Comparison

PDF Expert vs Free PDF Editor, Converter App

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

PDF Expert is a fast and easy PDF app to read, annotate, fill and sign PDF forms, convert files to PDF, and merge, split or compress documents – all in one intuitive app for iPhone, iPad, Mac & Vision Pro. Read PDF files with comfort, highlight and mark up text, fill out forms, sign contracts, create and convert PDFs, and summarize long documents in seconds with AI-powered tools. Unlock unlimited possibilities with PDF Expert Premium and work across all your Apple devices. "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 - PDF reader with Day, Night, and Sepia modes for comfortable reading anytime - Scroll PDFs vertically or horizontally and search text in any document - Open and view PDF files from email, web, Files, or any app via the Share menu - Read PDFs out loud with Text to Speech ANNOTATE AND MARK UP PDFs - Highlight, underline, and strike through text in your PDFs - Mark up documents with pen, shapes, text, notes, and comments - Add stamps such as Approved or Confidential - Record your voice and add audio notes to PDFs FILL AND SIGN PDF FORMS - Fill out PDF forms with text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons - Sign PDF documents in seconds – draw your signature or add it from an image - Save your signature to sign contracts, agreements, invoices, and applications faster - Fill, sign, and send forms right from your iPhone – no printing or scanning needed - Supports all major form formats, including AcroForms and static XFA forms ***PREMIUM FEATURES*** EDIT PDFs - Edit text directly in a PDF – just as you would in a Word document - Add, replace, and resize images in your PDFs - Add links to other pages or websites - Add outlines to navigate large PDFs CREATE AND CONVERT PDFs - Create PDFs from Word files, images, and other documents - Convert Word to PDF, JPG to PDF, and PNG to PDF in seconds - Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, and TXT MERGE, SPLIT AND ORGANIZE PDFs - Merge and combine multiple PDF files into one - Split PDFs and extract pages into a new file - Add, delete, rotate, and reorder pages with thumbnail preview COMPRESS PDFs - Compress PDFs to reduce file size for email and sharing - Shrink large PDF files to save space on your device SUMMARIZE PDFs WITH AI – PDF COPILOT - List Main Points – get key takeaways from any PDF - Summarize – get concise summaries of entire PDFs or annotations - Ask Anything – find details with AI answers and references - Explain – get instant explanations of words or phrases PROTECT YOUR FILES - Password-protect PDF Expert - Redact – permanently black out sensitive information WORK WITH SCANNED DOCUMENTS - Open scanned PDFs to fill out, sign, annotate, and share CONSTRUCTION TOOLS - Scale and measure drawings with the Measure tab - Polygon, polyline, and redline tools MORE FEATURES - Customizable toolbar - Presentation Mode - Print and share PDFs via email or cloud ONE ACCOUNT FOR ALL YOUR APPLE DEVICES One Premium subscription covers PDF Expert on iPhone, iPad, and Mac – no need to buy versions separately. 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

Free PDF Editor, Converter App

Edit, sign, and convert PDF documents with a comprehensive suite of tools. Easily modify text, add images, fill forms, and convert various file formats to PDF. Features AI voice transcription to create PDFs from audio.

Highlights
  • Edit text and layouts
  • Add images and signatures
  • Fill and sign forms
  • Convert files to PDF
  • AI voice transcription to PDF
  • Merge, split, and reorder pages
  • OCR text extraction
Features
Read full description

Free PDF Editor is your all-in-one PDF editor solution to edit, sign, fill, annotate, and share PDF documents effortlessly, right from your iPhone. With our advanced tools, you can fix typos, add text and images, highlight key content, insert digital signatures, and fill forms in just a few taps. Easily convert scanned images and documents to PDFs, and merge, split, format layouts as needed or explore our new, AI voice transcription, voice to PDF, feature. Import existing recordings to generate high-quality PDF documents instantly. Start now with Free PDF Editor, and discover the endless possibilities of what you can do with your documents! Whether you need a powerful file editor for contracts, a secure document filler for tax e-filing, or a complete toolkit for school coursework, get everything you need to keep your tasks moving, wherever you go. 1. Start With Our Advanced PDF Editing Tools - Edit text, add paragraphs, and modify layouts - Add, delete, or rotate images within your PDF easily - Compress PDFs without losing quality 2. Merge, Split, & Reorder Files - Merge multiple PDFs into one file - Split large files into smaller ones - Reorder, organise, or delete pages to streamline your PDFs 3. Secure Your PDFs - Lock PDFs with passwords and permissions - Unlock PDFs to remove restrictions when needed - Add custom watermarks for identity and safety 4. Fill PDF Forms Easily - Fill out forms directly on your device. Type, check boxes, sign, & save filled forms with ease - Complete any form filler task in seconds, without printing a single page 5. Request Instant E-Signatures - Create & add digital signatures in seconds - Save frequently used signatures for quicker signing - Request Signature on-the-go. Send documents to others & collect their signatures remotely - Close deals & sign approvals anytime, anywhere 6. Zoom, Search, & Annotate Content - Use it as an advanced PDF reader for easy viewing - Highlight & underline important content - Find specific details with built-in search tools - Zoom-in for a high-quality viewing experience 7. Scan or Import to PDF - Scan paper documents, receipts, or notes - Import files from your device or cloud storage - Convert instantly to high-quality PDFs 8. OCR Text Extraction - Turn scanned PDFs into fully searchable, editable text - Extract content from scanned files and images with built-in OCR technology - Turn non-editable scans into fully customizable PDF documents 9. Convert Files - PDF ↔ Word — convert PDF to Word and Word documents back to PDF - PDF ↔ Excel — export spreadsheet data or import Excel files as PDF - PDF ↔ PowerPoint — turn presentations into PDFs or PDFs into editable slides - PDF ↔ Text — convert back into editable formats when needed - Image to PDF — convert JPG, PNG, HEIC, and WEBP files into polished PDFs - JPG to Vector — scale images without quality loss - Voice to PDF — record or import audio and convert it directly to a PDF document 10. Share & Export PDFs - Share via email or messaging apps - Save to cloud storage or local device - Export PDFs in various available formats Why Free PDF Editor? With our all-in-one PDF editor, effortlessly combine multiple documents into one file, extract specific pages or split files by range, and organize your content exactly as you need. You can also digitize paper documents and save them as high-quality, polished PDFs. Our ultimate PDF toolkit empowers students, professionals, travelers, and anyone requiring document editing on-the-go, by streamlining their most critical workflows. Download Free PDF Editor today & experience a better way to work with your files. Try our free version or unlock full potential with premium features. Subscription Policy: Subscribe for unlimited access to all premium features. Subscriptions are billed weekly and automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Ref: https://www.freelabs.ai/terms-freepdf

Screenshots

PDF Expert4 screens
Free PDF Editor, Converter App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Expert at none against Free PDF Editor, Converter App's shown. PDF Expert also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (217K vs 170). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Free PDF Editor, Converter App sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 217K ratings behind it against 170, 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 26% of Free PDF Editor, Converter App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, Free PDF Editor, Converter App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PDF Expert versus Free PDF Editor, Converter App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ExpertFree PDF Editor, Converter App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (217K ratings) — better4.3 (170 ratings)
Positive reviews45.2% of reviews — better26.5% of reviews
Number of ratings217K — better170
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#84 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size301 MB312 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReaddle Technologies LimitedAMPLIFY VENTURES

Customer experience

PDF Expert

All ratings216,255 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,186 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative47.3%

Free PDF Editor, Converter App

All ratings170 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral1.2%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive26.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative73.5%

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

Free PDF Editor, Converter App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

PDF Expert

Subscriptions8
  • 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 5 more
  • PDF Expert Premium7 Days trial2 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 & iOS7 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Expert Basic$9.99
8 purchases

Free PDF Editor, Converter App

Subscriptions8
  • Free PDF Converter & Editor$4.997 Days
  • Free PDF Editor, Reader PRO3 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Free PDF Converter & Editor$6.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Free PDF Editor & Form Filler7 Days trial$13.991 Month
  • Free PDF Editor & Form Filler$13.991 Month
  • Free PDF Editor & Scanner$49.991 Year
  • Free PDF Editor & Converter7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Free PDF Editor & Converter$99.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Expert free?
PDF Expert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Free PDF Editor, Converter App free?
Free PDF Editor, Converter App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or Free PDF Editor, Converter App?
PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Free PDF Editor, Converter App averages 4.3 from 170 ratings.
Do PDF Expert or Free PDF Editor, Converter App have ads?
Free PDF Editor, Converter App shows ads; PDF Expert does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or Free PDF Editor, Converter App?
PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and Free PDF Editor, Converter App every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on November 8, 2026 and Free PDF Editor, Converter App on November 6, 2026.

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