After 90 Days with PDF Expert — My Honest Review

Is PDF Expert Worth It?

★★★★★ 4.6/5

Quick Verdict: PDF Expert is the best PDF editor for Apple devices. It costs way less than Adobe Acrobat. You can edit, annotate, sign, and convert PDF files on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. The intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone. After 90 days of testing, I’m sold.

✅ Best For:

Mac, iPhone, and iPad users who work with PDF documents daily and want a fast, affordable PDF editor

❌ Skip If:

You use Windows or Android devices, or you need advanced enterprise PDF tools

📊 Users	30M+ worldwide	🎯 Best For	Apple device users
💰 Price	$79.99/year	✅ Top Feature	Word processor-like PDF editing
🎁 Free Trial	7 days, no credit card	⚠️ Limitation	Apple only — no Windows or Android

How I Tested PDF Expert

Tired of clunky PDF editors that cost a fortune?

You open a PDF file. You need to change one word. But your tool makes it feel impossible.

Adobe Acrobat costs too much. Free PDF tools barely work.

Enter PDF Expert.

Readdle’s PDF Expert promises fast, easy PDF editing on all your Apple devices. It’s built for productivity. I tested it for 90 days to see if that’s true.

Here’s everything you need to know.

PDF Expert

Stop overpaying for Adobe Acrobat. PDF Expert lets you edit, annotate, sign, and convert PDF files across Mac, iPhone, and iPad — all from one account. Used by over 30 million people. Try it free for 7 days with no credit card needed.

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What is PDF Expert?

PDF Expert is a PDF editor made for Apple devices.

Think of it like Microsoft Word — but for PDF files.

You can edit text, add images, highlight text, sign contracts, and convert PDF documents to other formats.

It works on Mac, iPhone, and iPad with one account.

The app has a clean, intuitive interface with four main tabs. Those are Annotate, Edit, Scan & OCR, and Export.

PDF Expert’s big advantage? It gives you a “word-processor-like” editing experience.

Unlike Adobe Acrobat, PDF Expert is built just for Apple users. That means it runs faster on your Mac and iOS devices.

You can drag and drop files right into the app to get started.

Who Created PDF Expert?

Igor Zhadanov, Alex Tyagulsky, and Andrian Budantsov started Readdle in 2007.

They were college friends in Odesa, Ukraine. They wanted to read books on the first iPhone.

PDF Expert launched for iPad in 2010. It’s now available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Today, Readdle has:

• Over 235 million total app downloads
• 30 million PDF Expert users worldwide
• A team of 300 people across 30+ locations

The company is based in Odesa, Ukraine with an office in San Francisco.

Apple named PDF Expert an Editors’ Choice app.

It also won a Red Dot Design Award. Readdle’s other apps include Spark Mail, Scanner Pro, and Calendars.

Top Benefits of PDF Expert

Here’s what you actually get when you use PDF Expert:

• Save Money on PDF Editing: PDF Expert costs $79.99 per year. Adobe Acrobat Pro costs way more. You get most of the same features for a fraction of the price.
• Work Across All Your Apple Devices: Edit a PDF on your Mac at work. Annotate it on your iPad on the couch. Sign it on your iPhone in line at the store. One account syncs everything.
• Edit PDFs Like a Word Document: Change text, swap images, and modify links right inside any PDF file. It feels like a real word processor. No clunky workarounds.
• Sign Contracts in Seconds: Capture your signature with your Mac trackpad, iPhone camera, or Apple Pencil on iPad. Sync it across all Apple devices and sign any document fast.
• Turn Scanned Pages Into Editable Text: The optical character recognition (OCR) feature converts scanned documents into text you can search and edit. This is huge for old paperwork.
• Stay Organized With Page Management: Rotate pages, extract pages, merge PDFs, and reorder them by dragging. Managing large documents takes minutes instead of hours.
• Protect Private Files: Set a password on any document. Redact text by hiding it with a black box. Keep your personal and business files safe.

Best PDF Expert Features

Let me show you what PDF Expert’s tools can actually do.

1. Edit PDFs

This is where PDF Expert shines.

You can change any text inside a PDF file. Just click on a word and start typing.

Add images, modify links, and change font styles too.

It matches the original formatting so your edits look natural.

This feature alone replaces the need for expensive PDF editors like Adobe Acrobat.

2. Annotate PDFs

PDF Expert offers a full set of annotation tools.

You can highlight text, underline it, or strike it out.

Add notes in the margins of any page.

Use stamps and shapes to mark up your files fast.

These tools are perfect for reviewing documents with your team.

3. Markup & Notes

Go beyond simple highlights with PDF Expert’s markup features.

Add text comments, audio notes, and custom stickers.

You can customize the arrangement of your most-used PDF tools.

This matches your workflow so you work faster.

Not gonna lie — I use this feature every single day for client review work.

4. Convert PDFs

Need your PDF in a different format?

PDF Expert can convert PDFs into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, plain text, or image files.

It also works the other way around.

The conversion keeps your layout clean. No jumbled text or broken images.

This saves you from using sketchy free online converters. For example, you can turn a PDF report into a Word file in seconds.

5. Sign PDFs

Sign contracts without printing a single page.

Capture your signature using your Mac’s trackpad or keyboard.

On iPad, use your Apple Pencil. On iPhone, use the camera.

Your saved signature syncs across all your Apple devices.

PDF Expert also detects form fields and highlights them for you. Fill out forms in seconds.

6. Comment PDFs

Leave comments on any part of a document.

Your team can see your notes and reply to them.

This is great for reviewing contracts, proposals, and reports.

You can also view documents in a two-page spread. Or use split view to show two files side-by-side on your screen.

7. Add Images

Drop images right into any PDF page.

Resize them, move them around, or replace existing ones.

This is useful for updating logos, adding photos, or fixing old documents.

The drag-and-drop feature makes it simple. No tech skills needed.

8. Manage Pages

Drag pages to reorder them in your PDF.

Extract pages, delete pages, or rotate pages with a few clicks.

You can also add blank pages anywhere in the document.

For large files with hundreds of pages, this is a lifesaver.

Use bookmarks to jump between sections fast.

9. Merge PDFs

Combine multiple PDF files into one document.

Drag and drop the files you want to merge. Done.

You can also compress documents for easier sharing via email.

This is perfect when you need to send one clean file instead of five separate ones.

PDF Expert Pricing

PDF Expert offers three pricing plans. Here’s the breakdown:

Free trial: Yes — 7 days on Mac with no credit card needed.

Student discount: Readdle offers a 50% discount for students and educators.

Mobile version: The mobile version for iPhone and iPad costs $49.99 per year. But the full yearly plan at $79.99 covers all devices.

Monthly option: PDF Expert offers a monthly plan for $12.49 that includes all features.

Is PDF Expert Worth the Price?

At $79.99 per year, PDF Expert is one of the most affordable PDF editors for Apple users.

Adobe Acrobat Pro costs much more. And Readdle’s PDF Expert does 90% of what Acrobat does.

You’ll save money if: You’re an Apple user who edits PDFs regularly and doesn’t need Windows support.

You might overpay if: You only need to read PDFs or make simple changes. The free Preview app on Mac might be enough.

PDF Expert Pros and Cons

✅ What I Liked

❌ What Could Be Better

Is PDF Expert Right for You?

✅ PDF Expert is PERFECT for you if:

• You use a Mac, iPhone, or iPad every day
• You need to edit, annotate, or sign PDF documents regularly
• You want a more affordable option than Adobe Acrobat
• You work with scanned documents and need OCR (optical character recognition)

❌ Skip PDF Expert if:

• You need PDF software that works on Windows or Android
• You require advanced enterprise document management
• You only read PDFs and never edit them (use free Preview instead)

My recommendation:

If you’re an Apple user who handles PDF files daily, PDF Expert is the best value for your money. It’s faster, cheaper, and more intuitive than most PDF editors out there.

PDF Expert vs Alternatives

How does PDF Expert stack up? Here’s the competitive landscape:

Quick picks:

• Best overall for Apple users: PDF Expert — fastest, cleanest Mac-native experience
• Best budget option: PDFelement — solid features at $31.99/year
• Best for beginners: DocHub — free plan with easy cloud access
• Best for Windows users: Foxit — works on every platform including Windows

🎯 PDF Expert Alternatives

Looking for PDF Expert alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🔧 Foxit: Best cross-platform PDF editor with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android support. Great for mixed teams.
• ⚡ pdfFiller: Fast online PDF editor with strong form-filling and e-signature features. No app install needed.
• 🧠 TenorShare: AI-powered PDF tools with text extraction, image translation, and smart editing features.
• 💰 PDFelement: Budget-friendly PDF editor with OCR, form creation, and batch processing at a low price.
• 🏢 Nitro PDF: Built for enterprise teams on Windows with advanced collaboration and conversion tools.
• 👶 DocHub: Free cloud-based PDF editor that’s perfect for beginners. Works right in your browser.
• 🧠 UPDF: Rising AI PDF editor with cross-platform access, mind mapping, and smart summaries.

⚔️ PDF Expert Compared

Here’s how PDF Expert stacks up against each competitor:

• PDF Expert vs Foxit: PDF Expert wins on Mac speed and design. Foxit wins on platform support with Windows and Android.
• PDF Expert vs pdfFiller: PDF Expert is better for desktop editing. pdfFiller is better for quick online form fills.
• PDF Expert vs TenorShare: PDF Expert has stronger editing tools. TenorShare has more AI features for content creation.
• PDF Expert vs PDFelement: PDF Expert has a cleaner interface. PDFelement is cheaper and works on Windows too.
• PDF Expert vs Nitro PDF: PDF Expert is better for Mac users. Nitro PDF is better for Windows enterprise teams.
• PDF Expert vs DocHub: PDF Expert has more features. DocHub is free and works in any browser.
• PDF Expert vs UPDF: PDF Expert has a more polished Apple experience. UPDF has stronger AI tools and works on more platforms.

My Experience with PDF Expert

Here’s what actually happened when I used PDF Expert:

The project: I used PDF Expert to manage contracts, edit client proposals, and annotate research PDFs across my Mac and iPad.

Timeline: 90 consecutive days of daily use.

Results:

What surprised me: How fast PDF Expert opens large files. A 200-page PDF loaded in under 2 seconds on my Mac. The reading mode that adjusts text to fit your screen is something I didn’t know I needed.

What frustrated me: I couldn’t share my PDF Expert setup with a team member on Windows. The app is locked to Apple devices only. That was the one moment I missed Adobe.

Would I use it again? Yes — without question. For any task on my Mac, iPhone, or iPad, PDF Expert is now my default PDF editor.

Final Thoughts

Get PDF Expert if: You’re an Apple user who works with PDF files daily and wants a fast, affordable editor.

Skip PDF Expert if: You need Windows or Android support, or you require enterprise-level PDF tools.

My verdict: After 90 days, PDF Expert earned its spot as my go-to PDF app. It’s faster than Adobe Acrobat on Mac. It costs less. And the sync across Apple devices just works.

For most Apple users, it’s the only PDF editor you’ll ever need.

Rating: 4.6/5

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to the most common questions about PDF Expert:

Is PDF Expert free to use?

PDF Expert is not free. But it does offer a 7-day free trial on Mac. You don’t need a credit card to start the trial. After that, you’ll need to pick a paid plan. The yearly plan costs $79.99 per year.

Is PDF Expert worth buying?

Yes, if you use Apple devices and work with PDF files often. PDF Expert is much cheaper than Adobe Acrobat. It handles editing, annotation, signing, and converting PDFs well. Most users find it’s the best value PDF editor for Mac.

Can you get PDF Expert on Mac?

Yes. PDF Expert is built for Mac. The Mac version is actually the strongest version. You can download it from the Readdle website or the Mac App Store. It also works on iPhone and iPad.

Is PDF Expert safe to use?

Yes. PDF Expert is made by Readdle, a trusted company with over 235 million downloads. It’s been on the App Store since 2008. Apple named it an Editors’ Choice app. Recent stories from users in over 200 countries show how much people rely on it. Your documents stay on your devices and sync through secure channels.

Does PDF Expert work on iPad?

Yes. PDF Expert works great on iPad. You can use Apple Pencil to annotate and sign documents. The app supports split view for showing two PDFs side-by-side. Many architects and students use it on iPad daily.

Is PDF Expert a one-time fee?

PDF Expert has both options. The lifetime plan costs $139.99 as a one time payment. But that lifetime plan only works on Mac. If you want to use it on iPhone and iPad too, you need the yearly subscription at $79.99 per year.