# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against PDF Editor's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on review sentiment (49% vs 20%) and ratings volume (654K vs 461). PDF Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 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 Editor sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 — 4.6 for Acrobat Reader against 4.5 for PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 461, 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 20% of PDF Editor's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Editor monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.5 (461 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-reader-and-scanner/id1467641686/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 461 |
| Positive reviews | **49.1% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Maple Labs Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1320450180) |

## 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


### PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-reader-and-scanner/id1467641686)

Edit, scan, and manage all your PDF files with this comprehensive tool. Easily add text, highlight, sign documents, convert formats, and organize pages. Optimized for mobile devices, it streamlines everyday PDF tasks for work, study, and personal use.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF content, Sign documents, Scan to PDF, Convert PDF formats, Split and merge PDFs, Compress PDF size, Crop and adjust pages

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Scanner Pro App | $59.99 | per year |
| Premium | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Editor free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.5 from 461 ratings.

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

PDF Editor shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Editor monthly. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 26, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 4, 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.*