PDF Expert vs PDF Reader Pro (2026): which should you pick?

Pick PDF Expert if

• Fits if you work on a Mac and an iPad and want one $79.99 subscription for both
• Works for students who mostly read, highlight and sign, on the free app

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you or your team use Windows, Android or a browser at all, as it's Apple only
• Not for you if you build fillable forms or send for signature, as neither is on record
• Tight if you need OCR on an iPhone or iPad, as it's listed for the Mac
• Watch out: the free app won't edit, convert or merge, and the Premium trial is a week, through the App Store
• Watch out: the student discount is 30% in one place and 50% in another, and the $139.99 Lifetime license is Mac only, with new features possibly extra

Pick PDF Reader Pro if

• Fits if you want one PDF app on a Mac, a PC and a phone
• Works for people who prefer a one-time license over a subscription

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you plan to stay free, because OCR and eSign are one-time trials and uploads stop at 10 MB
• Watch out: the one-time license covers 1 device, while yearly plans cover 4
• Skip it if you want the AI assistant on a phone, as it runs only on Windows and Mac
• Watch out: 500 AI points come with the first purchase only
• Watch out: the store showed a Black Friday sale to Nov 30, 2026, so regular prices are higher

PDF Expert

• Runs on Apple devices only: there is no Windows, Android or browser version.
• Editing, converting, merging, compressing, redaction and PDF Copilot all need Premium; the free app reads, annotates and signs.
• The education discount is stated as 30% off the annual plan in one place on the pricing page and as 50% in another.
• The $139.99 lifetime license covers the Mac version only; new features may cost extra, and Premium on iPhone and iPad still needs the yearly plan.

PDF Reader Pro

• The one-time Permanent license covers only 1 device, on Mac or Windows; the yearly plans cover 4 devices across all five platforms.
• The AI assistant runs only on Windows and Mac, and 500 AI points come with the first purchase only.
• OCR and eSign are one-time trials on the free version; the yearly plans differ in eSign trials (1 on Standard, 3 on Advanced).
• The store showed a Black Friday sale through Nov 30, 2026; prices here are the regular ones.

PDF Expert

Text and image editing

Premium edits text in a PDF much like a word processor, adds, replaces and resizes images, and adds links and outlines.

Convert, merge and compress

Creates PDFs from Word files and images, converts PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images and text, and merges, splits and shrinks files.

Annotate, fill and sign

Highlight, draw, add notes, stamps and audio notes, and fill and sign forms, including AcroForms and static XFA forms, in the free app.

PDF Copilot

Premium's AI assistant lists main points, summarizes, answers questions with references and explains words or phrases in a document.

OCR and scan clean-up

Recognizes text in scanned documents on Mac, and an AI Enhance feature removes shadows and distortion from scans.

Measuring and redaction

Scale and measure drawings with polygon, polyline and redline tools, and permanently black out sensitive text.

PDF Reader Pro

Edit text and images

Change text with its formatting, crop, replace or rotate images, and add headers, footers, watermarks and backgrounds.

Convert and OCR

Converts PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, CSV, HTML and more; OCR turns scans into editable, searchable files.

Forms and signatures

Creates fillable forms, adds digital or ink signatures, and offers eSign workflows for sending and tracking signers.

Annotate and organize

Has 15+ annotation tools, stamps, and page tools to merge, split, extract, rotate and reorder pages.

AI assistant

Translates, summarizes, rewrites and answers questions about a document, with ChatGPT and DeepSeek models. Desktop apps only.

Redaction and protection

Search-based redaction, open passwords, and copy and print permissions.

PDF Expert

• Free$0

  Read, annotate, fill and sign PDFs on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

• Premium$79.99

  per year

  Edit text, images and links, convert, OCR, merge and compress, redact, translate and PDF Copilot, on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Business$80

  per seat / year, before tax

  Premium for teams bought online, each seat covering up to 3 devices, with a Business Manager to add, remove and reassign seats.

• Lifetime$139.99

  one-time

  The Premium features for the Mac version only, paid once with a 30-day money-back guarantee; later new features may cost extra.

PDF Reader Pro

• Free Version$0

  4 devices, 20 AI credits valid for 30 days, 1 GB cloud space and one-time trials of eSign and OCR.

• Standard$59.99

  per user / year, auto-renewing, tax included

  Annual plan for 4 devices with 20 GB cloud space, 100 MB uploads and 500 AI points with the first purchase.

• Advanced$79.99

  per user / year, auto-renewing, tax included

  Annual plan for 4 devices with 20 GB cloud space, 3 eSign trials and 500 AI points with the first purchase.

• Permanent$99.99

  one-time, for 1 device, tax included

  Lifetime license for 1 Mac or Windows computer, with a 14-day conditional money-back guarantee.

PDF Expert

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Mac license for $139.99

  A one-time payment of $139.99 buys the Mac version for good, with bug fixes and support; Readdle says new features may come at extra cost.

• Education

  Discount for students and educators

  Verifying a school email on the pricing page sends a discount on the annual plan, given there as 30% and also as 50%; the App Store lists an education purchase at $39.99.

PDF Reader Pro

• Other savings

  Black Friday sale, 20% off first purchase

  The home page advertises 20% off a first purchase, with bonus AI credits and eSign tasks, until Nov 30, 2026.

• Lifetime license

  Permanent one-time license

  A single payment of $99.99 covers 1 Mac or Windows device with no renewal.