Comparison

PDF Tools vs Compress PDF

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

Head to head
About

PDF Tools

Features
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PDF Tools is your all-in-one offline PDF manager for iPhone and iPad โ€” scan documents, merge PDFs, compress PDFs, split PDFs, and convert images to PDF directly on your device. No internet required. No file uploads. No login. Turn your iPhone into a portable document scanner. Scan receipts, invoices, contracts, notes, passports, IDs and reports with automatic edge detection and high-quality results. KEY FEATURES Document Scanner Scan documents instantly with your camera Automatic edge detection High-quality PDF creation Scan receipts, contracts, notes, IDs, passports and reports Merge PDF Combine multiple PDF files into one document Reorder files before merging Fast offline PDF merging Compress PDF Reduce PDF file size significantly Three compression levels โ€” Low, Medium, High Save storage and share large files easily Split PDF Extract specific pages into a new PDF Create smaller focused documents Image to PDF Convert photos and images into professional PDF documents Support multiple images in one PDF PDF to Images Convert PDF pages to JPG or PNG Export pages individually File Manager Access all scanned and exported documents Rename, delete and share files PDF Tools gives you everything you need to scan, merge, compress, split and convert PDFs โ€” completely offline, completely free, no login required. Standard Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Compress PDF

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Compress PDF โ€” Shrink File Size, 100% On Your Device Is a PDF too large to email, upload, or submit? Compress PDF reduces file size in seconds, right on your iPhone or iPad โ€” without ever sending your document to a server. COMMON PROBLEMS THIS SOLVES - An application portal rejects your file for exceeding its size limit - A form, registration, or submission system caps uploads at a few MB - Your email provider blocks large attachments - A scanned document or photo-heavy PDF is taking up way too much storage - You just want a faster, lighter file to share If any of that sounds familiar, Compress PDF fixes it in a few taps. 100% OFFLINE โ€” NOTHING IS EVER UPLOADED Unlike most PDF compressor apps, which quietly send your files to a server to process them, Compress PDF works entirely on-device. Your contracts, IDs, scans, and personal documents never leave your phone. No account, no sign-up, no cloud dependency โ€” just fast, private compression, even with no internet connection. 5 COMPRESSION LEVELS โ€” PICK ONE, OR TAKE FULL CONTROL - High Quality โ€” light compression, virtually no visible quality loss - Medium โ€” balanced size reduction - Standard (Recommended) โ€” a smart default so you don't have to think about it - Low Quality โ€” maximum size reduction when you need the smallest file possible - Custom โ€” full manual control over JPEG quality, image resolution/DPI, color mode (grayscale or black & white), metadata removal, thumbnail removal, and font optimization โ€” with a live estimated size preview as you adjust Most competing apps give you a single "compress" button and hope for the best. Compress PDF gives you a real dial when you need one, so you can hit an exact size target for a strict upload portal instead of guessing. BATCH COMPRESS MULTIPLE PDFs AT ONCE Select several files and compress them together in a single batch job. A dedicated progress screen shows the true status of every file โ€” waiting, compressing, done, failed, or skipped โ€” instead of one vague spinner. When it's finished, Share All or Export All bundles every result into a single zip so you're not tapping through separate share sheets one file at a time. HANDLES PASSWORD-PROTECTED PDFs Locked PDF? The app detects it and asks for the password instead of silently failing partway through. A COMPLETE PDF WORKFLOW, NOT JUST A COMPRESSOR - Built-in viewer to preview any PDF before or after compressing โ€” vertical or book-style scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, rotate, jump-to-page, print, and share - Export or Save to any location you choose โ€” not locked into app-only storage - History tracks every compression with before/after size and % saved, searchable by name, with quick re-share, re-export, or delete BUILT FOR EVERYONE Available in 20 languages with full right-to-left support for Arabic and Urdu. Light, dark, and system themes, each fully designed. Set your default compression level once so returning visits don't require re-picking settings. WHO IT'S FOR - Students and professionals submitting documents with a strict size cap - Anyone emailing large scans, reports, or contracts - People freeing up storage without sacrificing document quality - Power users who want manual control over DPI, quality, and color โ€” not just a black-box "compress" button Compress PDF is free to use, with ads. Pro is an auto-renewable subscription (in-app purchase) that removes all ads and lifts the batch-size limit for unlimited files per batch โ€” support ongoing development and get early access to new features. Download Compress PDF and shrink your files in seconds โ€” privately, offline, and exactly the way you want. Terms of use: https://codifyappsprivacy.blogspot.com/p/terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

PDF Tools4 screens
Compress PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Tools at none against Compress PDF's 3. PDF Tools also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Compress PDF sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. PDF Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Tools ships an update weekly, Compress PDF every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
PDF Tools versus Compress PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ToolsCompress PDF
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size35 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVENTRYDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY LTDMuhammad Awais Younas

In-app purchases

None

PDF Tools

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Compress PDF

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Week$2.997 Days
  • Premium Month$7.991 Month
  • Premium Year$49.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Tools free?
PDF Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compress PDF free?
Compress PDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Tools or Compress PDF have ads?
Both PDF Tools and Compress PDF show ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Tools or Compress PDF?
PDF Tools ships an update weekly, and Compress PDF every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Tools was updated on October 8, 2026 and Compress PDF on October 6, 2026.

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