Comparison

OpenNotes vs PDF Editor

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

Head to head
About

OpenNotes

Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Folder-based organization
  • Add images and text
  • Local-first data storage
  • Export and share notes
Features
Read full description

OpenNotes is a simple, free, open-source notes app built for handwriting, PDFs, and focused organization. Create notebooks, import PDFs, write with Apple Pencil, add images or text, organize notes into folders, and export your work when you need it. OpenNotes is local-first and privacy focused. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking. Your notes live on your device, with optional backup to your own iCloud so they survive a lost iPad or a deleted app. Nothing is ever sent to us — your notes stay in your Apple account, readable by no one else.

About

PDF Editor

Edit, sign, and protect your PDF documents directly on your device. This app offers a suite of tools for merging, splitting, compressing, and converting PDFs without uploading your files to any server. Enjoy a private and efficient document management experience.

Highlights
  • Unlock PDFs
  • Sign documents
  • Annotate PDFs
  • Merge and split files
  • Compress PDFs
  • Convert PDF to image/Excel
  • Password protection
Features
Read full description

A fast, private PDF editor that does everything on your device. Pick a tool, choose a PDF, and export the result. Your files are never uploaded to a server and nothing is saved without your say-so. EVERY TOOL, FREE AND UNLIMITED All ten tools are free for everyone, with no monthly limit and no watermarks. There is no paid tier that does more. The work happens on your own device, so it costs us nothing to let you do as much of it as you like. TOOLS - Unlock: remove a password you already know from a PDF you own - Sign: draw your signature and drag it exactly where it belongs - Annotate: highlight text and add notes - Protect: add a password to a PDF - Merge: combine several PDFs into one - Split: turn every page into its own file - Compress: shrink a PDF to a smaller size - PDF to PNG: export pages as images - PDF to Excel: pull text into a spreadsheet - Convert: PDF to images and back ADVERTS, AND HOW TO REMOVE THEM The free app is supported by adverts. It shows a banner on the tool screens, a full-screen advert when you open the app, and one more between tapping Proceed and seeing your result — sometimes a short video you can choose to watch or skip. If an advert cannot be loaded you simply get your file, with no wait. Remove Ads is a single one-time purchase that takes every advert away permanently. It is not a subscription, it never renews, and it unlocks nothing extra, because every tool is already unlimited without it. Every tool follows the same simple flow: select, process, preview, export. No account. No watermarks. Your PDFs never leave your device — only the adverts talk to a server. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gist.github.com/hjatupon/d229c170e4692c93c240f304a3a21e8a Unlock only works with a password you already know. It cannot and will not crack, guess, or bypass unknown passwords — use it only on files you own or are authorized to access.

Screenshots

OpenNotes4 screens
PDF Editor1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Editor at 5.0 against OpenNotes's 4.4. OpenNotes's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Editor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenNotes has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenNotes ships an update every 5 days, PDF Editor every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
OpenNotes versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenNotesPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (25 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings25 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMark MillerJatupon Hongweing

Customer experience

OpenNotes

All ratings25 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

PDF Editor

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

OpenNotes

No in-app purchases

None

PDF Editor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenNotes free?
OpenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OpenNotes or PDF Editor?
PDF Editor is rated higher. OpenNotes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while PDF Editor averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do OpenNotes or PDF Editor have ads?
PDF Editor shows ads; OpenNotes does not.
Which is updated more often, OpenNotes or PDF Editor?
OpenNotes ships an update every 5 days, and PDF Editor every 4 days. Most recently, OpenNotes was updated on October 7, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 18, 2026.

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