Comparison

PrintDirect for iPhone 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

PrintDirect for iPhone

Print documents, emails, web pages, and more directly from your iPad to virtually any printer. Offers advanced file management, cloud service integration, and email capabilities. Upgrade to unlock all features.

Highlights
  • Print to all printers (WiFi, USB, Bluetooth)
  • Print emails, attachments, web pages, documents
  • Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive)
  • File management and conversion to PDF
  • Full-featured email client
  • Calendar view and printing
Features
Read full description

Set up your printer to print from your iPad. PrintDirect will print to ALL printers. Print directly to most WiFi/Wireless printers without additional software. Print to ALL printers and any document type via your Mac/PC, over a local network or mobile data. You can print.. √ Emails √ Attachments √ Web pages √ Documents √ Contacts √ Calendars √ Cloud server files and much more. Our support team are ready to help around the clock if needed. Prove that you can print to any printer for free. Upgrade to unlock all of the features below... FULLY FUNCTIONAL PRINTING • Print to ALL printers (Network/WiFi/USB/Bluetooth) via your Mac or PC or direct to most WiFi printers without additional software. Also print to Apple AirPrint printers. • Print from Pages, Numbers, Keynote or Safari extremely quickly & easily without the need for an AirPrint printer using Open in • USB & Bluetooth printers can be used with free print server software (Windows & Mac) • Print from other Apps using "Open in" • Print remotely via Mobile Data • Print using ALL the same document formats to ALL printers used by your Mac/PC DOCUMENTS ON YOUR IPAD • Print/Store PDFs, documents, attachments, emails & images • Convert files/docs/web pages to PDF • View/Print, iWork, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, MS Office files • Zip/Unzip files • File sharing with several Macs and PCs, even remotely WEB PAGE PRINTING • Browse and print web pages to ALL printers • Save web pages as an image for attaching to email • Convert web pages to PDF documents for sharing • Import bookmarks from your computer • Store passwords and clear history/cache • Multiple tabs for splitting up browsing CLOUD SERVICES (IDISK, WEBDAV, DROPBOX, BOX.NET, SUGARSYNC, SHAREFILE, GOOGLE DRIVE etc.) • Move/Print documents on your iPad from your Cloud account • Move files to/from your iPad by connecting to Cloud account • Full sync with Evernote FULL FEATURED EMAIL APP • Email files, photos, web pages & formatted text • Full email field search - even across multiple email accounts • Print email • Send and Receive emails from your own email accounts • View multiple email accounts in single inbox or on their own • Supports most email account types, including Exchange 2007 OWA, & some Exchange 2003 servers CALENDAR VIEW/PRINT • Print/View Day/Week/Month calendar as well as reminders, shopping lists & to do lists. • Email your calendar as PDF • Utilizes existing calendar entries, no new calendar needed • Integrated with Exchange & Other Calendars FILE MANAGEMENT • Transfer docs and files via iTunes using USB cable (Apps Tab) • Open documents stored in PrintDirect directly into iWork for easy editing • Mount your iPad as a network disk on your Mac/PC COPY, TRANSFER & ARCHIVE • Copy and transfer to another user's iPad Touch using Bluetooth or WiFi (both devices require PrintDirect) • Copy and transfer to your PC or Mac via WiFi • Select multiple text and image clips to merge and paste them into other Apps. AND MORE.... • Print SMS/Text messages, simply Copy, open PrintDirect & print • Move photos to a folder on your computer/cloud service • Print address/shipping labels QUICK HELP - if you need it

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

PrintDirect for iPhone4 screens
Acrobat Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Acrobat Reader at every 9 days against PrintDirect for iPhone's every 5 months. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 100) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). PrintDirect for iPhone's advantage is review sentiment (74% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. PrintDirect for iPhone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PrintDirect for iPhone against 4.6 for Acrobat Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 100, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of PrintDirect for iPhone's written reviews are positive against 49% of Acrobat Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PrintDirect for iPhone ships an update every 5 months, Acrobat Reader every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PrintDirect for iPhone versus Acrobat Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrintDirect for iPhoneAcrobat Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (100 ratings)4.6 (654K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better49.1% of reviews
Number of ratings100654K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
Best chart rank—#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.3
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB522 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperEuroSmartz LtdAdobe Inc.

Customer experience

PrintDirect for iPhone

All ratings100 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews232 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative25.0%

Acrobat Reader

All ratings654,141 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews3,152 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative46.5%

User reviews

PrintDirect for iPhone

From 100 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient printing from iPhone/iPad
  • ⭐ Works great with various printers
  • 🔥 Awesome app, love it!
  • 💯 Excellent, no issues

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Printing quality issues
  • 🤔 Complicated setup process
  • 💰 Expensive upgrade required
  • 🚫 Doesn't work with certain printers
  • 🤯 App freezes/crashes

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

PrintDirect for iPhone

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Printing only test pages, not actual documents
  • Inconsistent performance across different printers
  • Unable to complete setup/configuration

Requested features

4 requests
  • Print directly from native apps (Safari, Mail, etc.)
  • Improved compatibility with older devices
  • Add support for more printer models
  • Introduce a free version with more functionality

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

1 purchases

PrintDirect for iPhone

One-time1
  • Full Document Viewing & Printing App Upgrade$4.99
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 PrintDirect for iPhone free?
PrintDirect for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PrintDirect for iPhone or Acrobat Reader?
Acrobat Reader is rated higher. PrintDirect for iPhone averages 4.5 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 from 654K ratings.
Do PrintDirect for iPhone or Acrobat Reader have ads?
Neither PrintDirect for iPhone nor Acrobat Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PrintDirect for iPhone or Acrobat Reader?
PrintDirect for iPhone ships an update every 5 months, and Acrobat Reader every 9 days. Most recently, PrintDirect for iPhone was updated on August 26, 2026 and Acrobat Reader on September 25, 2026.

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