Comparison

PDF Editor vs Collate

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

Head to head
About

PDF Editor

Features
Read full description

Edit PDF pages without hassle. This app helps you quickly fix common PDF problems β€” wrong order, extra pages, or multiple files that need to be combined. Whether you want to merge documents, split pages, remove unwanted content, or reorder pages, everything is designed to be fast, simple, and intuitive. Key Features β€’ View PDF files page by page β€’ Merge multiple PDFs into one β€’ Split PDFs by selecting pages or page ranges β€’ Remove unwanted pages easily β€’ Reorder pages with drag & drop Designed for speed All actions are simple and visual. You always see what you’re doing before creating the final PDF. Free & Premium Free users can create up to 3 PDFs. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited PDF creation and an ad-free experience. Privacy first All PDF processing happens locally on your device. Your files are never uploaded or tracked. Perfect for work, school, or everyday PDF tasks. Privacy policy: https://sites.google.com/view/mergepdf-pp Terms of service: https://sites.google.com/view/mergepdf-tos

About

Collate

Features
Read full description

Collate merges images and PDFs into a single PDF β€” on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, without uploading anything. Drop in a mix of scans, phone photos, receipts and existing PDFs. Put them in the order you want. Export one clean PDF. MERGE ANYTHING β€’ Images and PDF pages sit side by side in the same list β€” no converting first β€’ Multi-page PDFs stay grouped as one item, and fan out when you want the individual pages β€’ Import just a page range from a long PDF β€’ Open password-protected PDFs by entering the password once PUT IT IN ORDER β€’ Drag to reorder in either a list or a thumbnail gallery β€’ Arrange sorts scans for you β€” by the page number printed on the page, by name, or by capture date β€’ Rotate any page, drop the ones you don't want β€’ Full undo and redo EXPORT ON YOUR TERMS β€’ Searchable text (OCR), so you can find words inside scans and photos β€’ Compression, when the file needs to be small enough to email β€’ Normalize page sizes, to even out a mix of A4, Letter and phone photos β€’ PDF pages are copied across natively, never re-rendered β€” text stays text and vectors stay sharp ON IPHONE AND IPAD β€’ Import from the Files app or your Photo Library β€’ Scan paper straight in with the camera ON MAC β€’ Send files straight from Finder with the "Send to Collate" Services menu item β€’ A Shortcuts action, so merging can run inside your own automations PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Collate never uploads your files. Nothing is tracked, no account is required, and no data is collected. Your documents stay on your device β€” which is exactly where documents like these belong. FREE, WITH ONE OPTIONAL PURCHASE Collate is free and merges up to 3 files at a time. Collate Pro is a one-time in-app purchase that removes that limit β€” never a subscription, and it unlocks on Mac, iPhone and iPad together. Every feature is in both versions: OCR, compression, Normalize and Arrange all work for free. Pro only lifts the file count.

Screenshots

PDF Editor4 screens
Collate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Collate at none against PDF Editor's shown. Collate also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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 Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Collate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Editor ships an update every 7 months, Collate every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
PDF Editor versus Collate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF EditorCollate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size18 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIsinsu Arici TanWasseem Bazbaz

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PDF Editor

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$6.99
1 purchases

Collate

One-time1
  • Collate Pro$9.99

Questions

Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Collate free?
Collate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Editor or Collate have ads?
PDF Editor shows ads; Collate does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Editor or Collate?
PDF Editor ships an update every 7 months, and Collate every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Editor was updated on October 31, 2026 and Collate on October 31, 2026.

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