode when placed in landscape orientation. - Requires no internet connection. Documents are stored locally in iOS Files App. - Supports system dark mode. SEARCH - Perform keyword search to find information quickly. - Create customizable table of contents for fast access to important pages. - Tap to jump to sections in documents with embedded table of contents. - Tap to follow hyperlinks in documents with embedded links. - Highlight to select text in OCR-enabled documents allowing you to copy or share key information. SHARE - Share individual or multiple documents via email, text, AirDrop and more. - Family sharing enabled. - No subscriptions. Ever.
Emphasized
Effortlessly capture and organize important text from any webpage. Save, edit, and export your highlights as a PDF without needing an account. Boost your research and study sessions with this intuitive tool.
- Highlight text on webpages
- Multiple color options
- Auto-save highlights locally
- Organize by webpage
- Export highlights to PDF
- Undo/delete highlights
- Character and word selection modes
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Whether you're cramming for a test, diving deep into research, or just collecting great quotes, this highlighter's got your back. Highlight text on any webpage—no sign-in, no fuss. Everything's saved automatically on your device and neatly grouped by page or tag, so you can always pick up where you left off. Change colors, tweak and tag highlights, and export them all when you're ready to share or review. Highlighting • Highlight text on webpages • Use multiple colors • Change the color of existing highlights • Delete highlights you no longer need • Split or merge existing highlights • Easily undo highlighted text with a single tap Tags • Create tags with custom colors to categorize your highlights • Assign or change tags on any existing highlights • Select an active tag to automatically apply it while highlighting Selection Modes • Characters: grab just the letters you want • Words: select full words even if selecting mid-word • None: disable highlighting while keeping existing highlights visible Auto-Save • Highlights are saved locally on your device • Automatically restored when you revisit the same webpage • No account or sign-in required Organized View • Browse highlights by webpage • Browse all highlights by tag across every website • Quickly find and review your saved content Exporting • Export highlights as a clean, shareable PDF • Export as plain text or JSON • Share directly via the system share sheet Other Features • Reposition the toolbar if it gets in the way • Boost productivity with keyboard shortcuts for highlighting and switching tags (requires physical keyboard) • See your active highlight settings, all keyboard shortcuts, and support links in the Settings page Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PDF Field Guide at Free against Emphasized's $2.99. PDF Field Guide also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Emphasized's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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 Field Guide is free to download; Emphasized costs $2.99 up front. PDF Field Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Emphasized asks for nothing beyond the download.
PDF Field Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.
PDF Field Guide ships an update monthly, Emphasized every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Field Guide | Emphasized |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Heidi Paul | Algirdas Gridziuska |
Customer experience
PDF Field Guide
Emphasized
In-app purchases
PDF Field Guide
- Premium Pass$1.99
- Pro Pass$4.99
Emphasized
No in-app purchases









