# Adobe Scan vs PDF Reader & PDF Editor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Adobe Scan at 83% against PDF Reader & PDF Editor's 51%. Adobe Scan also leads on ratings volume (1.6M vs 777) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). PDF Reader & PDF Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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 Reader & PDF Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Adobe Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 777, 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 51% of PDF Reader & PDF Editor's.

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, PDF Reader & PDF Editor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Scan | PDF Reader & PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-ocr-scanner/id1199564834/reviews)** | [4.7 (777 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-and-pdf-editor/id1627156674/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6M** | 777 |
| Positive reviews | **82.6% of reviews** | 51.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 398 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [ABISHKKING LIMITED.](https://appshunter.io/developer/896501517) |

## 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 Reader & PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-and-pdf-editor/id1627156674)

This app is a comprehensive tool for managing PDF documents. It allows users to quickly view, annotate, edit, and organize PDFs, as well as convert images to PDF. Advanced features like merging, splitting, and password protection are also available.

**Highlights:** Fast PDF viewing, PDF annotation and markup, Add e-signatures, Image to PDF conversion, Merge and split PDFs, File management and sorting, Password protection for files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick PDF editing and responsiveness
- 👍 Image to PDF conversion is useful
- 👍 Handles large files seamlessly
- 👍 Option to sort and lock PDFs
- 👍 Merge, split, and manage files effortlessly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Aggressive premium push with popups
- 👎 Not intuitive outside of basic PDF editing
- 👎 Charges are costly compared to free apps
- 👎 Free trial is misleading, charged immediately
- 👎 Billing errors and unexpected charges

**Reported bugs**

- Popups for premium are hard to close
- Free trial is deceptive, charged immediately
- Merge/split functions stopped working after one use
- App crashes when opening documents
- App crashes after a minute of use

**Requested features**

- Add bookmark functionality
- Add dark mode
- Add ability to view file outlines
- Add ability to add bookmarks
- Add text selection for copying in edit mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Adobe Scan free?

Adobe Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Reader & PDF Editor free?

PDF Reader & PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Adobe Scan or PDF Reader & PDF Editor?

Adobe Scan is rated higher. Adobe Scan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while PDF Reader & PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 777 ratings.

### Do Adobe Scan or PDF Reader & PDF Editor have ads?

Both Adobe Scan and PDF Reader & PDF Editor show ads.

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

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Reader & PDF Editor every 2 months. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader & PDF Editor on September 21, 2026.

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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.*