If you need to edit PDF files on your iPhone (or iPad) what is the best option? As always, there are apps for this kind of thing – but which is the best PDF editor app for iPhone?


PDF files are super useful. You can use them to share information, collect data, get contracts signed, and even share and distribute books – the possibilities are endless.

On KYM, we have an downloadable PDF document about 12 Essential iPhone Apps You Need In Your Life . When a user subscribes to our email, they’re sent the guide in PDF form to their email. It has clickable links and looks great. And it is a PDF.

KYM Essential AppsPin
The Essential Apps List PDF Download

This is just one example of what you can do with PDF files. But if your deal with a lot of PDF files with your job, having the ability to quickly edit them is super useful. It means you can do everything on your iPhone, rather than having to switch to your computer.

How To Edit PDF Files on iPhone

The fastest and simplest way to manage all of your PDF files is to use dedicated software. In this respect, PDFelement would be our number one choice right now simply because it has an amazing MacOS application and a free version that you can download and install on iPhone.

You will be able to do basic PDF edits on your iPhone. But if you really want to go to town on a PDF, this is where PDFelement comes into its own – it supports a built-in in editor, PDF creator, PDF converter, a protection layer, and the ability to sign forms and make annotations.

“PDFelement is amazing! It helps me a lot with my paper writing. I use it to convert the PDF journals downloaded from the campus network. Amazingly efficient . “

US-Based Professor

Compared to alternative PDF viewers like Acrobat, you get way more features with PDFelement. And because it runs on both iPhone, iPad, and MacOS, it means all of your PDF files – including your downloads and personal creations – remain synced across all of your devices.

You can try PDFelement for free here. As I said, the software is one of the most detailed and expansive PDF editing tools I have ever used. I found out about it because I grew tired of not being able to sign or edit PDFs. And I have to deal with A LOT of PDFs in my line of work.

I did some Google-Fu and kept seeing PDFelement mentioned, so I decided to check it out, using the free trial. In the end, I found it so useful that I decided to pay for the full version to unlock all of its features.

For my line of work, the software more or less paid for itself within a couple of weeks.

How Much Does PDFelement Cost?

PDFelement is one of Wondershare’s productivity tools. Designed for use by all kinds of users from large businesses to individuals (like myself).

If you’re like me, and you just need the basic plan, you can pick up PDFelement for $179, although this does come with a free trial, so you can test it first to see if it is right for you.

With the bog-standard PDFelement subscription, you get the following abilities:

  • Create PDF Files
  • Export PDFs to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
  • Edit Text and Images in PDF Files
  • Annotate and Comment PDF Files
  • Convert PDF Files
  • Fill out PDF Forms
  • Secure and Sign PDF Files

Which is exactly what I need. I did have a look at the Pro version, but I couldn’t justify the additional cost for what I’d be using the software for.

However, if you’re managing a team of people – say, three or four people – and you want to manage your PDF files in one place, the PDFelement Pro option is definitely the one to go for.

With PDFelement Pro, you get all the features of the standard PDFelement version plus the following extras:

  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
  • Turn Scanned Paper into Editable PDFs
  • Compress and Optimize Documents
  • Create and Edit Form Fields
  • Extract Data from PDF Forms
  • Add Bates Numbering
  • Redact Sensitive Information
  • File Size Optimization
  • Batch Process Documents
  • Archive with PDF/A

What About Free PDF Editor Apps For iPhone?

If you don’t want to splash the cash on a premium PDF editor for iPhone and Mac, you do have some great free options too – although they are pretty limited compared to what you can do with PDFelement.

Best Free PDF Editor For iPhone

However, it is also worth noting that you can get a pretty cool free version of PDFelement for iPhone – you can download it here.

The reason I would recommend PDFelement over the other, free options is because it is a complete solution for editing PDFs on Apple – it will work on your iPhone, your iPad, and your MacBook or iMac.

How To Use PDFelement – Get Your Free Copy Here

And like any good iPhone app, it syncs everything in the cloud, so you can easily switch between devices and pick up where you left off. You do not get this with free apps and it is one of the main reasons why, in certain instances, I do not mind paying for software or apps.

Obviously, whether an app like PDFelement is worth it for you will depend on what you’re looking to do with your PDF files. If you just need basic editing options, a free app like PDF Expert will suffice.

But if you want or need to do more, and you require more advanced features, PDFelement is just about the best option on the market right now for Mac and iPhone users.