# Adobe Scan vs PDF Editor ®

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Adobe Scan at 83% against PDF Editor ®'s 25%. Adobe Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (1.6M vs 28K). PDF Editor ®'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Adobe Scan sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Editor ® sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 28K, 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 25% of PDF Editor ®'s.

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, PDF Editor ® every 9 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Scan | PDF Editor ® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-ocr-scanner/id1199564834/reviews)** | [4.5 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor/id1532638515/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6M** | 28K |
| Positive reviews | **82.6% of reviews** | 25.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | #46 |
| Size | 398 MB | 280 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [SMM service, s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503472689) |

## What reviewers say

### Adobe Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-ocr-scanner/id1199564834)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Business, #33 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Scan premium - monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick scanning
- 👍 Convenient for on-the-go
- 🚀 High-quality scans

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Issues with auto-cropping and alignment
- 🔒 Privacy concerns around cloud storage
- 💰 Expensive premium features

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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 ®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor/id1532638515)

**Currently charting:** #46 Top Grossing · Business, #157 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

Edit, sign, and convert PDF documents directly from your mobile device. Scan physical papers into editable PDFs, annotate text, and fill out forms on the go. All your documents are stored locally for privacy and can be easily shared.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF files, Sign documents, Convert scanned papers to PDF, Annotate PDFs, Fill out PDF forms, Local document storage, Share documents

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Week Plan - 7 Days | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Week Plan | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Week Starter | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Week Plan - 2 | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Month Promo | $7.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Plan | $12.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Special | $12.99 | per month |
| 1 Year Plan - 7 Days | $49.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Plan | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly
- 💡 Useful for editing PDFs on the go
- 🚀 Easy to navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy
- 🔍 Limited functionality in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save edited documents
- Corrupted PDF files after editing
- Unexpected charges during free trial

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text within PDFs
- Option to save edited files to cloud storage
- Improved organization and folder management


## Frequently asked 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 28K ratings.

### Do Adobe Scan or PDF Editor ® have ads?

Adobe Scan shows ads; PDF Editor ® does not.

### Which is updated more often, Adobe Scan or PDF Editor ®?

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Editor ® every 9 days. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Editor ® on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Adobe Scan or PDF Editor ®?

Adobe Scan currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and PDF Editor ® at #46. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*