Readdle Launches PDF Expert 6 With New Editing Features, Revamped Design

What's the point of the free upgrade if I still have to pay $9.99 for the new features?

You don't 'have to pay' - only if you want the new PDF editing features. These features were not part of the app when you purchased it, and there was no promise that such features would be made available for free when you purchased.

You're still getting quite a few other things: new design, work in the cloud, password protection, enhanced search, edit outlines and the usual bug fixes for your free upgrade.

I mean, I already paid for the app (both Mac and iOS).

And nothing has changed. You still have the app you paid for with the features you agreed to get at the price you paid when you bought it.

It's not like these features are really new.

They're new to the iOS version of this app. Other apps may have had such features already, and if you needed those features when you bought the app, you should've purchased one of those alternatives instead.

You willingly purchased the app without these additional features, so you must've been happy to pay the price at the time. What's changed?

I don't like the idea of a new IAP on an app I've already paid for, but the truth is, if we want pro-level apps like this to be continually updated and improved, we need to pony up some money from time to time, and this is way better than the monthly subscription model.

So the update is free, but the new functions will still cost me $9.99 for PDF-editing, right? Just for clarification.

Yes, the update is free, but editing a pdf (text, images, or redacting content) will cost extra.

Amazing update to a great app.

I paid the 10 bucks. Well worth it, plus if we don't pay for great software, there won't be any. It really is that simple.

Hello world! I'd like to give some clarification on the new PDF Expert 6.

- The new is free for all existing PDF Expert iOS users.
- The in-app purchase enables you to edit existing text in the PDF document, also edit it's size and font.
- It is a one-time purchase of Text Editing feature, for 9.99$, which is a more user-friendly price comparing to apps allowing to do way more than other apps for 'from $180/year' subscription.
- Before, there never was a feature of editing existing PDF text on PDF Expert in iOS, and Readdle team worked over the last 6 month developing this.

The integrity of the PDF document is destroyed by the ability of readers to edit them. In the legal, academic, and research profession this is an important issue.

- There are many cases when user needs to edit PDF text, for example to correct the presentation, invoice, update CV and other files, so it makes perfect sense to have this ability

But I would prefer giving customers a heads up. Let customers know beforehand that there's an update in the future and I think it will come off better...IMO. Heck, send a press release... Readdle is a well-known company in the Apple community. So, let us know what the plan is going forward with PDF Expert and customers will be better prepared to deal with it..

- Readdle described the situation around in-app purchase and what feature it brings in their blog here: https://blog.readdle.com/meet-the-new-pdfexpert-6-4fb743aba9c3, press releases are meant to be for press, and blogs & twitter for people. It was described on Readdle's Twitter too: https://twitter.com/Readdle/status/862327377128456198

It's not like these features are really new. I could've been charged more from the beginning just to ensure that I continue to get these refinements in the future.
I need to think this over because I really don't want to shed ten dollars to 'un-gimp' this app.

- Readdle team spent around 6 months developing this feature, so it is quite new :)

I agree to a point. You're absolutely right that this is better than the monthly subscription model and that software development costs money. But in-app purchase requirements seem less than fully transparent (i.e., it can be difficult to suss out what one truly needs to pay for at the time of purchase)

The problem is that Apple still hasn't come up with any good way for developers to offer paid upgrades. There has to be some way for developers to fund the development of new features, and right now the only options are to release a separate app (which existing owners would have to purchase at full price) or use an in-app purchase.

As a general rule, I think all "normal" functionality should be priced into the initial download, and that price also should include at least a few years of the developer's planned upgrades.

Outside of Apple's app stores, no major software product provides major upgrades of the functionality like this one for free. The in-place editing of PDFs is really impressive, beating even much more expensive products such as Acrobat. They recently added it to the Mac version of PDF Expert as well.