# PDF Expert vs UPDF

PDF Expert and UPDF both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of UPDF's written reviews are positive against 46% of PDF Expert's. UPDF also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). PDF Expert's advantage is ratings volume (216K vs 678) and chart position (#73 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and UPDF sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Expert against 4.6 for UPDF. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 678, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 84% of UPDF's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | UPDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [4.6 (678 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **216K** | 678 |
| Positive reviews | 46.0% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#73** | — |
| Size | 307 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Superace Software Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1595826625) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

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

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Grossing · Productivity, #203 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app allows you to edit, annotate, fill out forms, and convert PDF documents. It offers AI-powered summarization and analysis, along with tools to merge, sign, and protect your files. Work seamlessly across Apple devices with a user-friendly interface.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text and images, Annotate and highlight PDFs, Fill out PDF forms, Convert files to and from PDF, AI-powered summarization and analysis, Merge and combine PDF files, Sign documents with e-signatures

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| 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 Pro | $79.99 | 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


### UPDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623)

This app is a powerful PDF editor for mobile devices, offering AI-powered features for summarizing, translating, and chatting with documents. It allows users to read, edit, annotate, convert, and sign PDFs, as well as scan paper documents into editable files. Manage all your PDF files and protect them with security features.

**Highlights:** AI-powered summarization and translation, Edit text, images, and watermarks in PDFs, Annotate with various markup tools, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and PPT, Scan documents to editable PDFs, Sign and fill PDF forms, Organize and protect PDF files

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF AI Standard | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF Pro + AI Unlimited | $18.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $19.00 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| UPDF AI Standard | $69.00 | per year |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $79.00 | per year |
| UPDF Pro + AI Standard | $98.99 | per year |
| UPDF Pro + AI Unlimited | $118.99 | per year |
| Perpetual License | $79.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual License | $128.99 | one-time |
| UPDF & AI Add-on for iOS | $148.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent PDF editor
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Powerful features like AI-powered summarization
- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or stability issues
- 💡 Need for more customization options
- 💡 Lack of integration with third-party cloud storage
- 🐛 Issues with handwriting recognition and annotation

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to edit text directly in PDF files
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
- Occasional loss of editing progress when app is minimized

**Requested features**

- Add password protection for PDF files
- Improve file organization and folder management
- Implement keyboard shortcuts for power users
- Expand OCR capabilities and text extraction
- Allow custom signature and stamp imports


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is UPDF free?

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

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

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 216K ratings, while UPDF averages 4.6 from 678 ratings.

### Do PDF Expert or UPDF have ads?

Neither PDF Expert nor UPDF shows ads.

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

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and UPDF fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 25, 2026 and UPDF on September 23, 2026.

---

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