Comparison

Adobe Scan vs PDF Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Adobe Scan

Transform your mobile device into a powerful document scanner. Easily convert paper documents, receipts, and IDs into professional-looking PDFs or JPEGs. Enhance scans with automatic straightening, stain removal, and editable text conversion.

Highlights
  • High-speed bulk scanning
  • Convert paper to PDF/JPEG
  • Automatic straightening
  • Magic eraser for cleanup
  • Extract pages
  • Image to text OCR
  • Organize into folders
Read full description

Adobe Scan is free to download and turns your mobile device into a powerful PDF and document scanner that helps you create, save, and organize your paper documents as digital files. 6 WAYS TO USE ADOBE SCAN 1) Save time with a fast document scanner: Use High-speed scan to bulk scan documents and turn stacks into PDFs in seconds. 2) Clean up scans with Magic eraser: Auto-detect and remove thumbs, shadows, stains and creases so your document scans look clear and professional. 3) Make a PDF with your phone: Convert paper documents or printed images into PDFs or JPEGs with the mobile PDF and photo scanner. 4) Use the Extract pages tool to choose the pages you need from any multi-page scan and save them as a new PDF. 5) Turn images to text: Use the image-to-text feature to make words in your scans searchable and editable with OCR. 6) Scan anything: Receipts, IDs, notes, recipes, photos, business cards, whiteboards – scan documents into PDF or JPEG files you can work with on your phone, tablet, or computer. CAPTURE WITH PRECISION • The Straighten tool fixes pages that come out curved or tilted while you scan, even if all four corners aren’t visible in the scan. • Advanced scanning technology detects borders, sharpens content, and makes your scans editable and searchable. ENHANCE YOUR SCANS • Edit in text lets you scan words, and handwritten text, to make it editable. • The Modify tool helps you crop, rotate, resize, and adjust colors in your scans. • Reorder pages and preview before saving. • Adjust the brightness and contrast of your scans in just a few taps. ORGANIZE YOUR DOCUMENTS • Scan paperwork and create custom folders for work documents, personal files, school forms, or ID scans. • Contact details are pulled straight from business cards so you can save them to your phone contacts in seconds. • Scans are automatically saved to Adobe Document Cloud for instant access and sharing. • Set a password to keep that important scan secure while you send it. SMART LIBRARY • This powerful doc scanner finds documents and receipts in your photo library and turns them into PDFs. • Touch up scans or photos directly from your camera roll. REUSE & SHARE • Open PDFs directly in Adobe Scan, without leaving the app. Then use tools like Modify, Edit, and Share. • Make high-quality PDFs that unlock text from images – from scanned contracts to study notes – so you can copy, edit, and reuse. • Export your scans to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for new formats, then share. DO MORE WITH ACROBAT READER • Open your PDF scan in Acrobat Reader to comment, highlight, fill forms, and sign documents. • Access and share securely across Scan, Reader, and Acrobat on web and mobile. IN-APP PURCHASE • Subscribe for even more scanning power. Subscriptions work across Scan and Reader mobile apps and Acrobat on the web. • Combine scans into one file so you can take multiple scans and consolidate into one document. • Increase OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages so that you can find text in multiple images. Download this free mobile scanner to convert important photos and documents into PDF and JPEG files to help you stay organized. Adobe Scan is the PDF converter trusted by millions worldwide. Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do not sell or share my personal information www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

PDF Editor

Edit, scan, and manage all your PDF files with this comprehensive tool. Easily add text, highlight, sign documents, convert formats, and organize pages. Optimized for mobile devices, it streamlines everyday PDF tasks for work, study, and personal use.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF content
  • Sign documents
  • Scan to PDF
  • Convert PDF formats
  • Split and merge PDFs
  • Compress PDF size
  • Crop and adjust pages
Features
Read full description

PDF Editor – All-in-One PDF Tool Edit, scan, and manage your PDF files in one simple app. PDF Editor helps you handle all your everyday PDF tasks — fast, clean, and easy. KEY FEATURES ● Edit PDF: edit content, add text, highlight, and markup ● Sign PDF: sign documents quickly and professionally ● Scan to PDF: scan documents using your camera in high quality ● Convert PDF: PDF ↔ Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Image ● Split & Merge: split or merge PDF files easily ● Compress PDF: reduce file size without losing quality ● Crop & Adjust: precisely crop and adjust PDF pages ● Favorite Tools: pin your most-used tools for faster access WHY YOU’LL LOVE PDF EDITOR ● Clean and intuitive interface ● Fast and effortless workflows ● Perfect for work, study, and daily paperwork ● Optimized for iPhone & iPad Download PDF Editor today and manage all your PDF files in just a few taps. ------------------------------------------------ Terms of Service: https://maplelabs.co/policies/#tos Privacy: https://maplelabs.co/policies/ If you have any feedback, do not hesitate to contact us at support@maplelabs.co

Screenshots

Adobe Scan4 screens
PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Adobe Scan at 83% against PDF Editor's 20%. Adobe Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (1.6M vs 461). PDF Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Adobe Scan sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Editor sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Adobe Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 461, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Adobe Scan's written reviews are positive against 20% of PDF Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, PDF Editor monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Adobe Scan versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdobe ScanPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.6M ratings) — better4.5 (461 ratings)
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6M — better461
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#12 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size398 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.Maple Labs Co., Ltd

Customer experience

Adobe Scan

All ratings1,586,882 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews3,821 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative14.4%

PDF Editor

All ratings461 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

Bugs and requests

Adobe Scan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scans not saving properly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • Problems with multi-page document scanning

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to save scans locally without cloud sync
  • Improve edge detection and auto-cropping accuracy
  • Implement multi-language OCR support
  • Allow manual control over scan settings and adjustments

PDF Editor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Adobe Scan

Subscriptions12
  • Adobe Scan Premium$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Adobe PDF Pack$9.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Premium$9.991 Month
  • Scan premium - monthly$14.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium1 Year trial$69.991 Year
  • Adobe PDF Pack$89.991 Year
7 purchases

PDF Editor

Subscriptions6
  • Premium3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium$4.997 Days
  • Premium$5.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • Premium$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Scanner Pro App$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium$29.99

Questions

Is Adobe Scan free?
Adobe Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Adobe Scan or PDF Editor?
Adobe Scan is rated higher. Adobe Scan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.5 from 461 ratings.
Do Adobe Scan or PDF Editor have ads?
Both Adobe Scan and PDF Editor show ads.
Which is updated more often, Adobe Scan or PDF Editor?
Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Editor monthly. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 4, 2026.

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