Compare PDF Expert and Scrive on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Documents & E-signature tools, Freemium vs Custom, quote-based pricing…
At a Glance
PDF Expert
Scrive
Primary category
Documents & E-signature
Documents & E-signature
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Custom, quote-based pricing (contact sales)
Starting price
Free (view/basic annotate); Premium from EUR 5.99/week or EUR 84.99/year; Lifetime EUR 149.99 (Mac only)
Custom pricing; contact sales
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Platforms
iOS, Mac
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Yes
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
eSign API — Custom pricing contact sales, often per-transaction
eSign GO — Custom pricing contact sales
eID Hub and ID Check — Custom pricing contact sales
Pros & Cons
PDF Expert
Pros
Native, well-designed apps for Mac, iPad, and iPhone
One-time Lifetime purchase option (Mac) as an alternative to subscription
AI-powered PDF Copilot assistant built in
Fast performance and Apple Pencil support on iPad
Strong OCR and form-filling tools
Cons
Lifetime license is limited to the Mac version only
Weekly and annual subscription pricing can be costly compared to some competitors
No native Windows or Android app, with a Mac/iOS/iPadOS focus
Some advanced features are gated behind the Premium subscription
Scrive
Pros
Strong European eID and eIDAS compliance focus
Combines e-signature and identity verification in one platform
High transaction scale reported, over 100 million per year
Flexible deployment through portal, API, or managed service
Established company with over a decade in the market
Cons
No public self-serve pricing, requires contacting sales
Primarily optimized for European and Nordic markets
Onboarding and API integration can require technical work
Per-transaction cost model can be harder to predict at scale
Smaller brand recognition outside Europe compared to global competitors
Use Cases
PDF Expert
Mac and iPad document editing for professionals — Professionals use PDF Expert to annotate, edit, and sign contracts and reports natively on Mac and iPad.
Student note-taking and study — Students annotate lecture slides and textbooks with Apple Pencil support on iPad.
Digitizing and organizing scanned paperwork — Users scan paper documents, run OCR to make them searchable, and organize them into folders.
Scrive
Banking and financial services agreements — Banks and fintechs use Scrive to combine e-signature with strong eID identity verification for regulated agreements.
HR and employment contract signing — HR teams and staffing agencies sign employment contracts and onboarding documents digitally with full audit trails.
Real estate and telecom contract workflows — Real estate, telecom, and public sector organizations process high volumes of signed agreements through Scrive's API and forms.