Comparison

RecTool vs ParsleyPDF

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

Head to head
About

RecTool

Features
Read full description

This is a professional screen recorder. Quickly capture online meetings, courses, gameplay, and other scenes. Switch between landscape and portrait recording in one tap, and record HD video for any situation. Choose professional quality settings for different recording needs. Edit with picture-in-picture export, voiceover, cropping, lossless compression, speed control, video-to-GIF, and more. *New: record audio and transcribe while recording, then replay, edit, and share. [Auto-Renewable Subscription] Title: Monthly Membership Length: 1 month Price: $2.99 per month Includes: unlimited screen recording and unlimited video export during the subscription period. Payment: Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Renewal: The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged within 24 hours before the end of the current period. After a successful charge, the subscription is extended by one period. Cancellation: Turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Access continues until the end of the current period. [One-Time Purchase] Name: Lifetime Membership Price: $19.99 One-time payment. This purchase does not auto-renew. It includes ongoing unlimited screen recording and unlimited video export. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bJ-d8LzyX8fdRoNiQB6lQ2vrcsowXz7JQhgSBbcxMfw/edit?usp=sharing Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ParsleyPDF

Read full description

Your documents are confidential. Your PDF assistant should be too. ParsleyPDF runs its AI entirely on your iPhone: your PDFs and your questions never leave the device. Chat with any document, get instant summaries, and generate quizzes, even in airplane mode. Answers include page citations, so you can verify them. AI features need iPhone 15 Pro or later, or iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later, running iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on. HOW IT WORKS Open a PDF. Ask a question. Get an answer with the exact page it came from. No upload, no server, no waiting on the cloud. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Chat: ask questions about any document, unlimited, with cited answers you can copy or share • Summaries: key themes, structured notes, and reading-time estimates • Quizzes: AI-generated multiple-choice questions with explanations • Multi-Document: compare up to 3 PDFs in one conversation (Pro) • Scan: on-device OCR reads paper documents and photos BUILT FOR CONFIDENTIAL WORK Contracts and NDAs that can't touch the cloud. Pre-publication research. Medical and legal documents. Textbooks and lecture notes. Business reports, manuals, and e-books. If it's a PDF, you can chat with it. Privately. PRIVACY THAT ISN'T A PROMISE: IT'S ARCHITECTURE • The AI model runs on your device (Apple Intelligence), so nothing is ever transmitted • Works fully offline: try it in airplane mode • No account required, fully anonymous • No tracking, no analytics (App Store privacy label: Data Not Collected) • Generate a Privacy Report anytime to check for yourself EPHEMERAL MODE FOR SENSITIVE QUESTIONS Turn on Ephemeral Mode from the chat menu, and the conversation is erased when you leave the chat. The PDF stays in your library, and your regular chat history is still there. FREE TO START Keep up to 3 documents in your library with UNLIMITED chat, summaries, and quizzes. No daily limits, no question caps, no credit card, no account. PARSLEYPDF PRO • Unlimited document library • Multi-document chat (up to 3 PDFs at once) Pay once with the $29.99 Lifetime unlock: it never renews and includes every future update. Prefer flexibility? Pro is also $4.99/month, auto-renewing until cancelled; manage it in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://parsleypdf.web.app/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://parsleypdf.web.app/terms

Screenshots

RecTool4 screens
ParsleyPDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ParsleyPDF at every 6 weeks against RecTool's every 3 months. RecTool's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. RecTool sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and ParsleyPDF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RecTool ships an update every 3 months, ParsleyPDF every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
RecTool versus ParsleyPDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRecToolParsleyPDF
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperShanghai Haijia Network Technology Co., Ltd.ZEYNEP NUR ASKER

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RecTool

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Membership$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Membership$19.99
2 purchases

ParsleyPDF

Subscriptions1
  • ParsleyPDF Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is RecTool free?
RecTool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ParsleyPDF free?
ParsleyPDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RecTool or ParsleyPDF have ads?
Neither RecTool nor ParsleyPDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RecTool or ParsleyPDF?
RecTool ships an update every 3 months, and ParsleyPDF every 6 weeks. Most recently, RecTool was updated on November 9, 2026 and ParsleyPDF on November 13, 2026.

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