Comparison

Acrobat Reader vs Scan Hero

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

Head to head
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

About

Scan Hero

Scan documents, photos, and text on the go and manage your paperwork digitally. Edit, sign, and share your scans as PDFs or images. Offers OCR, HD quality, and secure file protection.

Highlights
  • Scan documents to PDF or image
  • Multiple camera modes for specific documents
  • Edit scans: re-crop, perspective, filters
  • Organize and reorder pages
  • OCR text extraction
  • Digital signatures
  • Secure files with Face ID/passcode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Looking for a mobile assistant? Try the Scan Hero app to corral your paperwork and scan documents on the go! Scan Hero helps you run your business in the ever-changing digital world. Scan documents to PDF, then sign, edit, and share them – no heavy equipment needed! Manage paperwork hassle-free from anywhere – the office, remotely, or from home. Stay one step ahead when it comes to document management. Loved by more than 29 million users. SCAN DOCUMENTS - Scan any document automatically or manually and save it as a PDF file or image. - Try various Camera Modes to scan specific types of documents. - Adjust the quality and file size of your scans: choose low, medium, or high quality. - Import documents right from Photos for further editing and sharing. TRY CAMERA MODES - Single Mode captures a single page. - Multi Mode scans two pages at once. - Passport & ID Card Modes digitize your ID-documents. - Book Mode scans a two-page spread of a book. - QR Mode reads QR codes with your device’s Camera. MAKE EDITS - Re-crop scans, change page perspective and borders, apply filters, adjust contrast, and correct or change the orientation. - Organize and reorder pages in multipage documents. MANAGE SCANS - Print scanned documents and clipboard text wirelessly. - Share scans separately or send a number of files in one PDF file via Mail or iMessage. - Save all your scans to Photos or iCloud and synchronize them between all of your iOS devices. - Protect your files with Face ID or passcode. LEVEL UP WITH PREMIUM FEATURES - Recognize and extract text from your scans with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. Available for texts in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Norwegian, Japanese, and Portuguese. - Fine-tune scans by selecting HD quality while scanning. - Sign scans right on the screen of your device. Create and save one or more signatures, and add them to scans whenever you need. - Highlight the key points of your scans. - Secure private information in scanned documents using the Hide tool. - Scan and share without limits. *For advanced editing and file management, you can also try our PDF Hero app! Subscription payments will be charged to your App Store account at confirmation of your purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew and you will be charged unless auto-renew is turned off or unless you cancel at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription or trial period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. The cost of renewal depends on the Subscription Plan you choose. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to Account Settings after purchase or by contacting Customer Support. Privacy Policy: https://support.bendingspoons.com/privacy.html?app=1017261655 Terms of Service: https://support.bendingspoons.com/tos.html?app=1017261655 Got questions or suggestions? Please don’t hesitate to email us at support@scanhero.app

Screenshots

Acrobat Reader4 screens
Scan Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against Scan Hero's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on chart position (#2 vs #43). Scan Hero's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Scan Hero sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. 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 — 4.6 for Acrobat Reader against 4.7 for Scan Hero. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 654K and 242K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 65% of Scan Hero's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, Scan Hero every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Acrobat Reader versus Scan Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcrobat ReaderScan Hero
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (654K ratings)4.7 (242K ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.1% of reviews64.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings654K — better242K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#2 — better#43
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.314.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size522 MB245 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.Mosaic S.r.l.

Customer experience

Acrobat Reader

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

Scan Hero

All ratings241,698 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews697 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral4.4%
Negative31.0%

User reviews

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

Scan Hero

From 242K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient scanning
  • 🚀 Fast scanning
  • 👍 Helpful for business/school
  • 👍 Great for on-the-go scanning

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent scanning quality
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Automatic subscription charges
  • 🐛 Buggy/glitchy app

Bugs and requests

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

Scan Hero

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scans not properly cropped
  • Inability to rearrange scanned pages
  • Crashes when editing/cropping documents

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to rotate scanned documents
  • Option to save scans to cloud storage
  • Improved OCR text recognition

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
11 purchases

Scan Hero

Subscriptions10
  • Get Premium!3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Premium Scanner App + OCR3 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Weekly Subscription2 variants$9.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Weekly Sub with Free Trial7 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Scanner for Me - Plus1 Month trial$10.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription$14.991 Month
  • Document & Text Scanner + OCR3 Days trial$16.001 Month
  • Upgrade to Pro!$16.001 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$22.001 Month
  • Upgrade to Pro!3 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • Scanner for Me Full Version$6.99

Questions

Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scan Hero free?
Scan Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or Scan Hero?
Scan Hero is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while Scan Hero averages 4.7 from 242K ratings.
Do Acrobat Reader or Scan Hero have ads?
Scan Hero shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or Scan Hero?
Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and Scan Hero every 10 days. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 26, 2026 and Scan Hero on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Acrobat Reader or Scan Hero?
Acrobat Reader currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and Scan Hero at #43. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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