Comparison

PDF Reader Pro Edition® vs Acrobat Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

**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!

About

Acrobat Reader

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
Read full description

Major new updates: Collaborate and share your files in PDF Spaces, and turn your document summaries into podcast-style audio in Acrobat Studio. The world’s most trusted PDF reader, PDF editor, and PDF maker with more than 635 million installs. View, share, annotate, add comments, and sign documents - all in one app. You can store your files online and read documents anywhere. Get your 7-day free trial and try all the features of Acrobat Reader. Paid features: Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant • Work across multiple files in one place with PDF Spaces. Collaborate, store, and use AI Assistant across files • Use voice or text prompts with AI Assistant chatbot • Ask questions and get cited answers about details in your document, including charts, graphs, and tables with Figures Q&A • Easily share the responses you get • Try voice support to ask queries and have answers read aloud. • Use new Hands-free to keep the conversation flowing with voice only • Instantly generate summaries from your PDFs with Generative AI Summaries • Get content for emails, text, study notes, blogs, and more [Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant is a paid feature*, free for a limited time] Edit PDFs • With our PDF editor, edit text and images directly in your PDF (mobile only) • Fix typos or add paragraphs with the PDF editor • Easily add, delete, or rotate any image • Use this PDF signer and PDF viewer to get your docs just right Recognize text • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) turns scanned PDFs into searchable, editable text to use in other formats Merge & organize PDFs with PDF Converter • Split or combine multiple files into one PDF with PDF converter • Use the PDF editor to insert, delete, rotate, crop & reorder pages in your PDF file Create, convert & export PDFs • Easily convert to PDF from any file type including Microsoft, Google Docs, and images • Export and convert PDFs to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or various image files • Convert web pages to PDFs Compress & highly secure PDFs • Compress PDF files for easy saving and sharing • Password Protect PDF documents Have your PDF read aloud • Listen to your PDFs on the go, great for reading support • Choose free voices or upgrade for high-quality options Subscribe now to access all these features and use Acrobat across mobile and web platforms. Free-to-use features: PDF signer: Fill & Sign Adobe Fill & Sign is free & available in Acrobat Reader. A form filler and PDF signer that lets you fill, sign, and send Liquid mode in the optimal PDF viewer • Get the best PDF reading experience with this PDF viewer • Search, navigate & adjust font size or spacing to fit your screen Annotate PDFs • Add sticky notes, comments, and highlight text Store & manage files • Link online storage accounts like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive • Star files to quickly open important documents Connect the PDF viewer and reader to Google Drive • A PDF creator that lets you edit, compress, and export Google Drive files with a subscription Work with scanned documents • Access scanned PDFs from Adobe Scan in Acrobat to fill, sign, and share The Acrobat Reader mobile app is designed to work with customers who have Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) enabled. *An Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant add-on plan is available to Acrobat Individual customers. iOS 16 or above required. 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

PDF Reader Pro Edition®4 screens
Acrobat Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Acrobat Reader at Free against PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s $1.99. Acrobat Reader also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (654K vs 1.7K). PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 18.3). On rating, review sentiment, ads and 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Acrobat Reader is free to download; PDF Reader Pro Edition® costs $1.99 up front. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PDF Reader Pro Edition® asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Acrobat Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of PDF Reader Pro Edition®'s written reviews are positive against 49% of Acrobat Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader Pro Edition® ships an update every 4 months, Acrobat Reader every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
PDF Reader Pro Edition® versus Acrobat Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Reader Pro Edition®Acrobat Reader
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (1.7K ratings)4.6 (654K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews — better49.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.7K654K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#126#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better18.3
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB522 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC.Adobe Inc.

Customer experience

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

All ratings1,730 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative37.2%

Acrobat Reader

All ratings654,141 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews3,096 reviews
Positive49.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative46.4%

User reviews

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What 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

Acrobat Reader

From 654K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Acrobat Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

Acrobat Reader

Subscriptions16
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Acrobat Premium$4.991 Month
  • AI Assistant for Acrobat$6.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • Acrobat Premium$7.497 Days
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Weekly$9.997 Days
  • PDF Pack - Doc Creator$9.991 Month
  • Premium - Edit & Create PDF$9.991 Month
  • PDF Edit and Convert Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Acrobat Reader Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe ExportPDF$23.991 Year
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro$24.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$48.991 Year
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Reader Pro Edition® free?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Acrobat Reader?
Acrobat Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader Pro Edition® averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 from 654K ratings.
Do PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Acrobat Reader have ads?
Neither PDF Reader Pro Edition® nor Acrobat Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Acrobat Reader?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® ships an update every 4 months, and Acrobat Reader every 9 days. Most recently, PDF Reader Pro Edition® was updated on September 24, 2026 and Acrobat Reader on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, PDF Reader Pro Edition® or Acrobat Reader?
PDF Reader Pro Edition® currently peaks at #126 in the App Store charts, and Acrobat Reader at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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