# PDF Expert vs QR

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Expert at 4.7 against QR's 3.0. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (217K vs 2) and chart position (#74 vs unranked). QR's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and QR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 217K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 33% of QR's.

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, QR every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | QR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-creator/id1197340445/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#74** | — |
| Size | 328 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Roberto Sonzogni](https://appshunter.io/developer/402429427) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925)

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Edit, annotate, convert, and sign PDF documents with this comprehensive tool. Features include AI-powered summarization, file merging, compression, and secure password protection. Available across Apple devices for seamless workflow.

**Highlights:** Read, annotate, and mark up PDFs, Fill and sign PDF forms, Edit text and images in PDFs, Convert files to and from PDF, Merge, split, and compress documents, AI-powered summarization and Q&A, Password protection and redaction

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Expert Premium Trial | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Expert Premium No Trial | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Expert for Education | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium New | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium Existing | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert – Premium Editing | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Mac & iOS | $79.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Basic | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Powerful annotation and editing tools
- 🔒 Seamless cloud integration
- 📚 Excellent for reading and organizing PDFs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription model for advanced features
- 🔒 Inconsistent pricing and feature changes
- 🔍 Cluttered and confusing UI in latest update
- 🔍 Reduced customization options for annotations

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupted PDFs after editing
- Sync issues with cloud storage providers
- Unexpected loss of annotations and edits
- Unreliable performance on older iPad models

**Requested features**

- Improved palm rejection for Apple Pencil
- Customizable toolbar and annotation presets
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More flexible file management and organization
- Ability to create fillable PDF forms


### QR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-creator/id1197340445)

Easily create nine different types of QR codes with a guided wizard. Share codes for websites, contacts, Wi-Fi, and more. Customize image size, format, quality, and error correction.

**Highlights:** Nine QR-code types, Wizard function for quick creation, Create codes for URLs, contacts, Wi-Fi, SMS, email, text, Share via Dropbox, iCloud, email, and other apps, Customizable image size, format, quality, and error correction, Offline QR-code creation, Archive of previously created codes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is QR free?

QR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or QR?

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while QR averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do PDF Expert or QR have ads?

Neither PDF Expert nor QR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or QR?

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and QR every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on November 14, 2026 and QR on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*