Comparison

Pocket Toolbox vs FormatBox

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Toolbox

Features
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Turn your iPhone into a portable PDF scanner, OCR reader, and 15-tool utility kit β€” completely free, no ads. Scan documents, extract text from photos, create and merge PDFs, convert units, generate QR codes, check levels, and more. Everything runs on-device. No account, no cloud uploads. Apple Watch app, Home Screen Widgets, and Shortcuts support included. WHY CHOOSE POCKET TOOLBOX? Whether you're a tradesperson, student, or just someone who loves having the right tool at hand, Pocket Toolbox combines convenience with powerful functionality in one beautifully designed app. PDF & SCANNING TOOLS β€’ Document Scanner - Scan paper documents to searchable PDFs with your camera β€’ PDF Creator - Convert photos and images to PDF documents β€’ PDF Merge & Split - Combine or separate PDF files β€’ OCR Text Recognition - Extract text from scans and photos β€’ ZIP Compression - Create compressed archives β€’ Document Converter - Convert PDF, TXT, images PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS β€’ Smart Calculator - Advanced calculator with history and scientific functions β€’ Timer & Stopwatch - Multiple timers and precision stopwatch β€’ Unit Converter - Convert 100+ units, plus live currency exchange rates β€’ Clipboard Manager - Access your clipboard history UTILITY TOOLS β€’ QR Scanner & Generator - Scan and generate QR codes β€’ Flashlight - LED flashlight with strobe and SOS modes β€’ Compass - Digital compass with coordinates β€’ Bubble Level - Precision level for alignment β€’ Color Picker - Extract colors from photos SECURITY & ADVANCED β€’ Password Generator - Create strong, secure passwords β€’ Network Tools - WiFi info and speed test β€’ Measurement Tools - Ruler and protractor KEY FEATURES β€’ Now completely free, no ads. β€’ Dark Mode Support β€’ 33+ Languages β€’ VoiceOver & Accessibility β€’ Privacy Focused - Data stays on device β€’ No Account Required β€’ Offline Ready β€’ Apple Watch Support β€’ Home Screen Widgets PERFECT FOR β€’ DIY enthusiasts β€’ Students and professionals β€’ Travelers and adventurers β€’ Anyone who values efficiency Download Pocket Toolbox today! Whether you need to convert a PDF, scan a QR code, check if a surface is level, or generate a secure password - we've got you covered. Join thousands of users who've made Pocket Toolbox their go-to utility app! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lid-web-privacy.web.app/pocket-toolbox-privacy-policy-ios.html

About

FormatBox

Features
Read full description

Your all-in-one toolbox for photos, videos, PDFs, audio, and archives. Convert, compress, resize, sign, and organize β€” 100% on your iPhone. No cloud, no uploads, no account, no data collection, ever. WHAT YOU CAN DO QUICK CONVERT β€’ HEIC to JPG, HEVC to H.264 β€” for universal compatibility β€’ Open modern web images (WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL) and convert to JPG β€’ Convert camera RAW files (DNG, CR2, NEF, ARW…) to JPG or HEIC, in batch IMAGE TOOLS β€’ Resize by percentage, dimension, or target file size in KB β€’ Remove the background from any photo β€” transparent, white, or black β€’ Add a text watermark to photos and videos β€’ Batch rename files with a custom prefix, suffix, and numbering pattern β€’ Extract text from any photo with on-device OCR β€” copy it or export as .txt β€’ Crop, rotate, and adjust brightness/contrast before you share PDF TOOLS β€’ Scan documents with your camera β€” automatic edge detection and perspective correction β€’ Combine photos into a PDF, or export every PDF page as an image β€’ Merge, split, reorder, and rotate PDF pages β€’ Draw a signature and stamp it onto any page β€’ Add a searchable, invisible OCR text layer to scanned PDFs β€’ Compress image-heavy PDFs to a fraction of the size VIDEO & AUDIO β€’ Compress video to a target size β€” 10 MB, 25 MB, 50 MB, or custom β€’ Trim the start or end of any video, losslessly β€’ Extract audio from video as M4A β€’ Convert audio between M4A, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, and MP3 (128/192/320 kbps), with trimming ARCHIVE TOOL β€’ Zip files together for sharing or backup β€’ Create password-protected ZIP files β€’ Extract ZIP, RAR, 7Z, and TAR archives EBOOK, VECTOR & FONT TOOLS β€’ Convert PDF to EPUB and EPUB to PDF β€’ Convert SVG to PNG/JPG, or vectorize simple icons into SVG β€’ Convert TTF and OTF fonts with the bundled offline font engine PRIVACY β€’ Strip GPS location, timestamps, and camera info from photos before you share them β€” see exactly what's embedded first IPHONE SPECIAL β€’ Split Live Photos into a still JPG/HEIC and a motion MOV β€’ Turn animated GIFs into MP4 video BATCH PROCESSING Select 100+ files at once and convert them all in one tap. Mixed photos, videos, and formats welcome. PRIVACY FIRST Everything runs on your iPhone. No cloud uploads. No tracking. No ads. No accounts. Terms of Use: https://taxlite.net/format_box/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://taxlite.net/format_box/privacy.html

Screenshots

Pocket Toolbox4 screens
FormatBox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket Toolbox at none against FormatBox's 4. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. FormatBox sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Pocket Toolbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Toolbox ships an update every 2 months, FormatBox monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Pocket Toolbox versus FormatBox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket ToolboxFormatBox
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.517.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size12 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMuge AkalinZHENGQIAO JIANG

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Toolbox

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

FormatBox

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Pocket Toolbox free?
Pocket Toolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FormatBox free?
FormatBox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pocket Toolbox or FormatBox have ads?
Neither Pocket Toolbox nor FormatBox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Toolbox or FormatBox?
Pocket Toolbox ships an update every 2 months, and FormatBox monthly. Most recently, Pocket Toolbox was updated on November 5, 2026 and FormatBox on October 31, 2026.

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