# PDF Expert vs ThreadVault

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ThreadVault at 100% against PDF Expert's 45%. ThreadVault also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). PDF Expert's advantage is price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (4.7 vs 4.0). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

PDF Expert is free to download; ThreadVault costs $4.99 up front. PDF Expert sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ThreadVault asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 217K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 100% of ThreadVault's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, ThreadVault every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | ThreadVault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/threadvault/id6757399918/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#89** | — |
| Size | 328 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Oyvind Brantenberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1788965164) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

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

**Currently charting:** #89 Top Grossing · 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 (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


### ThreadVault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/threadvault/id6757399918)

Manage your embroidery threads, inventory, and projects efficiently. Catalog threads with color previews, track quantities, plan projects with status updates, and generate shopping lists. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Visual thread catalog with color previews, Barcode scanner for thread packaging, Inventory tracking for skeins and bobbins, Project planning with status tracking, Automatic thread allocation from inventory, PDF export for project reports and shopping lists, iCloud sync across devices

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is ThreadVault free?

ThreadVault costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while ThreadVault averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do PDF Expert or ThreadVault have ads?

Neither PDF Expert nor ThreadVault shows ads.

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

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and ThreadVault every 4 months. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on November 9, 2026 and ThreadVault on October 31, 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.*