Best PDF Annotate Apps

248+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.2 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated September 2026

The best pdf annotate apps on iPhone average 4.2★ across 248+ titles — we've ranked them by what real users actually keep on their phones. Updated September 2026.

Compare top PDF Annotate Apps (September 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Noteful: Notes & PDF MarkupNoteful: Notes & PDF MarkupFree4.8★ (23K)NoYesSep 2026
2PDF Expert: Editor & ReaderPDF Expert: Editor & ReaderFree4.7★ (216K)NoYesSep 2026
3Notability: AI Notes & PlannerNotability: AI Notes & PlannerFree4.8★ (456K)NoYesSep 2026
4Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDFGoodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDFFree4.7★ (453K)NoYesSep 2026
5Drawboard PDF Annotate, MarkupDrawboard PDF Annotate, MarkupFree4.8★ (1.9K)NoYesSep 2026
6PDF Annotate Expert - eSignPDF Annotate Expert - eSignFree2.3★ (6)NoYesMay 2026
7PDF Lite: PDF Editor & ReaderPDF Lite: PDF Editor & ReaderFreeNoYesSep 2026
8PDF Hero - PDF Editor & ReaderPDF Hero - PDF Editor & ReaderFree4.6★ (10K)NoYesSep 2026

Top Picks for PDF Annotate

Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup#1

Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup by Noteful Technologies Ltd

Highlight. Write. Learn.
Editor's Choice
📊 Productivity
4.8😊(23K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 1
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 2
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 3
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 4
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 5
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup screenshot 6

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Smooth writing experience
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Layers feature
  • 👍 Affordable one-time purchase
  • 🚀 Efficient and lightweight
  • 👍 Great organization with tags and folders
  • 👍 Customizable UI

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🔍 No handwriting recognition or search
  • 🔍 Limited text editing options
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced features like math conversion
  • 🔍 Exporting PDFs loses some formatting
PDF Expert: Editor & Reader#2

PDF Expert: Editor & Reader by Readdle Technologies Limited

Create, Edit & Sign Documents
Strong Contender
📊 Productivity
4.7😐(216K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#58in Productivity
PDF Expert: Editor & Reader screenshot 1
PDF Expert: Editor & Reader screenshot 2
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PDF Expert: Editor & Reader screenshot 4
PDF Expert: Editor & Reader screenshot 5
PDF Expert: Editor & Reader screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 💡 Powerful annotation and editing tools
  • 🔒 Seamless cloud integration
  • 📚 Excellent for reading and organizing PDFs

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 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
Notability: AI Notes & Planner#3

Notability: AI Notes & Planner by Ginger Labs

Daily notebook & study journal
Worth Considering
📊 Productivity
4.8😊(456K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#62in Productivity
Notability: AI Notes & Planner screenshot 1
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Notability: AI Notes & Planner screenshot 3
Notability: AI Notes & Planner screenshot 4
Notability: AI Notes & Planner screenshot 5

Capture, organize, and enhance your thoughts with a versatile digital notebook. Seamlessly blend handwriting, typing, and multimedia to annotate documents, record lectures, and generate summaries. Ideal for students and professionals seeking to boost productivity and learning.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great app for note-taking
  • 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 📝 Excellent organization and file management
  • 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
  • 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search
  • 🌈 Customizable colors and themes

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
  • 🔍 Limited search and organization options
  • 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
  • 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

More PDF Annotate apps to explore

FAQ about PDF Annotate

What are the best pdf annotate apps for iPhone?
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup tops our pdf annotate apps ranking as of September 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 23K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top pdf annotate apps we rank are free to download, including Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup and PDF Expert: Editor & Reader.
Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of September 2026.
We track 248+ pdf annotate apps on the iOS App Store as of September 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Noteful is a note-taking and PDF markup application designed for iPad. It allows users to create handwritten notes, annotate documents, organize information with tags, and even record audio synced with their notes, aiming to replace traditional paper clutter.
Key features include a natural handwriting experience with Apple Pencil support, the ability to import and annotate PDFs and MS Office documents, powerful tagging for organization, layers for annotations, and audio recording synchronized with notes.

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