PDF Compact vs PDF & Photo Compressor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Compact
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PDF Compact is the fast and easy solution to reduce the size of large PDF files directly on your iPhone or iPad β 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 β 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 β or import an image from your photo library. - Efficient PDF compression Choose between different compression levels such as Small or Medium β 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_smallβ or β_mediumβ. - Share & send Share your compressed PDFs via email, messenger apps, or AirDrop. - Privacyβfriendly Your documents are used only for processing β 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 β now even from images. Simple, fast, and reliable.
PDF & Photo Compressor
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File too large for the upload form? Just say how big it may be β your iPhone does the rest. Government portals, job application forms and insurers want files "under 5 MB". That is exactly what this app is for: you pick the target size, not some abstract quality value. β’ Tap a target: under 1 MB, 2 MB, 5 MB, 10 MB or your own size β’ The app keeps trying until the result lands just under it β’ Before/after at a glance: 4.9 MB β 974 KB (β80%) COMPLETELY OFFLINE Your documents never leave your iPhone. This app has no networking capability at all β there simply is no upload code in it. Applications, contracts, medical records and ID scans stay where they belong. TEXT LAYER PRESERVED Pages with real text are never turned into an image. Your compressed PDF stays searchable and selectable β exactly what cheap compressors get wrong. Pure scans are re-encoded instead, because that is where the megabytes are. SHRINK PDFs β’ Choose resolution: 150, 200 or 300 dpi β’ Grayscale β often halves the size of a scan β’ Compress only selected pages β’ Embedded thumbnails and unused data are dropped COMPRESS & CONVERT IMAGES β’ HEIC β JPEG when a portal rejects your file β’ PNG β JPEG, resize by longest edge or percentage β’ Manual mode with live preview: see the result before you export IMAGES TO PDF Turn several photos into one A4 PDF β set the order, choose the margin, compressed in a single pass. PRIVACY BY DEFAULT GPS location, camera model and author are stripped from every image by default. HONEST, NOT FLATTERING If a target size cannot be reached without destroying legibility, the app says so instead of shipping mush. And if a file is already small enough, it is left untouched. BUY ONCE, NO SUBSCRIPTION Free: 3 files per day, all target sizes, full quality, no watermark. Pro (one-time): unlimited files, batch processing and images β PDF. No sign-up. No account. No ads. No data collection.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Compact at none against PDF & Photo Compressor's 1. PDF & Photo Compressor's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. PDF & Photo Compressor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Compact asks for nothing beyond the download.
PDF Compact ships an update every 5 months, PDF & Photo Compressor every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Compact | PDF & Photo Compressor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gerhard Lentschik | Heinz Meier |
In-app purchases
PDF Compact
No in-app purchases
PDF & Photo Compressor
- Pro: Unlimited & Batch$8.99
Questions
Is PDF Compact free?
Is PDF & Photo Compressor free?
Do PDF Compact or PDF & Photo Compressor have ads?
Which is updated more often, PDF Compact or PDF & Photo Compressor?
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