# PrintDirect for iPhone vs Acrobat Reader

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PrintDirect for iPhone | Acrobat Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (100 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/printdirect-for-iphone/id425652042/reviews) | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 100 | **654K** |
| Positive reviews | **73.7% of reviews** | 49.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#2** |
| Size | 41 MB | 522 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.3 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [EuroSmartz Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/299105918) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### PrintDirect for iPhone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/printdirect-for-iphone/id425652042)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Document Viewing & Printing App Upgrade | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #14 Top Free · Business, #76 Top Grossing, #208 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 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*