# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Scanner

Acrobat Reader and PDF Scanner both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of PDF Scanner's written reviews are positive against 49% of Acrobat Reader's. PDF Scanner also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.3). Acrobat Reader's advantage is ratings volume (664K vs 259) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 664K ratings behind it against 259, 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 94% of PDF Scanner's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 10 days, PDF Scanner every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (664K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | [4.6 (259 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-doc-scan-and-sign/id1153294175/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **664K** | 259 |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | **93.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 552 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [vijay kachhadiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137194501) |

## 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, #73 Top Grossing, #189 Top Free (US App Store)

This app allows you to view, edit, and sign PDF documents on your mobile device. It offers features like text and image editing, OCR, PDF conversion, and secure storage, with advanced AI capabilities available through subscription.

**Highlights:** View, edit, and sign PDFs, OCR for searchable text, Convert PDFs to various formats, Merge and organize files, Secure document storage, AI-powered document summaries, Read PDFs aloud

**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 Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-doc-scan-and-sign/id1153294175)

Transform your device into a powerful digital scanner. Easily capture, edit, and save documents as high-resolution PDFs or JPEGs. Organize your mobile office and share files instantly via email, social media, or cloud services.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF and JPEG, High-resolution scanning, Automatic color detection and adjustment, Image cropping and filtering, Multi-page document scanning, Share via email, social media, and cloud

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Week | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Month | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast scanning
- ✨ Great clarity and precision
- 💯 Useful for college/nursing school
- 📱 Keeps documents accessible

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Too many ads
- 🐌 Ads slow down usage

**Reported bugs**

- Does not work (reported by one user)

**Requested features**

- Add facsimile capability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader and PDF Scanner are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 664K and 259 ratings respectively.

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

Neither Acrobat Reader nor PDF Scanner shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Scanner every 6 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on October 29, 2026 and PDF Scanner on October 29, 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.*