Comparison

PhoneDeck 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

PhoneDeck

Transform your iPhone into a wireless controller for your Mac. Launch any application, control system functions, or open websites with a single tap. It offers a streamlined, privacy-focused experience without requiring an account or cloud services.

Highlights
  • Launch any Mac app with one tap
  • Control system functions (volume, brightness, media)
  • Open websites instantly
  • Organize tiles into pages
  • Works over local WiFi
  • No account or cloud required
Features
Read full description

PhoneDeck needs two free apps to work : this iPhone app + the Mac companion app at phonedeck.io . Both are 100% free, forever. No account needed. Stuck or something not working? DM me directly on Instagram @PhoneDeckApp - I reply personally, usually within a few hours. Turn your iPhone into a wireless Mac controller. Launch any Mac app, trigger system controls, open any website all with one tap. Think Stream Deck, but you already own the hardware. -------------------------- HOW IT WORKS -------------------------- • Install this app on your iPhone • Download the Mac app from phonedeck.io (free DMG) • Open both apps on the same WiFi - they pair automatically • Drag any Mac app, control, or website onto a tile • Tap your iPhone to launch No account. No cloud. No subscription. No data leaves your devices. -------------------------- WHAT YOU CAN DO -------------------------- APPS : Launch any Mac app with one tap. VS Code, Figma, Cursor, Premiere, Photoshop, Slack — anything installed on your Mac. CONTROLS : 16 built-in Mac controls: volume, brightness, keyboard backlight, media play/pause/next/previous, screenshot, screen recording, dictation, lock screen, show desktop, mission control, empty trash. WEBSITES : Drag any URL onto a tile. YouTube, ChatGPT, Linear, Figma files, your dashboards — one tap and it opens on your Mac. PAGES : Organize tiles into pages. One for Design, one for Dev, one for Music. Swipe between them on your iPhone. -------------------------- WHY IT'S DIFFERENT -------------------------- • Free forever. No subscription, no Pro tier, no ads, no tracking. • Works over local WiFi. No account, no cloud, no data collection. • Auto-updates on Mac : bug fixes ship the same day. • Built by one indie developer. Every feature is something a user asked for. -------------------------- WHAT YOU NEED -------------------------- • An iPhone running iOS 17 or later • A Mac running macOS 14+ or later • Both devices on the same WiFi network • The PhoneDeck Mac app from phonedeck.io (free download) -------------------------- Made by one developer in Mumbai. Constantly updated. Feature requests welcome at phonedeck.io/request-feature or DM @PhoneDeckApp on Instagram.

About

PDF Editor

Features
Read full description

Document Assistant is the all-in-one PDF toolkit that lives on your device. Scan paper, sign contracts, edit, convert and organize documents in seconds. Your files are processed on your iPhone or iPad and never uploaded to a server. SCAN PAPER TO PDF • Capture documents with your camera, with automatic edge detection and cropping • Save as PDF, searchable PDF with text recognition (OCR), or images • OCR in multiple languages makes scanned text searchable and selectable SIGN AND MARK UP • Draw your signature once and place it on any page • Highlight, underline, add text, notes, shapes and freehand drawings • Redact to permanently black out sensitive information • Works beautifully with Apple Pencil on iPad 35+ PDF TOOLS • Organize: merge, split, remove or extract pages, reorder, rotate and duplicate • Optimize: compress PDFs, repair damaged files, run OCR • Convert to PDF: images, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, text and HTML • Convert from PDF: Word (DOCX), Excel (XLSX), text and JPG, or extract images • Edit: add watermarks, page numbers and rotations • Security: protect PDFs with a password or remove one you know IMAGE TOOLS • Compress, resize, crop and rotate images • Convert to and from JPG, PNG, HEIC, GIF and TIFF • Add watermarks, upscale images, blur faces automatically, or make a meme SMART FILE LIBRARY • Folders, favorites, recent files and instant search • Create new PDFs from ready-made templates • A 30-day Bin so nothing is lost by accident • Your library is also available in the Files app ASK YOUR DOCUMENTS • Chat with a PDF to get summaries, key points and answers • Runs on-device with Apple Intelligence on supported devices DESIGNED FOR EVERY SCREEN • iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, in portrait and landscape • Light and Dark Mode PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account needed. Your documents are processed on your device and are never uploaded. Privacy policy: https://digitalhole.github.io/DHPrivacy.html Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PhoneDeck4 screens
PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PhoneDeck at none against PDF Editor's 1. PhoneDeck also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). PDF Editor's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price and iOS requirement 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. PDF Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PhoneDeck asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhoneDeck ships an update every 2 weeks, PDF Editor monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PhoneDeck versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoneDeckPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB11 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperVansh PariharArima Jain

In-app purchases

None

PhoneDeck

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PDF Editor

One-time1
  • Unlock All Features$3.99

Questions

Is PhoneDeck free?
PhoneDeck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PhoneDeck or PDF Editor have ads?
PDF Editor shows ads; PhoneDeck does not.
Which is updated more often, PhoneDeck or PDF Editor?
PhoneDeck ships an update every 2 weeks, and PDF Editor monthly. Most recently, PhoneDeck was updated on October 31, 2026 and PDF Editor on October 31, 2026.

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