# Documents (Office Docs) vs Acrobat Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Documents (Office Docs) at none against Acrobat Reader's 18. Documents (Office Docs) also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 49%) and device support (4 vs 2). Acrobat Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Documents (Office Docs) asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Documents (Office Docs) against 4.6 for Acrobat Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 43K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Documents (Office Docs)'s written reviews are positive against 49% of Acrobat Reader's.

Documents (Office Docs) ships an update every 2 months, Acrobat Reader every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Documents (Office Docs) | Acrobat Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (43K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-office-docs/id306273816/reviews) | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 43K | **654K** |
| Positive reviews | **80.8% of reviews** | 49.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#2** |
| Size | 45 MB | 522 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.3 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Savy Soda Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/295726257) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### Documents (Office Docs)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-office-docs/id306273816)

This mobile office suite allows users to edit and manage spreadsheet and rich text files on their iPhone and iPad. It offers online and offline functionality, synchronization with cloud storage services, and compatibility with major office suites.

**Highlights:** Edit spreadsheet and rich text files, Online and offline functionality, Synchronize with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, SkyDrive, File browser for iPhone files, Support for .txt and .csv files, Basic word processing and spreadsheet features

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient document organization
- 📁 Versatile file management
- 💡 Helpful for work and school
- 🔒 Secure document storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🖌️ Inconsistent font/formatting issues
- 💸 Ads and in-app purchases

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to open certain file types
- Syncing issues with external storage
- Inconsistent behavior when closing documents

**Requested features**

- Add undo/redo functionality
- Improve document editing capabilities
- Integrate with more cloud storage services
- Enhance text formatting and highlighting options


### Acrobat Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #15 Top Free · Business, #78 Top Grossing, #200 Top Free (US App Store)

This app is a powerful PDF tool for viewing, editing, annotating, and signing documents. It offers AI-powered features for summarizing and interacting with PDFs, along with robust conversion and security options. Collaborate on files and access your documents from anywhere.

**Highlights:** View, edit, and annotate PDFs, Sign and fill PDF forms, Convert files to and from PDF, AI-powered document summarization, Collaborate in PDF Spaces, Compress and secure PDFs, Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Acrobat Premium - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Adobe Acrobat Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| AI Assistant for Acrobat | $6.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Premium | $7.49 | per 7 days |
| Acrobat Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Premium - Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Pack - Doc Creator | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium - Edit & Create PDF | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Edit and Convert Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Premium - Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Premium - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Reader Plus - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Adobe ExportPDF | $23.99 | per year |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | $24.99 | per month |
| Acrobat Premium - Yearly | $48.99 | per year |
| Acrobat Premium - Yearly | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Secure document storage
- 👍 Convenient for reading and annotating PDFs
- 👍 Useful for students and professionals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🔒 Overly intrusive login requirements
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 👎 Counterintuitive user interface changes
- 🔍 Poor search and organization features

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent behavior when editing PDFs
- Inability to open or save certain file types
- Sync issues between mobile and desktop versions

**Requested features**

- Add erase tool for annotations
- Improve palm rejection for Apple Pencil
- Allow direct text editing in PDFs
- Provide better cloud integration and sync
- Offer more customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Documents (Office Docs) free?

Documents (Office Docs) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Documents (Office Docs) or Acrobat Reader?

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Documents (Office Docs) averages 4.5 out of 5 from 43K ratings, while Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 from 654K ratings.

### Do Documents (Office Docs) or Acrobat Reader have ads?

Documents (Office Docs) shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Documents (Office Docs) or Acrobat Reader?

Documents (Office Docs) ships an update every 2 months, and Acrobat Reader every 9 days. Most recently, Documents (Office Docs) was updated on September 25, 2026 and Acrobat Reader on September 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.*