PDF Reader Pro Edition® vs Adobe Scan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Reader Pro Edition®
This powerful application allows users to read, manage, edit, and annotate PDF files on iOS devices. It offers real-time online collaboration, form filling, and advanced annotation tools. Create, organize, and secure your PDF documents with ease.
- Real-time online collaboration and chat
- Fillable PDF forms
- Extensive annotation tools (highlight, notes, signature)
- EasyReview mode for text markup
- Create new PDF files
- Secure Vault folder
- Built-in scanner
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**Winner of the Tabby Awards for best iPad- Productivity/Documents App** PDF Reader Pro Edition is the best app to read, manage and annotate PDF files and it works beautifully on iOS 12. The most powerful PDF reader, carefully designed and optimized specially for the iPhone & iPad. The best mobile PDF reader for your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Part of the @work campaign by Apple. Some of the great features of PDF Reader Pro Edition are: • Real-time online collaboration & chat Now you can collaborate and add annotations with other users on the same file over the internet in real time and you can chat about your progress simultaneously. They will be able to see what changes you are making as you make them all in real time. • PDF forms support Now you can fill out PDF forms directly on your iPad/iPhone. • Full Annotations/highlight support Now you can add notes directly from your iPad anywhere on the document. Highlighter, stamps, sticky notes, text boxes, underlines, strikeout, dynamic stamps (with date & time), freehand drawing, signature, free highlight, lines, arrows, rectangles and ovals, fully compatible with Apple Preview and Adobe Acrobat. • New EasyReview mode With this new amazing feature you are able to mark up PDF documents faster and easier than ever before. Just tap on the part of text where you need to make changes and correct it in the text editor (similar to Word). The text will be marked as removed and the new text will have a different color so you can easily identify it. When you save the PDF file all the modifications will appear as standard annotations (replace text and insert text annotations). • Fresh new user interface specially design to merge beautifully with iOS 12. • Create new PDF files Extract and email pages from a PDF file or create a new document using pages from an existing file. • Share & collaborate Connect with all your colleagues and friend to share and collaborate your PDF files and annotations in real time. • Rotate function You can rotate a single page or the whole document. • Vault folder Securely store your important PDF files. • Bookmarks/Outlines Bookmark pages on your PDF files. Add outlines to create or modify a table of contents for your document directly from your iPad. • Reflow mode • Full Web browser to download PDF files from the web • Scanner Create multipage documents in PDF format. • Document manager Copy, cut, paste and delete your documents. Organize your PDFs into folders. • PDF hyperlinks support Jump back and forth within the document. Jump back button to quickly go back to the page you came from. • Text search Easily find any word on your PDF file. • Save email attachments Open attachments directly from the Mail app, you can also open PDF files from any other application using the Open in function. • Download PDF files from Safari Use the Open in function to download a PDF file from Safari to PDF Reader Pro Edition. • Transfer files You can easily and securely copy your PDF files from your Mac or PC using Airdrop, the USB or WiFi sharing feature. • Print Print your PDF files and annotations directly from the app. • Email your files Email your PDF files directly from the app, you can email the entire document with all annotations or you can also email specific pages from a PDF file. You can also email a flatten copy of a PDF file, this option will compress and flatten your annotations onto the document to prevent them from being modified. • Cloud support Download/upload your PDF files to iCloud, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, SugarSync & OneDrive. • Great for presentations Use Airplay or an HDMI cable to show your documents on an external display while you annotate them in real time. • The only mobile PDF Reader application that supports Vitrium* protected PDF files (Like University of Phoenix ebooks) Join the hundred of thousands users already enjoying all the great features of PDF Reader Pro Edition. More amazing features coming soon!
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.
- High-speed bulk scanning
- Convert paper to PDF/JPEG
- Automatic straightening
- Magic eraser for cleanup
- Extract pages
- Image to text OCR
- Organize into folders
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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
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Adobe Scan at Free against PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s $1.99. Adobe Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (83% vs 54%). PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On device support 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
Adobe Scan is free to download; PDF Reader Pro Edition® costs $1.99 up front. Adobe Scan sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PDF Reader Pro Edition® asks for nothing beyond the download.
Adobe Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Adobe Scan's.
PDF Reader Pro Edition® ships an update every 4 months, Adobe Scan fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Reader Pro Edition® | Adobe Scan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.7K ratings) | 4.9 (1.6M ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.3% of reviews | 82.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | 1.6M — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #124 | #12 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 398 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | iTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC. | Adobe Inc. |
Customer experience
PDF Reader Pro Edition®
Adobe Scan
User reviews
PDF Reader Pro Edition®
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 📁 Good file organization and management
- ✍️ Useful annotation and highlighting tools
- 🔒 Secure document storage
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 📤 Difficulty sharing/exporting annotated files
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface
Adobe Scan
From 1.6M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick scanning
- 👍 Convenient for on-the-go
- 🚀 High-quality scans
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Issues with auto-cropping and alignment
- 🔒 Privacy concerns around cloud storage
- 💰 Expensive premium features
Bugs and requests
PDF Reader Pro Edition®
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes when opening certain PDF files
- Annotations disappear or fail to save
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Slow performance on older iPad models
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for password-protected PDFs
- Improve annotation tools with better undo/redo
- Implement cloud storage integration (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.)
- Add ability to insert, delete, and rearrange PDF pages
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
In-app purchases
PDF Reader Pro Edition®
No in-app purchases
Adobe Scan
- Adobe Scan Premium$3.991 Month
- Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly$4.991 Month
- Adobe PDF Pack$9.991 Month
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- 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
Questions
Is PDF Reader Pro Edition® free?
Is Adobe Scan free?
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Adobe Scan?
Do PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Adobe Scan have ads?
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Adobe Scan?
Which is more popular, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Adobe Scan?
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