# PDFOptim vs PDF Compress

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Compress at none against PDFOptim's 3. PDF Compress also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 5 months). PDFOptim's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDFOptim sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PDF Compress asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDFOptim ships an update every 5 months, PDF Compress every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDFOptim | PDF Compress |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (292 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfoptim/id903356489/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **292** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RootRise Technologies Pvt. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/594431033) | [Shivang Mishra](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721126376) |

## 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)


### PDF Compress

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-compress-reduce-pdf-size/id6504757939)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDFOptim free?

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

### Is PDF Compress free?

PDF Compress is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do PDFOptim or PDF Compress have ads?

Neither PDFOptim nor PDF Compress shows ads.

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

PDFOptim ships an update every 5 months, and PDF Compress every 11 days. Most recently, PDFOptim was updated on September 21, 2026 and PDF Compress on September 10, 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.*