Readdle PDF Expert review

Looking for something that will make you feel like a PDF expert? Well, there’s software for that!

Readdle PDF Expert Review Hero
(Image: © Readdle)

TechRadar Verdict

Readdle’s PDF Expert is a PDF editor that has lots of useful features for people who use PDF files on a regular basis. It has a very clean UI design and everything is neatly organized so you don’t need a lot of help in understanding how the software works when you use it for the first time. The software is only available on macOS, iPadOS and iOS and makes it really easy to synchronize your documents on all of your Apple devices.

Pros

  • +

    Open large PDF documents without any delay or lag

  • +

    Changes on one Apple device are reflected on all Apple devices

  • +

    Annotate, edit, and organize PDF documents

Cons

  • -

    Only available on Mac, iPhone and iPad

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Having a good PDF editor that does more than just open documents on your phone can make life a whole lot more productive and convenient. You have probably been in a situation where you had to make alterations to a PDF file but couldn’t figure out how. There are various ways to do that, but using good PDF software is perhaps the most professional way to do it.

Readdle’s PDF Expert is a software that lets you do that and so much more - easily one of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives for Mac. If you have been trying to be more productive, then chances are you have heard of Readdle. It has made quite a name for itself in the productivity software market. The software is only available on the iOS and has features like editing, protecting, organizing, and signing PDF documents.

Pricing

Readdle PDF Expert is available with a monthly or annual subscription though there is also a lifetime license option (Image credit: Readdle)

Plans and pricing

PDF Expert offers a 7-day trial period which is easy to set up and does not require you to enter your credit card information. The mobile version is $49.99/year, but if you want the software on all of your iOS devices (Mac, iPad, and iPhone), then the yearly plan costs $79.99 or $6.67/month and allows you to edit and add notes to PDF files, convert PDF into other formats, protect sensitive data, sign PDF documents, and add, delete or extract pages in a PDF. 

There is also a lifetime deal for $139.99, but it only lets you use the software on a Mac. The monthly plan costs $12.49/month and includes all of the features of the yearly plan. The free version on the iPhone is very limited in its features. The most you can do on the mobile app is annotate and draw on PDFs. 

Platforms

Easily work on PDF files across all of your Apple devices (Image credit: Readdle)

Features

PDF Expert is mostly for people who are in business, but the PDF format has become quite ubiquitous now so anyone who uses a lot of PDF files can take advantage of the software. 

Some of its main features include:

  • Having the ability to open large PDF files in the blink of an eye
  • Making annotations that sync with PDF Expert on your other devices
  • Editing text, images, and links in PDF documents
  • Protecting sensitive data by either redacting information you don’t want or securing the document with a password
  • Organizing pages in a PDF document with the help of different tools. You can rearrange, delete, rotate pages, and even merge PDF documents
  • Sign PDF documents with just one click
  • Convert PDF files to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other formats
  • Scan documents and enhance their quality

As you can see, PDF Expert has numerous features that make it perfect for people who frequently use PDF files. For people who work in corporate, it is hands down the most affordable and handy PDF software. 

You can sync everything on the software to your Google Drive so that any changes that you make on a PDF file are saved everywhere on the cloud. The software also updates the changes across all of your iOS devices which means you can use your iPad to annotate or draw on PDF documents and the changes will instantly appear on your Mac.

Guide

A quick start guide in PDF format shows you how to use Readdle PDF Expert (Image credit: Readdle)

Interface and in use 

When you download PDF Expert and open it, the first thing you see is a document that guides you on how to use the software. This document makes it easy for anyone to understand how the software works. It has a very simple UI with four buttons in the menu bar that you can click on to annotate, edit, scan, or export files. 

Drag and Drop

Simply drag and drop PDF files to begin editing them (Image credit: Readdle)

To import files, you can simply open a new tab and drag and drop files. Even if you have never used a PDF editing software, you can still easily get the hang of PDF Expert in a matter of minutes. You can also view documents in a two-page spread like a book and view another document side-by-side using the split view feature. 

Support

Readdle's knowledge base contains plenty of guides and tutorials in case you run into problems using PDF Expert (Image credit: Readdle)

Support

On Readdle’s website, you’ll find FAQ pages for all the different applications it has. The FAQ pages also have articles that explain how to use the applications, but if you are unable to find a solution to your problem in the articles or the FAQ section, then you can contact Readdle by entering your email and writing to them about your problem. 

The competition

PDF Expert’s biggest competitor is, you guessed it, Adobe Acrobat. It is very well known that Adobe Acrobat is considered the best PDF software out there, but in many ways PDF Expert is just better. It is simpler to use, its interface is more intuitive, and it opens documents much faster than Adobe Acrobat. 

Another big difference is that Adobe Acrobat is more expensive than PDF Expert. Its monthly plan is priced at $24.99 while PDF Expert’s is $12.49, making the latter a lot more affordable. For iOS users, it is probably a better idea to use PDF Expert. However, many businesses don’t get to decide what device their employees will use so from a business perspective, using Adobe Acrobat probably makes more sense. 

Final verdict

Readdle’s PDF Expert is a PDF software that provides you a wide range of tools for editing, organizing, securing, annotating, and converting PDF documents. It is an iOS-only software which works exceptionally well on the Apple ecosystem, giving you the ability to synchronize your documents and all the changes you make on them across all of your iOS devices.

The software makes it very easy for you to navigate through documents and you can open large PDF files in a matter of seconds. That is not something you can do with other PDF editors so if you have been looking for a new PDF software for your company or for your personal use, maybe you should give PDF Expert a shot!

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Stefan Ionescu

Stefan has always been a lover of tech. He graduated with an MSc in geological engineering but soon discovered he had a knack for writing instead. So he decided to combine his newfound and life-long passions to become a technology writer. As a freelance content writer, Stefan can break down complex technological topics, making them easily digestible for the lay audience.