Comparison

PDF Compressor vs PDF Compact

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

Head to head
About

PDF Compressor

Features
Read full description

PDF Compressor & Photo Optimizer β€” Everything on your iPhone, nothing in the cloud. Shrink PDFs and photos by up to 95% while you blink eyes. No internet required. No uploads. Your files never leave your device. --------------------------------- WHAT YOU CAN DO --------------------------------- COMPRESS PDF Reduce PDF file size with adjustable quality levels. Perfect for email attachments, web uploads, and freeing up storage. COMPRESS PHOTOS Shrink JPEG, PNG and HEIC images while keeping them sharp and shareable. SELECT & SPLIT PAGES Pick only the pages you need from any PDF using a visual thumbnail grid. MERGE & JOIN PDFs Combine multiple PDFs or images into a single document in seconds. PASSWORD LOCK & UNLOCK Protect sensitive PDFs with a password or remove password from encrypted files β€” all on-device, no cloud key storage. RECENT FILES Instantly access and re-share your recently compressed or edited files. ADD SIGNATURE Append signature to your PDFs and share them instantly ----------------------------------------- WHY CHOOSE PDF COMPRESSOR ----------------------------------------- 100% on-device - your documents never leave your iPhone or iPad No account, no subscription required to get started Works offline - compress on a plane, in a meeting, anywhere Supports Files app - open and save directly from iCloud, Dropbox and more iPad & Mac (Apple Silicon) ready Perfect for students, professionals, lawyers, and anyone who handles PDFs regularly.

About

PDF Compact

Features
Read full description

PDF Compact is the fast and easy solution to reduce the size of large PDF files directly on your iPhone or iPad – and now it also converts images into PDFs that you can compress instantly. Whether for email, cloud uploads, government portals, or archiving: PDF Compact reliably reduces the file size of your documents with just a few taps. New Features Import images & convert them to PDF Select a photo from your gallery – PDF Compact instantly creates a PDF that you can compress right away. ** Features ** - Select & view PDFs or images Open PDFs directly from Files, iCloud, or other apps – or import an image from your photo library. - Efficient PDF compression Choose between different compression levels such as Small or Medium – optimized for sending or storing. - Preview before saving Check the result immediately before saving or sharing it. - Smart file naming Compressed PDFs are automatically saved with a suffix like β€œ_small” or β€œ_medium”. - Share & send Share your compressed PDFs via email, messenger apps, or AirDrop. - Privacy‑friendly Your documents are used only for processing – no permanent storage without your consent. Perfect for Emails with size limits Uploads to portals & authorities School, work & office Quick sharing on the go PDF Compact makes large PDFs small – now even from images. Simple, fast, and reliable.

Screenshots

PDF Compressor4 screens
PDF Compact4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Compact at none against PDF Compressor's 3. PDF Compact also leads on ads (none vs shown). PDF Compressor's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (16.2 vs 26.0). On price 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. PDF Compressor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PDF Compact asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Compressor ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Compact every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
PDF Compressor versus PDF Compact: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF CompressorPDF Compact
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks β€” betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.2 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size31 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwetha MBGerhard Lentschik

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PDF Compressor

Subscriptions3
  • Unlock All Photo PDF functionality$2.991 Month
  • Unlock All Photo PDF functionality$9.996 Months
  • Unlock All Photo PDF functionality$14.991 Year
None

PDF Compact

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Compressor free?
PDF Compressor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Compact free?
PDF Compact is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PDF Compressor or PDF Compact have ads?
PDF Compressor shows ads; PDF Compact does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Compressor or PDF Compact?
PDF Compressor ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDF Compact every 5 months. Most recently, PDF Compressor was updated on September 9, 2026 and PDF Compact on September 28, 2026.

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