Comparison

PDF Studio vs PDF

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

Head to head
About

PDF Studio

Features
Read full description

PDF Studio is your private, all-in-one PDF toolkit — over 70 tools that run entirely on your device. No account, no tracking, no uploads. SCAN & CREATE • Scan documents with automatic edge detection • Turn photos or typed text into clean PDFs EDIT & ORGANIZE • Merge, split, reorder, rotate and delete pages • Compress to shrink file size — even to a target limit • Crop, resize, add margins and page numbers CONVERT • PDF to Word, plain text or images • Make scanned pages searchable with on-device OCR SIGN & PROTECT • Fill forms and sign documents by hand • Password-protect, remove passwords and redact sensitive info • Add watermarks, stamps and headers Beautiful on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with iCloud sync to keep your library on every device. Find any tool instantly with search, favorites and recents. PDF Studio Pro unlocks every tool with a single purchase or subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PDF

Features
Read full description

Scan, edit, sign and OCR PDFs on your iPhone. Your files never leave the device. PDF-PRO is a private, offline PDF editor and scanner for contracts, invoices, receipts and everyday documents. Read, scan and annotate for free. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited merge, split, compress, OCR, signatures, watermarks and password protection — the yearly plan includes a 3-day free trial. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH • Sign a contract without printing it • Scan paper and photos into a clean PDF • Merge, split or reorder pages before you send • Compress a large file so it fits in email or chat • Extract text with on-device OCR • Lock a PDF with a password, or add a watermark READ & ANNOTATE • Smooth reader with continuous scroll, pinch-to-zoom and single-page mode • Highlight, underline, strikeout, freehand ink and text notes • Search inside the document and jump to a page SCAN & CONVERT • Camera scan for paper documents, invoices and receipts • Photos to A4 PDF, or export pages as images ORGANIZE • Merge PDFs, split by page range, drag to reorder, rotate or delete pages • Folders, favorites and search in your on-device library OCR • Recognize text on the current page or the whole file • Copy or share the result — processed on your iPhone, not a server SIGN & PROTECT • Handwritten signature stamp you can place and resize • PDF password and a diagonal copyright watermark PRIVACY Every merge, split, compress, OCR and encrypt step runs locally. No account. No cloud upload. FREE vs PRO Free: read, scan and basic annotation. Pro: unlimited signature, OCR, compress, password, watermark, merge and split. • Yearly — best value, 3-day free trial • Monthly — month to month • Lifetime — pay once Subscriptions renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage in Apple ID settings. Terms of Service (Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PDF Studio4 screens
PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PDF Studio at every 9 days against PDF's every 3 weeks. 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. PDF Studio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and PDF sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Studio ships an update every 9 days, PDF every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
PDF Studio versus PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF StudioPDF
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB12 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBirkan Aksoyēˆ±åŽ 刘

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PDF Studio

Subscriptions1
  • PDF Studio Pro$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Studio Pro (Lifetime)$24.99
3 purchases

PDF

Subscriptions2
  • PDF-PRO Monthly$3.991 Month
  • PDF-PRO Yearly (3-Day Trial)3 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF-PRO Lifetime Pass$59.99

Questions

Is PDF Studio free?
PDF Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF free?
PDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Studio or PDF have ads?
Neither PDF Studio nor PDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Studio or PDF?
PDF Studio ships an update every 9 days, and PDF every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Studio was updated on November 5, 2026 and PDF on October 31, 2026.

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