# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Document Scanner Editor

Acrobat Reader and PDF Document Scanner Editor both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of PDF Document Scanner Editor's. Acrobat Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 39 months). PDF Document Scanner Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Document Scanner Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 4.6 for PDF Document Scanner Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of PDF Document Scanner Editor's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Document Scanner Editor every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Document Scanner Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | [4.6 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-document-scanner-editor/id1114433201/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **49.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 39 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Bhavik Savaliya](https://appshunter.io/developer/668085657) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #13 Top Free · Business, #80 Top Grossing, #203 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


### PDF Document Scanner Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-document-scanner-editor/id1114433201)

This app allows you to scan documents, photos, and receipts, and convert them into PDFs. You can also edit PDFs by adding or removing pages. It offers various scanning modes and cropping options for optimal results.

**Highlights:** Scan documents in color, grayscale, or black & white, Insert and delete pages in PDFs, Crop for better scanner results, Generate unlimited PDFs, Free unlimited signature generation, Edit PDF documents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Scann One Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scann One Year | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Document Scanner Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Document Scanner Editor free?

PDF Document Scanner Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or PDF Document Scanner Editor?

Acrobat Reader and PDF Document Scanner Editor are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 654K and 11 ratings respectively.

### Do Acrobat Reader or PDF Document Scanner Editor have ads?

PDF Document Scanner Editor shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or PDF Document Scanner Editor?

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Document Scanner Editor every 39 months. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Document Scanner Editor on August 1, 2026.

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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.*