# Acrobat Reader vs uScan

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against uScan's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 15K) and chart position (#2 vs #171). uScan's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 uScan sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 uScan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 15K, 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 47% of uScan's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, uScan every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | uScan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | [4.6 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uscan-pdf-document-scanner/id1546202752/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 15K |
| Positive reviews | **49.1% of reviews** | 47.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | #171 |
| Size | 522 MB | 179 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Lopofist Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1546202754) |

## 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, #83 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


### uScan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uscan-pdf-document-scanner/id1546202752)

**Currently charting:** #171 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Transform your phone into a portable scanner to digitize documents, receipts, and notes. Edit scanned files, extract text with OCR, and add electronic signatures. Create high-quality PDF or DOC files for easy sharing and management.

**Highlights:** Scan and edit any document, Convert image to editable text (OCR), Add electronic signatures, High-quality PDF/DOC output, Multi-page scanning, File management with folders

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited access | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access + PDF editor | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access + PDF editor | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited access | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited access | $39.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $59.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and convenient
- 💡 Helpful for work and personal needs
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Efficient scanning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🐛 Inconsistent scanning quality
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 💰 Hidden/unclear pricing
- 🐛 Difficulty cancelling subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Scans not properly aligned or cropped
- App shuts down when scanning large documents
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- Integration with cloud storage services
- Ability to label/organize scanned documents
- Handwriting recognition
- Option to use app without subscription


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is uScan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or uScan?

Acrobat Reader and uScan are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 654K and 15K ratings respectively.

### Do Acrobat Reader or uScan have ads?

uScan shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or uScan?

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and uScan every 3 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 25, 2026 and uScan on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Acrobat Reader or uScan?

Acrobat Reader currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and uScan at #171. 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.*