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20+ Best PDF Markup & Annotation Maker Alternatives for iPhone (2026)

PDF Markup & Annotation Maker is C tier, #23 of the 26 tiered apps in PDF annotation. Here is everything that competes with it on iPhone, in tier order.

All 25 alternatives, in tier order

1. 1
   PDF Expert: Editor & ReaderShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 816,976 ratings · score 98

   PDF reader and editor for reading, annotating, filling, signing, converting, merging, splitting and compressing PDF.
2. 2
   Notability: AI Notes & PDFShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 1,834,102 ratings · score 97

   Note-taking app for handwriting, typing, annotating documents, and recording audio, with optional AI study and meeting…
3. 3
   Noteful: Notes & PDF MarkupShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 175,401 ratings · score 97

   Note-taking app for iPad with Apple Pencil handwriting, PDF and Office import, annotation layers, and tag-based.
4. 4
   CollaNote: Notes & PDF MarkupShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 122,585 ratings · score 96

   Note-taking app with PDF, PPT, DOC and image markup, planners, flashcards and handwriting tools for Apple Pencil.
5. 5
   PDF Pro - Reader Editor FormsShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 122,019 ratings · score 95

   Reads, edits, annotates and fills PDF documents on iPhone and iPad, with full-text search across a PDF library.
6. 6
   Penbook: Paper Planner & NotesShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 79,548 ratings · score 95

   Note-taking app for writing with Apple Pencil on 400+ digital stationery templates, planners, and imported PDFs.
7. 7
   Kilonotes-Notes & Mark up PDFAhigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 204,527 ratings · score 95

   Handwritten notes and PDF markup app with notebooks, cards, OCR, reading tools and an AI assistant.
8. 8
   GoodReader PDF Editor & ViewerAhigher tier

   $6.99 + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 57,679 ratings · score 94

   A document reader and file manager with PDF annotation and text editing.
9. 9
   PDF Gear - PDF Editor & ReaderAhigher tier

   Free download · ★ 4.7 · 44,989 ratings · score 93

   Free iOS app for viewing, printing, annotating, editing pages, filling forms and signing PDF files.
10. 10
    Drawboard PDF Annotate, MarkupAhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 7,972 ratings · score 93

    PDF annotation app for marking up, drawing, adding text and images, and converting JPG and PNG files to PDF.
11. 11
    iAnnotate 4 - PDFs & moreAhigher tier

    $9.99 · ★ 4.7 · 18,447 ratings · score 91

    Reads, annotates, and shares PDFs, Office files, images and web pages on iPhone and iPad.
12. 12
    Noteshelf: AI Notes & PDFAhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 24,415 ratings · score 90

    Note-taking app for iPad, iPhone and Mac with handwriting, PDF annotation, audio recording, planner templates and AI.
13. 13
    QuickNotes X: Notes, AI & PDFBhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.3 · 8,709 ratings · score 89

    Handwriting note-taking app with ink pen tools, PDF and slide annotation, locked notebooks and iCloud sync.
14. 14
    Element NoteBhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 11,750 ratings · score 87

    Handwriting note-taking and PDF annotation app with pen and brush tools, on-device search, and iCloud sync.
15. 15
    Notes Writer: PDF, Quiz, DocsBhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 58,569 ratings · score 84

    Handwriting, PDF, voice, document and AI note-taking app for iPad and iPhone, with flashcards, quizzes and meeting.
16. 16
    Highlights: PDF Reader & NotesBhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 6,489 ratings · score 83

    A PDF reader for reading, highlighting, annotating and exporting notes from research documents and books.
17. 17
    Prodrafts - Infinite NotesBhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 575,702 ratings · score 82

    Handwritten notes, PDF annotation, an infinite canvas, paged notebooks and mind maps in one productivity app.
18. 18
    PDF Converter - PDF Editor・Bhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.4 · 87,038 ratings · score 81

    Free PDF toolkit for merging, splitting, compressing, converting, editing, annotating and reading PDF files.
19. 19
    PDF Reader Pro Edition®Bhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.3 · 3,185 ratings · score 78

    PDF reader and editor for iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo with AI chat, summaries, translation, editing and conversion.
20. 20
    Nautilus: Web, Word, AnnotateC

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 12,949 ratings · score 77

    Research web browser with PDF annotation, Word and Markdown writing, AI help and cloud sync on iPad and iPhone.
21. 21
    PDF Max Pro - Edit, Sign PDFsC

    $9.99 + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 5,798 ratings · score 74

    PDF editor for iPhone, iPad, and Mac for editing, annotating, signing, scanning, OCR, and studying PDFs.
22. 22
    Add Text to PDF - Fill FormsC

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.9 · 27 ratings · score 71

    Adds typed text, captions and a digital signature to PDF documents and photos, with files saved automatically.
23. 24
    Scriptation: Annotate ScriptsC

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 7,934 ratings · score 69

    Script annotation app for notes, breakdowns, lining, and listening to or rehearsing scripts, with markups carried.
24. 25
    PDF Reader - PDFelementC

    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 25,180 ratings · score 64

    Free iOS PDF reader with Liquid Mode reading, annotation tools, file management, signatures and cloud upload or…
25. 26
    PreviewF

    Free download · ★ 1.7 · 8,475 ratings · score 48

    Free Productivity app for viewing, scanning, editing, annotating and exporting PDFs and images.

Questions people ask

What is the best alternative to PDF Markup & Annotation Maker on iPhone?

PDF Expert: Editor & Reader, S tier, #1 in PDF annotation.

Is there a free alternative to PDF Markup & Annotation Maker?

Yes: PDF Expert: Editor & Reader (S tier, #1) is free to download, with in-app purchases.

Does anything rank above PDF Markup & Annotation Maker?

Yes. 22 apps rank above it in PDF annotation: PDF Expert: Editor & Reader (#1), Notability: AI Notes & PDF (#2), Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup (#3) and more.

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