# PDFOptim vs Compress PDF

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDFOptim at 76% against Compress PDF's 20%. PDFOptim also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (292 vs 3). Compress PDF's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFOptim sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Compress PDF sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDFOptim holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFOptim has 292 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of PDFOptim's written reviews are positive against 20% of Compress PDF's.

PDFOptim ships an update every 5 months, Compress PDF every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFOptim | Compress PDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (292 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfoptim/id903356489/reviews)** | [1.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compress-pdf-reduce-pdf-size/id1547749648/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **292** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **75.6% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 8 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RootRise Technologies Pvt. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/594431033) | [Nitin Katrodiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530680301) |

## What reviewers say

### PDFOptim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfoptim/id903356489)

Easily compress and optimize PDF files on your iPhone and iPad. Reduce the size of large documents, saving storage space and transmission time. Offers both automatic and manual compression modes with advanced settings for image and vector graphics.

**Highlights:** Compress PDF documents, Optimize PDF files, Automatic compression mode, Manual compression mode, Adjust image resolution and quality, Optimize vector graphics, Support for password-protected PDFs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium : Monthly Access | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium : Yearly Access | $2.99 | per year |
| Premium : Lifetime Access | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent compression quality
- 🚀 Efficient and fast performance
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💰 Good value for money (one-time purchase)
- 👍 No annoying subscriptions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not launching/freezing
- 🐛 Doesn't work for certain file types (e.g., GoodNotes)
- 🐛 Poor image quality/pixelation
- 🐛 Compression not effective on all PDFs
- 🐛 Confusing or illogical interface

**Reported bugs**

- App not launching on iOS 18.0.1
- App freezes during launch
- App won't take purchases
- Cannot optimize certain PDFs
- Compression not effective on marked-up PDFs

**Requested features**

- Support for iOS shortcuts
- macOS version integration/cross-platform compatibility
- Improved handling of specific file types like GoodNotes
- Better optimization for handwritten notes within PDFs
- Cloud storage for compressed documents (iCloud)


### Compress PDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compress-pdf-reduce-pdf-size/id1547749648)

Reduce the file size of your PDF documents, especially those with many images. This app offers compression options to shrink PDFs without compromising quality, saving storage space and transmission time. It's a lightweight tool for optimizing memory usage.

**Highlights:** Full size compression, Ultra fast processing, Low battery usage, Supports all file types, Optimize memory usage, Integrates with other apps

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CompressPDF Premium Version | $0.99 | per 7 days |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFOptim free?

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

### Is Compress PDF free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDFOptim or Compress PDF?

PDFOptim is rated higher. PDFOptim averages 4.7 out of 5 from 292 ratings, while Compress PDF averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do PDFOptim or Compress PDF have ads?

Neither PDFOptim nor Compress PDF shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDFOptim or Compress PDF?

PDFOptim ships an update every 5 months, and Compress PDF every 6 weeks. Most recently, PDFOptim was updated on September 21, 2026 and Compress PDF on July 20, 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.*