Comparison

MaiPDF vs Sift

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

Head to head
About

MaiPDF

Securely share PDFs with full control over access, device usage, and expiry. Protect your documents with anti-screenshot features and traceable watermarks. Revoke access instantly to prevent leaks.

Highlights
  • Anti-screenshot protection
  • Traceable watermark
  • Device binding and limits
  • Access expiry
  • Recipient whitelisting
  • Instant revocation
  • Secure .maipdf format
Features
Read full description

MaiPDF turns ordinary PDFs into protected documents you fully control. Wrap any PDF into a secure .maipdf file, share it only with the people you choose, and decide exactly how it can be read — with access limits, device binding, expiry, and instant revocation. Protected documents open only inside MaiPDF, where anti-screenshot protection and a traceable watermark help keep your content from leaking. KEY FEATURES • Anti-screenshot & screen-recording protection — protected documents are blocked or blacked out on capture. • Traceable watermark — if a screenshot leaks, trace who opened the file, when, and on which device. • Device binding & limits — control how many devices each recipient can use. • Access limits & expiry — set how many opens are allowed and when access ends. • Reader whitelist — share only with specific recipients. • Revoke anytime — cut off access instantly, even after sharing. • .maipdf format — opens only inside the MaiPDF app. HOW IT WORKS 1. Add a PDF and protect it as a .maipdf file. 2. Set your rules: opens, expiry, devices, recipients. 3. Share it — recipients open it securely inside MaiPDF. 4. Manage, revoke, or trace leaks anytime. Built for anyone sharing sensitive documents — contracts, reports, courseware, designs, financials. Support: joe@pdfhost.online Privacy Policy: https://maipdf.com/privacy.html

About

Sift

Read full description

Every screenshot, exactly where you'll look for it. Sift reads the screenshots on your iPhone, files each one into a collection — Trips, Receipts, Recipes, Codes, Shopping, Chats, Places, Reading and Events — and pulls out what matters: flight and gate, Wi-Fi passwords, totals, addresses, dates and booking references. SORTED AUTOMATICALLY Open Sift and your new screenshots are already filed. While Sift is open, a new screenshot is read and filed right away. FIND ANYTHING Search the words in the image, a date, or what it was for: "wifi at the airbnb", "receipt last week", "flight to tokyo". Search runs on your iPhone. SIFT MODE Swipe through new screenshots in about a minute: right to keep, left to delete, up to act. Deletions wait for one batch you review, then Apple asks you to confirm. Deleted screenshots stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. ONE-TAP DETAILS Copy a Wi-Fi password, a verification code, a total or a booking reference. Open links and addresses in Maps. WIDGETS AND SHORTCUTS Your inbox and what's expiring on the Home Screen and Lock Screen, Sift mode in Control Center, and "Sift my screenshots" for Siri and Shortcuts. READ ON YOUR IPHONE. NEVER UPLOADED. Sift has no server and no account. Text recognition, sorting and search all happen on your iPhone. No analytics, no ads, no tracking. SIFT PRO Add flights and events to Calendar, get reminded, save addresses and numbers to Contacts, let boarding passes, codes and tickets clear themselves when they're done, and Deep clean duplicates and old screenshots. Sift Pro is available as a yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial, or monthly. Sorting, search and Sift mode stay free. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase or when the free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://sift-five-tan.vercel.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://sift-five-tan.vercel.app/privacy

Screenshots

MaiPDF4 screens
Sift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MaiPDF at none against Sift's 2. MaiPDF also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Sift's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads 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. Sift sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MaiPDF asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MaiPDF ships an update every 3 weeks, Sift every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
MaiPDF versus Sift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaiPDFSift
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB4 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer嘉峰 黄Charles Ley Baldemor

In-app purchases

None

MaiPDF

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Sift

Subscriptions2
  • Sift Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Sift Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is MaiPDF free?
MaiPDF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sift free?
Sift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MaiPDF or Sift have ads?
Neither MaiPDF nor Sift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MaiPDF or Sift?
MaiPDF ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sift every 2 days. Most recently, MaiPDF was updated on October 12, 2026 and Sift on October 29, 2026.

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