Comparison

PDF Edit Express vs PDF Editor

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

Head to head
About

PDF Edit Express

Edit and annotate PDFs and TXT files with freehand drawing, text tools, and image insertion. Seamlessly sync and transfer documents across Apple devices using iCloud.

Highlights
  • Freehand drawing on PDFs
  • Text and image insertion
  • iCloud sync and HandOff
  • DOC/DOCX read support
  • Graphical file manager
  • Speech-to-text dictation
Features
Read full description

PDF Edit Express is a flexible and powerful new iCloud PDF and TXT Note Taker, Signer, Form Filler, Drawing/Diagram app, and Annotator for iOS and OS X. PDF Edit Express features freehand drawing using a native PDF Format, allowing you to use powerful note taking and annotating tools to markup PDFs instantly. Featuring iCloud Drive* and iCloud Continuity/HandOff** Support so not only are all your PDFs synced to all your devices, but you can also transfer PDFs between devices instantly. PDF Edit Express is not only the most innovative PDF apps for Mobile and Desktop, yet also the easiest to use PDF creation and markup applications in the world. And best of all, PDF Edit Express is free for iOS and only $6.99 (U.S.) for OS X! With iCloud Drive, you can take Notes on the go and have your Notes ready at your Mac or Windows PC already downloaded when you get home* And If that wasn't enough, PDFs can be transferred instantly from one device to another with iCloud HandOff so you can start working on one device, and continue on another (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)** iOS Specific Features: - Innovative Graphical File Manager with Natural Touch Gestures: Single Tap to Select a File, Double-Tap to Open a File, Two Finger "Pinch" to Zoom the File Manager, and Tap and Hold to Drag Files onto Folders - Photorealistic page swipe animations (swipe the vertical edge of a PDF page horizontally to go to the previous or next page) - Draw using Palm Rest or Magnifier Window with "Smart Shift" technology - DOC/DOCX Read Support Included Innovative Features on both iOS and OS X: - Freehand draw on PDFs with “Vector" note taking tools such as Pencil, Eraser, and Highlighter; keeping PDF file sizes small - iCloud support keeps your documents in Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac; and with iCloud Drive, Windows PCs and well* - iCloud Continuity/HandOff lets you start work on one device and continue on another (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)** - DOC/DOCX Read support on iOS, DOC/DOCX Read/Write support on OS X - Create blank PDFs super easily and add Text, Drawings, Images, Web Pages, and more - TXT Word processing support for instances when all you need is the keyboard - Text Tool lets your Touch/Click to Type anywhere (iPad/Mac) - Cut Tool Makes it easy to reposition PDF content - Add Images, Text, and Web Pages to a PDF instantly (iPad/Mac) - Full Speech-To-Text Dictation support anywhere you can Type (Press Dictation key on keyboard on iOS, press “Fn” key twice on OS X) - Read Support for Password-Protected PDFs - iCloud is completely optional — PDF Edit Express works just as well offline as online! *iCloud Drive Support for Windows requires iCloud Drive install, iCloud Drive for Mac requires OS X 10.10 or later; iCloud Drive supports PDF/TXT/DOC/DOCX **iCloud HandOff requires both Bluetooth 4.0/LE and WiFi on and enabled

About

PDF Editor

Edit text, images, and layout in PDF files without altering formatting. Convert PDFs to various formats, merge documents, and secure them with passwords. Offers cloud integration and user-friendly navigation for efficient document management.

Highlights
  • Edit text and images
  • Convert to multiple formats (Word, PPT, JPG, PNG)
  • Resize PDFs
  • Merge PDF files
  • Secure with password encryption
  • Add watermarks, headers, footers
  • Cloud integration
Features
Read full description

Edit a PDF and get back the file you expected. Many PDF editors move your fonts, your spacing and your layout. PDF Editor is built to keep them where they are. Open a PDF, change the text, the images and the pages, export it, and the document still looks like the original. If a file ever does not come out right, message us from inside the app: we reply within one business day and fix import, editing and font problems as a priority, keeping you posted until it is done. Built in Australia. Your documents stay yours. What you can do • Edit PDF text: change words, font, size and color directly on the page. • Edit PDF images: replace, crop, resize or delete any image. • Sign PDF: draw or type your signature once and place it on any document. • Fill PDF forms: complete a form, save it and send it. • Merge PDF: combine several PDF files into one. • Split PDF: separate one PDF into smaller files. • Compress PDF: reduce the file size for email and upload. • Convert PDF to JPG or PNG: turn any page into an image. • Turn images into a PDF: combine photos or scans into one document. • Open Word, PowerPoint and Illustrator files: edit them as a PDF and export. • Organize pages: reorder, rotate, duplicate, delete, crop and number pages. • Annotate PDF: highlight and underline what matters. • Redact PDF: black out text that must not be shared. • Scan to text (OCR): turn a scanned page into text you can edit. • Unlock PDF: remove a password you own. • Watermark PDF: add a watermark, a header or a footer. • Resize PDF: change the page format without losing quality. Read and annotate any PDF Open any PDF file, read it and highlight what matters. Large files stay sharp when you zoom. Edit PDF text properly Tap a paragraph and type. PDF Editor keeps the font, the line breaks and the spacing you already have, so you do not have to rebuild the page after every change. Sign and fill without printing Draw or type a signature, place it, save it. Fill in a contract, an invoice or an application form and send it back the same day. No printer needed. Merge, split and compress Combine a set of files into one report. Pull three pages out of a long contract. Compress a large PDF so it fits an email limit. All from your phone. Convert and export Save as PDF for print or for web. Export a page as JPG or PNG for a message or a slide. Turn a set of photos into one PDF. Open a Word, PowerPoint or Illustrator file and work on it as a PDF. Start from a template Do not start from an empty page. Open a ready-made invoice, report, proposal, contract, letter, resume, flyer or business card, then change the parts you need. Every template is editable and exports as a PDF. Phone, tablet and web Your documents sync, so you can start on a phone and finish on a laptop. What is free and what is paid Every month a free account includes 5 PDF edits and 20 PDF tool operations such as merge, split, compress or rotate. Subscriptions raise these allowances and more: monthly AI credits and extra storage are included. Common questions Can I change text in a file someone else made? Yes. Open it and tap the text. Can I put two files together? Yes, use Merge. Can I make a file smaller? Yes, use Compress. Can I turn a scan into text? Yes, use Scan to text. Do I need an account? Merge, split, compress, rotate and the other page tools work without one. Editing text, signing, filling forms and watermarks need a free account. Does it work offline? Merge, split, compress, sign, fill forms and the other page tools run on your device and work offline. Editing PDF text in the full editor, scan to text and the AI tools need an internet connection. Something did not import or export correctly. What now? Send it to us from Settings → Feedback & Support. We reply within one business day. Download PDF Editor and fix the PDF properly, the first time. Privacy Policy: https://desygner.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://desygner.com/terms

Screenshots

PDF Edit Express4 screens
PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PDF Editor at every 2 days against PDF Edit Express's every 11 months. PDF Editor also leads on review sentiment (22% vs 0%). PDF Edit Express's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 Edit Express sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PDF Editor sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Edit Express ships an update every 11 months, PDF Editor every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PDF Edit Express versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Edit ExpressPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.6 (329 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews22.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—329 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB210 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMach Software DesignDesygner Pty Ltd

Customer experience

PDF Edit Express

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

PDF Editor

All ratings329 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral0.3%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive22.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative74.8%

Bugs and requests

PDF Edit Express

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PDF Editor

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes when importing PDFs
  • Exported PDFs render at extremely small, unreadable sizes
  • Text editing causes font changes and formatting loss
  • Duplicate function creates multiple unwanted copies or deletes originals
  • App won't open or gets stuck on logo screen
Show 9 more
  • Email verification not sending or sending to wrong address
  • Zoom functionality resets when attempting edits
  • Saved documents disappear from app after restart
  • File upload fails or gets stuck indefinitely
  • Black and white checkered screen replacing PDF content
  • Large chunks of text deleted when leaving text editor open
  • Pages display as blank after export
  • Subscription information not displaying correctly
  • App crashes when clicking add/import button

Requested features

8 requests
  • Better zoom functionality without distorting document sections
  • Ability to edit files across multiple devices with same account
  • Improved text editing capabilities
  • Document rotation (not just flip) functionality
  • Better font compatibility and handling
Show 3 more
  • Offline editing capability
  • Improved file saving and persistence
  • Cross-device synchronization

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PDF Edit Express

One-time1
  • Remove Ads2 variants$0.99
13 purchases

PDF Editor

Subscriptions9
  • Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Pro+ Weekly Subscription 2$4.997 Days
  • Pro+ Weekly Subscription7 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 6 more
  • Pro+ Monthly Subscription$9.951 Month
  • Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro+ Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro+ Annual Subscription 2$83.991 Year
  • Annual3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Pro+ Annual Subscription$99.991 Year
One-time4
  • Credit pack: 5 credits$4.99
  • Credit pack: 10 credits$7.99
  • Special credit pack$7.99
Show 1 more
  • Credit pack: 30 credits$19.99

Questions

Is PDF Edit Express free?
PDF Edit Express is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Edit Express or PDF Editor have ads?
Neither PDF Edit Express nor PDF Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Edit Express or PDF Editor?
PDF Edit Express ships an update every 11 months, and PDF Editor every 2 days. Most recently, PDF Edit Express was updated on September 10, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 29, 2026.

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