PDF apps for Mac and iPhoneHead to head
PDF Expert vs Notability
PDF Expert ranks #1 and Notability ranks #3 in our guide to the best PDF apps for Mac and iPhone. PDF Expert is our pick for most people.
PDF ExpertPick PDF Expert if you fix, sign or redact PDFs for work on a Mac, iPad or iPhone.Free to start#3 in the guide
NotabilityPick Notability if you annotate PDFs by hand with an Apple Pencil, often during lectures you're recording.Free to startWhat decides it
- On price: PDF Expert is free to read, mark up and sign. Premium is $49.99 a year, or $139.99 once on Mac. Notability is free for 5 notes. Paid plans from $11.99 a year, or Classic for $49.99 once.
- Both run on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Notability has the higher App Store rating: 4.8 from 459K ratings, against 4.7 for PDF Expert.
Side by side
Prices are checked every day.
| At a glance | PDF Expert | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to read, mark up and sign. Premium is $49.99 a year, or $139.99 once on Mac | Free for 5 notes. Paid plans from $11.99 a year, or Classic for $49.99 once |
| How you pay | Free, with paid upgrades | Free, with paid upgrades |
| 3 years of use | $139.99 | Depends on the plan |
| Free trial | Free to start | Free to start |
| Runs on | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Where to buy | Developer, App Store | App Store |
| Rating | 4.7 216K ratings | 4.8 459K ratings Higher |
| Features | Free trial | iCloud sync, Family Sharing |
| Made by | Readdle Technologies Limited | Ginger Labs |
| Last updated | 22 Oct 2026 | 26 Oct 2026 |
Who should get which
Get PDF Expert if
You fix, sign or redact PDFs for work often enough that Preview keeps falling short.
Get Notability if
You handwrite notes with an Apple Pencil in lectures or meetings and want the audio tied to them.
Skip PDF Expert if
You open the odd PDF to read or sign it, which Preview and iPhone Markup do free.
Skip Notability if
You mostly type your notes; Apple Notes handles typing, checklists and quick sketches free.
Our verdicts
PDF Expert
Free for reading, highlighting, filling out forms and signing, PDF Expert covers what most people do with PDFs on Mac, iPhone and iPad before asking for money. Editing the actual text and images, redacting, merging, OCR and Word or Excel conversion need Essential at $49.99 a year, or $139.99 once on the Mac alone. If you only read and annotate on a Mac, Skim does that free and open source.
Notability
Record a lecture while you handwrite, and the audio stays synced to the moment you wrote each part of the note. That is why so many students run Notability on an iPad, and it also marks up PDFs and mixes typing with ink on one page. The free plan stops at 5 notes and audio recording starts on the $15.99-a-year Plus plan; the $49.99 Classic purchase is the way to avoid a subscription.
What each one helps you do
PDF Expert
- Fix a typo inside a PDF without the original
- Sign and send a contract from your iPhone
- Merge scanned pages into one file
- Shrink a big PDF so it fits in email
Notability
- Handwrite notes and annotate PDFs on iPad
- Record a lecture synced to your notes
- Search through your own handwriting
- Turn your notes into quizzes and flashcards
Where to get them
PDF Expert
Free to read, mark up and sign. Premium is $49.99 a year, or $139.99 once on Mac
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From the developerEvery paid plan has a 30-day money-back guaranteeFree downloadGet it
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App Store, iPhone and iPadWith in-app purchasesFree downloadApp Store
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Mac App StoreWith in-app purchases$139.99Mac App Store
Notability
Free for 5 notes. Paid plans from $11.99 a year, or Classic for $49.99 once
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App Store, every deviceWith in-app purchasesFree downloadApp Store
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Neither one quite right?
The other picks in our guide to the best PDF apps for Mac and iPhone.
Read the full guideAll PDF Expert alternativesAll Notability alternatives