PDF Expert vs PDF Squeezer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PDF Squeezer grades higher than PDF Expert: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PDF Expert grades higher on the free plan. PDF Squeezer grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PDF Expert
PDF reader and editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad from Readdle
PDF Squeezer
Offline PDF compressor for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows
Which one is for you
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 Squeezer if
- Fits if you shrink PDFs often and would rather pay once than subscribe
- Works for people who want files compressed on their own machine, offline
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to edit PDF text, pages or forms, because it only compresses
- Watch out: each platform is bought separately and no bundle is described
- Not for you if you want a free trial that finishes a job, as iOS saving needs the purchase
- Tight if your Mac is older, since the App Store version needs macOS 13 and the direct download macOS 11
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPDF ExpertFair | 2.6GPAPDF SqueezerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $79.99 a year and covers your Mac, iPhone and iPad in one go, right in the middle of what PDF editors charge. A Lifetime license is $139.99 once, under two years of the category's middle subscription, but it covers the Mac version only. Business is $80 a seat a year. | A$19.99 once on Mac and $9.99 once on iPhone, iPad and Windows, each under a year of the category's $7.99 middle subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free app reads, highlights, adds notes, and fills and signs forms. But editing text, converting, merging and the AI all need Premium. The 1-week trial runs through the App Store. | DOnly the iOS app can be tried free, and saving a compressed file needs the in-app purchase, so you cannot finish a real job for nothing. |
| Features | CEdits text like a word processor, converts to Office, merges, compresses, redacts and measures drawings, with an AI assistant. The gaps: OCR is listed for the Mac only, and there's no form builder or sending for signature on record. | CBatch and folder compression, profiles, side-by-side comparison and automation. It does the compressing job fully, but it is a smaller job: it does not edit text, pages or forms. |
| Ease of use | B4.67 from 216,183 App Store ratings, a whisker off the top grade. It's an app you open and use, and it's made for marking up with an Apple Pencil on an iPad. | BNo store rating is on record, but you install it and drop files on it with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone and iPad only. No Windows, no Android, no browser version, and no integrations on record. If you're not all on Apple, it's no use. | BMac, iPhone, iPad and Windows, with Shortcuts and Automator, but no Android or web version. |
| Best for | PDF editing across a Mac, iPad and iPhone | making PDF files smaller on Mac, iPhone or Windows |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: PDF Expert and PDF Squeezer. How we grade
Where they differ
- PDF Squeezer can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- PDF Expert also covers forms.
- PDF Squeezer also covers file compression.
At a glance
| PDF Expert | PDF Squeezer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $79.99 per year | $9.99 one-time (iPhone, iPad and Windows) |
| Free plan | The free app reads PDFs, highlights and marks them up, adds notes and stamps, and fills and signs forms; editing, converting and AI need Premium. | None |
| Free trial | 1-week free trial of Premium through the App Store | iOS download is free and fully testable; saving compressed files needs the in-app purchase |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Readdle | Witt Software |
| Price read from | pdfexpert.com | witt-software.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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 Squeezer
- It compresses PDFs; it does not edit text, pages or forms.
- The Mac version needs macOS 13 or later per its App Store listing; the vendor's site states macOS 11+ for the direct download.
- Each platform is bought separately; the pages do not describe a bundle.
Key features
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 Squeezer
- Batch and folder compression
- Drop several files or a whole folder, including subfolders, and compress them in one pass.
- Compression profiles
- Choose a predefined profile or build your own, and export profiles to share with colleagues.
- Side-by-side comparison
- Compare the original with the result and try different settings to check visual quality before saving.
- Fine-grained cleanup
- Set image quality and resolution, drop unused fonts, remove metadata, thumbnails and duplicate resources.
- Automation
- A Shortcuts action, Automator action, Quick Action, Folder Action and command line interface on the Mac.
- On-device processing
- Files are processed on the device and no internet connection is required. Password-protected PDFs are supported.
Plans
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 Squeezer
Mac$19.99
one-time purchase
Mac App Store price in the US store; the vendor also offers a free download from its site.
iPhone and iPad$9.99
one-time, bought in the app
Free download that compresses unlimited PDFs for testing; saving results needs the full version.
Windows$9.99
one-time purchase
Page shows $19.99 crossed out for a limited-time offer with no end date, so $9.99 is recorded.
Ways to pay less
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 Squeezer
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PDF Expert or PDF Squeezer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year, and PDF Squeezer starts at $9.99 one-time (iPhone, iPad and Windows).
Which has a free plan, PDF Expert or PDF Squeezer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only PDF Expert has a free plan. PDF Squeezer does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do PDF Expert and PDF Squeezer run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only PDF Squeezer lists a Windows app. Both list macOS and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.