# Adobe Scan vs Sign PDF Documents

The clearest difference is ads: Sign PDF Documents at none against Adobe Scan's shown. Adobe Scan's advantage is ratings volume (1.6M vs 55) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Adobe Scan sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Sign PDF Documents sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Adobe Scan against 4.9 for Sign PDF Documents. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, Sign PDF Documents every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Scan | Sign PDF Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-doc-scanner/id1199564834/reviews)** | [4.9 (55 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sign-pdf-documents-esign-app/id1661630551/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6M** | 55 |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 400 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [NextPixel apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584487280) |

## What reviewers say

### Adobe Scan

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

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Business, #37 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 (13)**

| 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 | $59.99 | 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


### Sign PDF Documents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sign-pdf-documents-esign-app/id1661630551)

Easily sign documents like PDFs and other files directly from your device. Scan, capture, or create custom signatures to apply to your files. Manage and share all your signed documents with this offline app.

**Highlights:** Sign documents from files, Sign documents from iCloud, Sign documents from photos, Scan and sign documents, Create and capture signatures, Edit PDFs with signatures, Share signed documents, Manage signed documents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Signature weekly plan | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Sign PDF Documents with Esign | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Sign PDF Documents with Esign | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| E-signature documents & PDF | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Document sign now - Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| PDF Signature - eSign App | $9.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Adobe Scan free?

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

### Is Sign PDF Documents free?

Sign PDF Documents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Adobe Scan or Sign PDF Documents?

Adobe Scan is rated higher. Adobe Scan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while Sign PDF Documents averages 4.9 from 55 ratings.

### Do Adobe Scan or Sign PDF Documents have ads?

Adobe Scan shows ads; Sign PDF Documents does not.

### Which is updated more often, Adobe Scan or Sign PDF Documents?

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and Sign PDF Documents every 3 weeks. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sign PDF Documents on October 24, 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.*