# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Acrobat Reader at 654K against PDF Editor's 507. Acrobat Reader also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). PDF Editor's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 49%). 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 Editor sells 8 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 4.7 for PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 507, 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 69% of PDF Editor's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Editor every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 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) | **[4.7 (507 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-edit-and-convert-pdf/id1550574425/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 507 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **68.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Maxima Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1153277200) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #15 Top Free · Business, #80 Top Grossing, #206 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 Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-edit-and-convert-pdf/id1550574425)

Easily edit, sign, and convert PDF documents. This app allows you to import files from various sources, add signatures, text, and annotations, and even convert documents to speech. It offers a comprehensive solution for managing and sharing your PDFs.

**Highlights:** Import files from multiple sources, Sign, edit, and annotate PDFs, Live text scanning and image text import, Merge multiple files, Convert text to speech, Save and manage signatures

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Editor Monthly Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Monthly Plus Offer | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Monthly Offer Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Editor Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor Yearly Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor Yearly Offer Plus | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor Yearly Plus Offer | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful features
- 🚀 Efficient
- 👍 Simple

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Doesn't work properly
- 🐛 Glitchy
- 🐛 Deletes user's work
- 🐛 Incompatible with older devices

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Crashes when merging documents
- Unable to view PDF content
- Adds unwanted elements to documents

**Requested features**

- Ability to upload/import from other apps
- Ability to change font color
- Ability to print manuals


## 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?

PDF Editor is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 507 ratings.

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

Neither Acrobat Reader nor PDF Editor shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Editor every 6 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 21, 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.*