With so many different iPad models available, some of their best versions can replace a smartphone or even a laptop for some work and needs.
And if you’ve thought that it’s impossible to edit PDF files on an iPad, you were wrong. You only need a PDF editor for iPad that will include all editing tools and features, so you aren’t only stuck with the integrated PDF reader iOS provides.
In this article, you’ll find 15 of the best PDF editors that you can use on any iPad to ensure that the true power of this tablet is achieved.
With so many different PDF editors available on the AppStore, knowing which one will fit your needs can be hard. However, with the help of the reviews below, you’ll know exactly what each PDF editor is capable of so you can make a well-informed decision.
PDFpen is the best PDF editor for iPad since it is a fairly lightweight app, and yet it includes all necessary tools that will help you entirely edit PDFs, sign contracts, make highlights, annotate the files, write over the PDFs freehand, fill out applications, and even create PDFs from scratch.
This PDF editor can also open PDFs directly from third-party apps and platforms such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and other choices.
And since PDFpen is built for iOS, it is good at eliminating digital wrist smudges while you use your Apple Pen to annotate, highlight, and write over the PDF files.
If you own a Mac or MacBook, you’ll also be able to take advantage of PDFpen’s iOS support to send and share files back and forth even when you’re on the go.
Also, when you’re on the go, you won’t even need anything else to read, edit, and sign documents. You can easily edit them on the go and even send them back via email or any other communication channel.
For PDFpen’s latest pricing, visit their official pricing page.
LiquidText changes how you work with PDF files, especially on an iPad, and it can help you work on PDF files on your iPad that will feel better than writing on paper.
With LiquidText, you can create PDF files from scratch or import them from your device, third-party apps such as Google Drive or DropBox, and you can even open PDF files directly from the web.
When it comes down to editing, LiquidText comes with a set of tools that allow you to do anything from adding your notes, freely drawing over the files, creating mind maps, connecting anything with drawing tools, and even comparing two PDFs and reviewing them at the same time.
Since LiquidText includes OCR technology, you also get to search your PDFs with a search bar and find any text, no matter how many pages are in your PDF file.
LiquidText is a free app with in-app purchases and for the download, visit their official AppStore page.
PDF Expert includes all editing tools to ensure that you can efficiently work on PDF files using your iPad, yet it adds a couple of interesting features that can improve how you use your iPad.
Not only do you get to open PDFs from various sources and highlight and annotate these files in your way, but you also get to create notes as you review PDFs.
On top of that, PDF Expert allows you to work in the cloud so all your PDFs are securely stored and can be accessed via other devices, as long as you’re connected to WiFi when you are saving your PDFs on an iPad.
You can even add emotion stickers to PDF files which is a rare feature to find. However, from the most standard features, you’ll probably be happy to see that you can password-protect your PDFs, edit the original text in any PDF, sign documents, and even have constructive tools to create elements within your PDF files.
PDF Expert is a free app with in-app purchases, so visit their official AppStore page for the download.
If you need an effortless way to work on PDF files on the go, Adobe Acrobat Reader is a reliable option that won’t let you down when you need to make quick edits or even print PDF files from your iPad.
What’s most significant about this PDF editor is that it reflows content in every PDF file to fit it to the iPad screen for the most convenient viewing and editing.
A simple and easy-to-use editor includes a set of tools neatly stacked in a top bar which you can use to annotate PDFs, fill and sign forms, edit images, and visually re-construct PDF files.
You can also compress PDFs using this PDF editor for iPad to send it via email easily.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to use with available in-app purchases, so for the download, visit their official AppStore page.
PDFelement is an ideal iPad editor that is all about precision and easy yet advanced PDF editing on the go.
With this lightweight yet advanced PDF editor, you can edit anything you see in your PDF file in detail, including font and image manipulation, creating good-looking annotations that won’t get in the way.
On top of that, with PDFelement, you can sign documents, fill forms, create forms, or even scan documents using your iPad camera to turn them into a PDF file.
Another unique feature is the ability to organize PDF files which is convenient if you’re working with PDFs with lots of pages and yet you have to review all of them.
PDFelement is free with available in-app purchases, so visit their official AppStore page for download.
If you’re looking for a way to go paperless and yet have everything you need in your slim and powerful iPad, iAnnotate is a great PDF editor worth the purchase.
iAnnotate includes over 20 annotation tools, hence the name, allowing people to annotate PDFs with several different pens, highlighters, and lines. What’s even better is that people get the chance to customize their toolbar to feature the most preferred tools first for easier access.
Another great feature is that you can even use iAnnotate to markup web pages as it will automatically turn the web page into a PDF document you get to edit further inside the app.
With plenty of modifications you can make to PDFs, you even get to work on two PDFs simultaneously, reviewing and making necessary changes with ease.
For iAnnotate’s latest pricing, visit the official AppStore page.
Foxit PDF reader provides an efficient way to edit your PDF files and sort them and store them on your iPad.
On top of that, with Foxit, you can go paperless by scanning paper documents with an iPad’s camera to turn them into HD PDF files.
From there, you’ll have an even better reading experience, and most importantly, the ability to edit your PDFs on the go with easy-to-use yet convenient tools.
Foxit includes a great set of tools that can help you sign documents, fill out forms, create forms, annotate pages, reorganize PDF pages, and even insert videos, audios, and image objects into PDFs.
Foxit is free to use with available in-app purchases, so visit their official AppStore page for download.
If you’re looking for a versatile PDF editor that will help you edit PDFs, write them from scratch, read and view, annotate, and even sign documents on the go, just like you can do from your computer, PDF Hero is a good choice.
PDF Hero is a PDF editor that helps you store, organize, view, reorder, edit, annotate, and even share or print your PDFs directly from your iPad.
It comes with a standard set of tools that make editing and annotating easy, but you can also merge PDFs, add new pages to existing files, and transform PDFs to other formats.
PDF Hero also makes it super easy to digitally sign PDFs and even fill out forms even when you’re on the go.
This PDF editor is free to use, but it also includes in-app purchases, so for the download, visit their official AppStore page.
When you need an all-in-one PDF reader, editor, scanner, and even a converter, PDF Box is the most advanced app you can get for your iPad that will help you never miss a feature when working with a PDF file.
PDF Box includes creator features, editing tools, file manager, multiple format and conversion support, cloud support, and even sharing features.
Along with all the standard editing features that allow you to edit, write, and recreate PDFs on your iPad, you can also create drawings, add them to your PDF directly, and even scan and create PDFs from paper to a digital file.
You can even download content from apps such as iTunes, internet browser, or email, among other apps, to include these elements into your PDFs. That’s how advanced PDF Box is.
PDF Box is free to use with available in-app offers, so visit their official AppStore page for the download.
PDF Pro is a great editor that provides a very great user interface that provides a clear view of the PDFs even on the smallest iPad screens, and yet it includes all tools that you will need to efficiently work on your PDFs without using a computer.
Within this editor, you will be able to store all your PDFs for quick access with plenty of import options to choose from, including DropBox, Google Drive, and others.
PDF Pro includes various tools for all kinds of annotations and highlights, yet it incorporates annotation so smoothly that it won’t distract you from your PDFs at any time. Using this editor, you can even input audio annotations, which is even more convenient.
Another super useful feature is the ability to work with two PDFs simultaneously, providing better workflow and productivity, even when using an iPad.
PDF Pro is free to use with available in-app purchases, so visit their official AppStore page for the download.
If you work with almost any type of file you can think of, and PDF is one of them, DEVONthink To Go is a great solution because it supports PDFs and other file formats.
This means that you will be able to organize all documents inside this one app, edit all of the documents using the same set of tools no matter the format, and make changes to all documents you own on your iPad and documents you import from the internet or third-party apps.
The minimalistic interface keeps all tools at reach while providing a great viewing experience on the documents, making sure they fit the iPad’s screen natively for better use.
You can make anything from small edits to larger document redesigns with annotation, highlight, and redesigning tools.
DEVONthink To Go is free to use with available in-app purchases, and you can download the app directly from its official AppStore page.
If you are looking for an advanced and, most importantly, reliable PDF editor that you don’t mind purchasing, PDF Reader Pro is a great choice.
PDF Reader Pro is well designed to work with the iOS system only, so you can use this editor to smoothly edit, create, and change your PDFs as if it was an app integrated with your iPad.
Not only do you get to make quick changes by having all the editing tools right on your iPad, but PDF Reader Pro is mostly known for its real-time collaboration with an included chat that makes a huge difference for people who work with others on the same PDFs.
On top of that, PDF Reader Pro can open any PDF format, and it can even export a PDF into one of many supported formats.
For PDF Reader Pro’s latest price, visit its official AppStore page.
GoodReader is an all-in-one versatile editor made strictly for use with PDF files, making it an ideal choice for everyone who deals with plenty of PDFs daily and needs decent editing capabilities and tools.
This powerful editor can help you easily open any PDF from your iPad or web, manage all your PDFs in one place with the possibility of storing your PDFs in the cloud for extra security, convert your PDFs to any other format, and more.
You can edit all your PDFs directly on an iPad with a set of tools that help you highlight, annotate, freehand write, and even digitally sign documents.
With wisely designed storage, you can keep many PDFs directly within the app in an organized way. You don’t have to worry about security since all your files will be encrypted with AES-256 military-grade encryption.
For GoodReader’s latest pricing, visit its official AppStore page.
GoodNotes is one of the PDF editors and readers available for iPad that tend to utilize the true power of your iPad to go paperless by turning actual papers into PDF files.
The greatest GoodNote feature is the super-efficient and smooth handwriting ability, allowing you to utilize your Apple Pen and iPad to make notes, write anything on PDFs, annotate, and even highlight in seconds.
On top of that, you can always find what you wrote with the integrated search engine that can recognize your handwriting and provide you with options for your searches.
You can also organize all your notes in folders, PDFs in separate folders, and even all elements you import into folders too, all with your hand or pen.
For GoodNotes’ latest pricing, visit their official AppStore page.
If you have a bit of extra space on your iPad and you work with all types of files, WPS Office is a great app to have since it doesn’t only provide a free PDF reader and editor, but it also has integrated apps that allow you to work with other file formats.
This includes Writer, Presentation, Spreadsheet, and PDF editor.
When it comes down to PDFs, you get the chance to convert almost any file format into a PDF, view it, and make necessary changes with powerful tools that will help you make not only small edits but also major PDF reconstructions.
And when you’re done editing, you will always be able to convert PDFs into other formats such as Word or Presentation. However, one of the best features is working with documents in 51 languages.
WPS Office is free with available in-app purchases, so visit the official AppStore page for the download.
The best PDF editor for iPad is the PDFpen which is very versatile yet is packed with a great set of tools that allow you to import PDFs from third-party apps, store them efficiently on your iPad or the iCloud, and even edit them on the spot.
PDFpen is well designed to provide a smooth response, so you can get the most out of your iPad and Apple Pen to handwrite notes, annotations, and highlights on PDFs in a way that’s as easy as working on a paper document.
PDFPen is one of the most reliable PDF editors you can use on your iPad.
Tom ClaytonTom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.
