Comparison

PDF Expert vs PDF Viewer

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

Head to head
About

PDF Expert

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
Read full description

Unlock your potential with a fast and easy PDF Expert app with all the features you need in a well-designed and intuitive user interface. BEST FOR iPHONE, iPAD, MAC & VISION PRO Read PDF files easily, highlight and annotate PDFs, fill out forms, convert any file to PDF, merge several files into one, add notes, summarize and navigate PDF documents in seconds with AI-powered tools. Unlock unlimited possibilities with PDF Expert Premium features and work across all your Apple devices, effortlessly letting you complete any PDF task on the go. “PDF Expert is one of my must-have iPad apps and a desktop-class PDF reader.” – MacStories “The best app for managing, editing, and reading PDFs on your iPad.” – The Sweet Setup ▶ WITH PDF EXPERT, YOU CAN: READ PDFs WITH JOY • Pick Day, Night, or Sepia mode and enjoy reading anytime, anywhere. • Enjoy both vertical and horizontal scrolling. • Export PDF files from email, web, or any app that supports the Apple system-wide Share menu • Use Text to Speech to hear the selected text read out loud HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE PDFs • Mark important info in books using colors, text, or stickers • Add stamps such as Approved, Confidential, etc. • Record your voice and add it to the doc FILL OUT FORMS • Fill out PDF forms using interactive text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons • All the major form formats support, including acro forms and static XFA forms ***PREMIUM FEATURES *** EDIT PDFs DOCS EASILY • Edit or modify existing text directly in a PDF – just as you would in a Word document • Add links: link any part of the text or image to a different page or website • Add outlines to big PDFs to simplify navigation for hundreds of pages • Easily add, replace, and resize images in your PDFs SUMMARIZE AND ANALYZE HUGE PDFs WITH PDF COPILOT – YOUR SMART AI ASSISTANT • List Main Points – instantly scan and highlight key takeaways from any PDF • Summarize – get concise summaries of entire PDFs, or annotations • Ask Anything – find specific details with AI-powered answers and references • Explain – no more Googling! Get instant, contextual explanations of words or phrases MERGE AND COMBINE PDFs • Merge and combine multiple PDF files into one • Add, delete, and rearrange pages with a thumbnail preview • Rotate and reorder pages in PDFs EDIT SCANNED DOCUMENTS • Access the scanned PDFs that you’ve created using PDF Expert • Open your scans to fill out, sign, comment, and share CONVERT FROM AND TO PDF • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, JPG/PNG, TXT, and vice versa • Converts any file in seconds SIGN DOCUMENTS • Use e-signatures to sign contracts on the go • Create custom stamps or import one from the images PROTECT YOUR FILES • Restrict access to PDF Expert with a password • Permanently blackout or erase sensitive information like credit card numbers • Secure and Safe trusted brand software COMPRESS PDFs • Compress large PDF files to save space on your device • Merge several files into one and compress it to reduce the file size CONSTRUCTION TOOLS • Scale and measure drawings using our Measure tab • Polygon and polyline shapes • Redline tools COLLABORATE ON THE GO PDF Expert provides the best platform for paperless collaboration between team members. Annotate and add notes in project materials, fill and sign contracts and invoices, and exchange files via email or cloud on the go. OTHER AMAZING FEATURES: • Fully customizable toolbar • Create a Link (drag and add a landing page or a Web) • Presentation Mode • Print and Share ONE ACCOUNT FOR ALL YOUR APPLE DEVICES Now, you don’t need to purchase Mac and iPhone & iPad versions separately. PDF Expert introduces a single Premium subscription for all your Apple devices. Read more about our terms and conditions here: https://pdfexpert.com/privacy https://pdfexpert.com/terms Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at http://readdle.com/contact

About

PDF Viewer

Easily convert various file formats to PDF and back again. This app supports conversions from images, documents, and presentations, allowing you to manage and share your files efficiently. It also offers OCR capabilities to convert photos into editable text.

Highlights
  • Convert JPG, Word, Excel, PPT to PDF
  • Convert PDF to other formats
  • Share and save converted files
  • Access conversion history
  • Pull files from iCloud or gallery
  • Convert Photos to Text (OCR)
Read full description

PDF Viewer makes file conversions easy, fast, and completely free. Convert files like JPG, Word, Excel, PPT, and more to PDF or convert PDFs back to other formats all from your iPhone.  Here’s what you can do with PDF Viewer: ● Convert files from popular formats like JPG, DOC, XLS, PPT, TXT, RTF, EPUB, and many more to PDF ● Convert PDF files back into various formats ● Share or save your converted files directly to iCloud or other apps ● Access and manage your conversion history ● Pull files from iCloud, your photo gallery, or capture a new image for conversion ● Share converted files via iMessage, open them in other apps, print, or save them to your Files app ● Convert Photos to Text ———————————————————— ◆ How to convert files with PDF Viewer ◆ 1. Select the file you want to convert 2. Choose your desired output format (PDF or another) 3. Tap the “Convert” button 4. Your file will be instantly converted (you can then save it, share it, or access it from your history) ———————————————————— PDF Viewer subscription policy: Once you sign up to PDF Viewer Premium, you will have full access to all of PDF Viewer’s features for free for 3 days. You can cancel your subscription any time and you will be sent a reminder before your PDF Viewer subscription begins after your trial. PDF Viewer Premium Subscription: - With a PDF Viewer Premium subscription you have access to all of PDF Viewer’s advanced PDF editing features, and access to all future updates. - PDF Viewer Premium monthly subscription is billed monthly for $4.99, and payment will be charged to iTunes Account after a 3 day free trial. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions can be managed by the user and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to the user's iPhone Settings -> Apple ID -> Subscriptions. ———————————————————— Connect with us on X and Instagram: @AndrewLeeReal Have any questions or recommendations? Feel free to reach out to me at: Andrew@AndrewLee.Ventures Privacy Policy: http://andrewlee.ventures/privacy Terms of Use: http://andrewlee.ventures/terms

Screenshots

PDF Expert4 screens
PDF Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

PDF Expert and PDF Viewer both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of PDF Viewer's written reviews are positive against 46% of PDF Expert's. PDF Expert's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (216K vs 235). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and PDF Viewer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Expert against 4.8 for PDF Viewer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 235, 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 89% of PDF Viewer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, PDF Viewer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
PDF Expert versus PDF Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ExpertPDF Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (216K ratings)4.8 (235 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.0% of reviews89.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings216K — better235
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#64 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size307 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReaddle Technologies LimitedAndrew Lee

Customer experience

PDF Expert

All ratings215,851 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,135 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral7.4%
Negative46.6%

PDF Viewer

All ratings235 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral7.0%
Negative3.5%

User reviews

PDF Expert

From 216K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

PDF Viewer

From 235 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy and intuitive to use
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient conversion
  • 💰 Free or affordable pricing
  • 📄 Excellent PDF conversion and merging capabilities
  • 🎨 Clean and simple interface design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Forced review prompt before app usage
  • ❌ Missing file deletion option
  • 📸 No in-app camera scanning capability
  • ⚙️ No file size customization options
  • 🔄 Inconsistent performance across devices

Bugs and requests

PDF Expert

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

PDF Viewer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App doesn't function on iPad mini (current model)
  • Forced review requirement blocks app access
  • Document quality issues when converting images to PDF
  • Occasional glitches during operation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add file deletion functionality
  • Implement in-app camera scanning feature
  • Add page merge and delete options
  • Include file size/quality customization
  • Support for more device types (iPad compatibility)

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PDF Expert

Subscriptions9
  • PDF Expert Premium Trial7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert Premium No Trial$9.991 Month
  • PDF Expert for Education7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • PDF Expert Premium7 Days trial3 variants$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium New7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Premium Existing7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert – Premium Editing1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS Pro7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • PDF Expert Mac & iOS7 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Expert Basic$9.99
2 purchases

PDF Viewer

Subscriptions1
  • PDF Converter: Premium3 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • PDF Converter: PremiumFree

Questions

Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Viewer free?
PDF Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or PDF Viewer?
PDF Viewer is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 216K ratings, while PDF Viewer averages 4.8 from 235 ratings.
Do PDF Expert or PDF Viewer have ads?
Neither PDF Expert nor PDF Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or PDF Viewer?
PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Viewer every 3 months. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Viewer on September 8, 2026.

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