PDF Expert is the better editor: it edits text, converts to Office formats and annotates well, and reading, annotating, filling and signing are free. Its merge, compress and convert tools are Premium at $79.99 a year. ProperPDF merges, splits and scans for free, sells Pro for $19.99 a year or $29.99 once for lifetime access (US prices), has no account, and also runs on Android. PDF Expert has no Android app.
We make ProperPDF. The other apps are described from their own store listings, pricing and help pages, linked under Sources.
| ProperPDF | PDF Expert | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Merge, split, organize | Free (merge and split with watermark) | Premium |
| Compress | Pro | Premium |
| Fill and sign forms | Pro | Free |
| Annotate | No | Free |
| Edit text, convert to Word | No | Premium |
| Scan with the camera | Free | Not listed |
| AI | On-device chat, free on iPhone | AI Copilot, Premium; can use OpenAI or Azure OpenAI |
| Yearly price (US) | $19.99 | $79.99 |
| One-time purchase | $29.99 lifetime (US) | Not listed for iPhone |
Choose PDF Expert if
You annotate a lot, need to change text in PDFs, convert to Word, or work across iPhone, iPad and Mac. It's an Editors' Choice app with a 4.7 rating from over 200,000 App Store ratings.
Choose ProperPDF if
Your work is mostly merging, splitting, scanning, compressing and signing, you also use Android, or you'd rather pay once than every year.
Questions
Is PDF Expert free?
Reading, annotating, and filling and signing forms are free. Editing, merging, compressing, converting and AI are part of Premium.
Does PDF Expert work on Android?
No. It's available for iPhone, iPad and Mac. ProperPDF is on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Sources
Checked 22 October 2026. Prices are US prices and change. ProperPDF uses regional pricing, so check the store for your local price.