# PDF Reader Pro Edition® vs Acrobat Reader

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader Pro Edition® | Acrobat Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-edition/id364502063/reviews) | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | **654K** |
| Positive reviews | **54.3% of reviews** | 49.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | #126 | **#2** |
| Size | 66 MB | 522 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.3 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/298779208) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader Pro Edition®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-edition/id364502063)

**Currently charting:** #126 Top Paid · Business (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 📁 Good file organization and management
- ✍️ Useful annotation and highlighting tools
- 🔒 Secure document storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 📤 Difficulty sharing/exporting annotated files
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #14 Top Free · Business, #83 Top Grossing (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 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*