# PDF Field Guide vs Bamboo

The clearest difference is monetization model: PDF Field Guide at free against Bamboo's freemium. PDF Field Guide also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Field Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Bamboo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PDF Field Guide against 5.0 for Bamboo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

PDF Field Guide ships an update monthly, Bamboo every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Field Guide | Bamboo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-field-guide/id6475620684/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bamboo-ai-markdown-notes/id6753059522/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 1 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Heidi Paul](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724530685) | [志贵 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435765171) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Field Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-field-guide/id6475620684)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Pass | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pass | $4.99 | one-time |


### Bamboo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bamboo-ai-markdown-notes/id6753059522)

This app is a Markdown note-taking tool for organizing knowledge and utilizing AI features. It allows users to capture ideas, write long-form content, and connect notes with wiki links. AI assistance is available for drafting, summarizing, and brainstorming, with users controlling their AI provider.

**Highlights:** Markdown editor with syntax highlighting, Wiki link creation for connecting notes, AI assistance for drafting and summarizing, Organize notes into collections, Cross-device synchronization, Import and export content

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Pro | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Field Guide free?

PDF Field Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bamboo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Field Guide or Bamboo?

PDF Field Guide and Bamboo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do PDF Field Guide or Bamboo have ads?

Neither PDF Field Guide nor Bamboo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Field Guide or Bamboo?

PDF Field Guide ships an update monthly, and Bamboo every 2 months. Most recently, PDF Field Guide was updated on November 4, 2026 and Bamboo on November 5, 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.*