# Acrobat Reader vs Scan Hero

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against Scan Hero's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on chart position (#2 vs #37). 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.

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.

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.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, Scan Hero every 10 days. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | Scan Hero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | **[4.7 (242K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-hero-pdf-scanner/id1017261655/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 242K |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | **64.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | #37 |
| Size | 522 MB | 245 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Mosaic S.r.l.](https://appshunter.io/developer/570748343) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #14 Top Free · Business, #102 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


### Scan Hero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-hero-pdf-scanner/id1017261655)

**Currently charting:** #37 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get Premium! | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Scanner App + OCR | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Weekly Subscription | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Sub with Free Trial | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Scanner for Me - Plus | $10.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Document & Text Scanner + OCR | $16.00 | per month |
| Upgrade to Pro! | $16.00 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $22.00 | per month |
| Upgrade to Pro! | $89.99 | per year |
| Scanner for Me Full Version | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Scans not properly cropped
- Inability to rearrange scanned pages
- Crashes when editing/cropping documents

**Requested features**

- Ability to rotate scanned documents
- Option to save scans to cloud storage
- Improved OCR text recognition


## Frequently asked 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 26, 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 #37. 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.*