Comparison

PDF Flow vs PDF Toolkit

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

Head to head
About

PDF Flow

This app is an offline PDF tool for creating, viewing, editing, and organizing PDF documents directly on your device. Generate PDFs from photos or text, edit pages, compress files, and manage your local library without needing an account or uploading your data.

Highlights
  • Create PDFs from photos, text, or blank pages
  • Edit PDF pages, insert or remove pages
  • Compress PDFs with adjustable strength
  • Organize files with categories and favorites
  • Offline file management and editing
  • Import and export via Files app and share sheet
Features
Read full description

PDF Flow is your private offline PDF tool for viewing, creating, editing and storing PDFs on your phone. Generate PDFs from photos, text or blank pages, edit pages in a clear reader view, and save all files on your device. Create PDF files - Merge selected photos into one PDF - Type text and export clean PDF documents - Create blank PDFs with custom page numbers - Import PDFs and images from the Files app Read & edit PDF pages - Read documents continuously, navigate quickly with page thumbnails - Zoom in/out for clearer reading - Insert blank pages or add photo pages - Duplicate pages or remove unwanted ones - Modify single pages while keeping your original file intact Compress & share PDFs - Select compression strength to fit your needs - Preview estimated file size before compression - Save a copy of your original document if needed - Export or share PDFs through iOS native share sheet Manage your local file library - Sort files by name, date or file size - Use categories and favorites to filter your documents - Search filenames and view recent searches - Restore deleted files or erase them forever - Clear temporary cache and thumbnails without deleting PDFs All PDF editing, reading, compression and file management happens directly on your iPhone.  PDF Flow needs no account and will never upload your files to outside servers. Your documents only leave the app when you actively share them via iOS share functions. Feature performance varies based on file content, format, device hardware and iOS system version.

About

PDF Toolkit

Organize, edit, and manage your PDF documents locally on your device. Create custom categories, use color tags for important files, and combine or extract pages. Extract text from scans and images using OCR, and annotate directly on PDFs.

Highlights
  • Custom document categories
  • Color tags for important files
  • Combine multiple PDFs
  • Extract pages from PDFs
  • OCR text recognition
  • Highlight and annotate PDFs
  • Local document handling
Features
Read full description

PDF Toolkit helps you manage everyday documents such as receipts, contracts, forms, study notes, invoices, scans, and long PDF files. Instead of letting files pile up in a messy list, you can organize, edit, review, and reuse your documents in a cleaner way. Organize Documents More Clearly Create custom categories for different projects, dates, document types, clients, school subjects, or personal needs. When your PDFs are placed where they belong, it becomes easier to find the right file without scrolling through a cluttered document list. Find Important Files Faster Use color tags to mark important PDFs, such as urgent contracts, paid receipts, travel documents, or files that need follow-up. You can filter by tag color to quickly return to the documents that matter most. Prepare PDFs for Sharing or Saving Combine separate PDF files into one complete document, making it easier to share scans, receipts, reports, or chapters together. You can also extract selected pages from a long PDF and save them as a new file, so you only keep or share the pages you actually need. Reuse Text from Scans and Images With OCR text recognition, PDF Toolkit helps you extract text from images or PDF pages and turn recognized content into new PDF files. This is useful when you need to reuse information from scanned notes, receipts, forms, screenshots, or paper documents. Review Documents with Notes Highlight, underline, or draw directly on PDFs while reading. Mark key points in contracts, reports, manuals, study materials, or personal files, so important details are easier to find later. Local and Simple Document Handling PDF Toolkit is designed for local PDF management. Core document operations can be completed on your device without forced uploads. Camera and file permissions are requested only when you choose to scan, import, open, or save documents. PDF Toolkit gives you a simple way to keep your documents tidy, reduce file clutter, and handle daily PDF tasks more efficiently.

Screenshots

PDF Flow4 screens
PDF Toolkit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Toolkit at 4.4 against PDF Flow's 3.7. PDF Toolkit also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Toolkit holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Toolkit has 20 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of PDF Flow's written reviews are positive against 33% of PDF Toolkit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, PDF Toolkit every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PDF Flow versus PDF Toolkit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF FlowPDF Toolkit
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.4 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews33.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings320 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFuzhou Qingyue Network Technology Co., Ltd.Fuzhou Nengge Technology Co.,Ltd.

Customer experience

PDF Flow

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

PDF Toolkit

All ratings20 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

PDF Flow

No in-app purchases

None

PDF Toolkit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF Flow free?
PDF Flow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDF Toolkit free?
PDF Toolkit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PDF Flow or PDF Toolkit?
PDF Toolkit is rated higher. PDF Flow averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while PDF Toolkit averages 4.4 from 20 ratings.
Do PDF Flow or PDF Toolkit have ads?
Both PDF Flow and PDF Toolkit show ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Flow or PDF Toolkit?
PDF Flow ships an update every 4 weeks, and PDF Toolkit every 9 days. Most recently, PDF Flow was updated on October 31, 2026 and PDF Toolkit on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons