Comparison

Acrobat Reader vs Swift PDF Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Acrobat Reader

This app allows users to open, read, fill, sign, and comment on PDF documents. It offers advanced features like PDF creation, editing, conversion to other formats, and AI-powered assistance for a fee.

Highlights
  • Open and read PDFs
  • Fill and sign forms
  • Add comments and highlights
  • Create PDFs from photos/files
  • Convert PDFs to Word/Excel/PowerPoint
  • AI Assistant for summaries and Q&A
Features
Read full description

Adobe Acrobat Reader is the free PDF reader for opening, reading, filling in, signing and commenting on PDFs on your iPhone or iPad. It’s the world’s most trusted PDF reader, PDF editor and PDF maker, with more than 635 million installs and an App Store Editors’ Choice award. You also don’t need a subscription to read, fill in or sign PDFs. Need to do more? With Acrobat Premium, you can create PDFs from photos and files, edit text, convert PDFs to Word, Excel or PowerPoint, combine PDFs into one file and reorder pages. Free in Acrobat Reader: PDF viewer and PDF signer • Open and read any PDF, and use Liquid Mode to fit the text to your screen • Highlight text and add comments and sticky notes to your PDF • Fill in PDF forms and sign them with your finger using Fill & Sign • Share PDFs straight from the app • Open files and PDFs from your iPhone, email, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox • Store and manage files, and star important docs for quick access • Open scans from the free Adobe Scan app to fill in, sign and share • Listen to PDFs read aloud with free voices With Acrobat Premium: PDF editor and PDF converter Start with a 7-day free trial. • Create a PDF from photos, Microsoft Office files, Google Docs or web pages • Edit text and images, fix typos and add paragraphs • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint or image files, keeping fonts and formatting • Merge or combine PDFs into one file, like a resume and cover letter for a job application • Make a PDF smaller so it fits an email or upload limit • Insert, reorder, rotate, delete, extract or crop pages, or split a PDF into several files • Turn scanned docs into searchable, editable text with OCR • Password-protect PDFs • Edit, compress and export files and PDFs from Google Drive • Listen with higher-quality read-aloud voices Who Acrobat Reader is made for: • Students: merge notes into one file, highlight and comment on PDFs, listen to notes, and chat with AI Assistant • Mobile pros: open contracts and forms from email, fill and sign them, and send them back • Small businesses: create PDF invoices, sign contracts, convert PDFs to Word files, create PDF Spaces for projects • iPhone and iPad users: open PDFs from Files, Mail or your browser, set Acrobat Reader as your default PDF app, and go beyond viewing with comments and more • Get PDFs read aloud through Apple CarPlay for hands-free listening on the road Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant: Paid feature*, free for a limited time. • Work across multiple files in one place with PDF Spaces. Collaborate, store and use AI Assistant across files • Use voice or text prompts with AI Assistant chatbot and have answers read aloud • Ask questions and get cited answers about info in your PDF docs, including charts, graphs and tables • Use Hands-free to keep the conversation flowing with voice only • Instantly generate summaries from your PDFs • Get content for emails, text, study notes, blogs and more What’s new in Acrobat Reader: Collaborate and share your files in PDF Spaces, and turn your document summaries into podcast-style audio in Acrobat Studio. Frequently asked questions: Is Acrobat Reader free? Yes. You can open, read, fill in and sign PDFs for free. Do I need an Adobe account? No. You can read PDFs without one. Sign in with a free Adobe account to store files in Adobe Document Cloud storage, access them across devices and use more tools. Can I turn off AI features? Yes. AI Assistant features are optional, and you can turn them off in Preferences. The Acrobat Reader mobile app is designed to work with EMM enabled. *An Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant add-on plan is available to Acrobat Individual customers. iOS 18.316 or above required. Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do not sell or share my personal information www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

Swift PDF Editor

Edit, sign, and convert PDF documents on your mobile device. Scan physical papers into digital files, add text and images, and fill out forms with digital signatures. This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for efficient document management.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF text, images, and layouts
  • Digitally sign and fill forms
  • Scan documents with phone camera
  • Convert images and scans to PDF
  • Extract text from images (OCR)
  • Organize and manage PDF files
Features
Read full description

Swift PDF Editor: Scan & Sign – Your All-in-One PDF Solution Take control of your PDF documents with Swift PDF Editor. Whether you need to scan and edit PDF, sign, or convert files on the go, this powerful app has everything you need. It's the ultimate tool for managing PDFs efficiently, right from your mobile device. Features of Swift PDF Editor: 1. PDF Editor - Document Editor: - Edit and personalize your PDF documents effortlessly with this PDF editor free tool. - Add text, drawings, and images to your PDFs. - Insert hyperlinks and make your documents interactive. - Annotate with sticky notes, highlights, underlines, and strikethroughs. - Use red lines, arrows, and callouts to emphasize important information. - Reorganize PDF pages and optimize document layout for better flow. 2. PDF Signature - Fill and Sign: - Digitally edit PDF and sign forms with ease. - Draw or import your signature for seamless doc sign and completion of forms. - Add symbols and shapes to your documents. - Fill and sign forms and edit text directly within the PDF. Customize text size and color for a professional finish. 3. PDF Reader - PDF Viewer: - Easily access and navigate your PDF library using the powerful PDF editor. - Quickly search and view PDF files. - Scroll through documents smoothly and zoom in or out for better readability. - A simple, organized list of your PDFs for easy access. 4. Powerful PDF/Document/Photo Scanner - Scanner App (Convert to PDF/Text OCR): - Turn your physical documents into digital files using the scan and edit PDF feature. - Use your phone’s camera to scan sign PDF, documents, ID cards, business cards, and more. - Optimize scan quality with smart cropping and auto enhancement for clear, sharp images. - Extract text from images with OCR technology, converting photos into editable text using the document scanner and editor. 5. Images to PDF Converter: - Convert photos and scanned images into high-quality PDFs with the pdf converter pdf editor. - Import multiple images or scan paper documents and convert them into PDFs. - Resize, crop, and rotate images to optimize your PDF output. Why Choose Swift PDF Editor? - Comprehensive Editing: Modify text, images, and layouts with ease in the PDF editor. - Efficient Signing: Quickly edit sign PDF forms directly on your device with the pdf editor free. - Easy Scanning: Digitize documents with your camera and enhance image quality. - OCR Technology: Extract and edit text from images seamlessly. - Convenient Access: Easily manage and organize your PDF files with a simple interface. Swift PDF Editor is your all-in-one solution for scan sign PDF, editing, and converting. Try and simplify your document management, no matter where you are! Use it as a word to pdf converter, pdf converter pdf editor, and doc sign solution in one handy app! - Privacy policy: https://sites.google.com/view/swiftpdf-editor-privacy-policy/home - Term of use: https://sites.google.com/view/swiftpdf-editor-term-of-use/home

Screenshots

Acrobat Reader4 screens
Swift PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against Swift PDF Editor's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (667K vs 378). Swift PDF Editor's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Swift PDF Editor sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Acrobat Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 667K ratings behind it against 378, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 69% of Swift PDF Editor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 10 days, Swift PDF Editor every 11 days. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Acrobat Reader versus Swift PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcrobat ReaderSwift PDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (667K ratings) — better4.2 (378 ratings)
Positive reviews49.1% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings667K — better378
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.315.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size556 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.Apero Technologies Group

Customer experience

Acrobat Reader

All ratings663,810 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews3,318 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative46.6%

Swift PDF Editor

All ratings378 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.8%

User reviews

Acrobat Reader

From 667K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Secure document storage
  • 👍 Convenient for reading and annotating PDFs
  • 👍 Useful for students and professionals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🔒 Overly intrusive login requirements
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 👎 Counterintuitive user interface changes
  • 🔍 Poor search and organization features

Swift PDF Editor

From 378 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works as advertised
  • 🚀 Smooth and stable PDF editing
  • 👍 Great PDF Reader and Editor
  • 👍 Fast PDF opening
  • 👍 Easy to use

Room to improve

  • 😠 Charged despite free trial
  • 😠 Fraudulent charges
  • 😠 Impossible to cancel subscription
  • 😠 Scam
  • 😠 False advertising

Bugs and requests

Acrobat Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Swift PDF Editor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App charges unexpectedly
  • Cannot cancel subscription
  • App does not work as expected

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Acrobat Reader

Subscriptions9
  • AI Assistant for Acrobat$6.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Weekly$9.997 Days
  • PDF Pack - Doc Creator$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium - Edit & Create PDF$9.991 Month
  • PDF Edit and Convert Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$48.991 Year
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
10 purchases

Swift PDF Editor

Subscriptions9
  • Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • pdf editor weekly$4.997 Days
  • PDF Editor weekly trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 6 more
  • PDF Editor: Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • PDF Editor PRO$19.991 Month
  • year vip3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Editor PRO3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Editor PRO7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • PDF Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • PDF Life time$29.99

Questions

Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swift PDF Editor free?
Swift PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or Swift PDF Editor?
Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 667K ratings, while Swift PDF Editor averages 4.2 from 378 ratings.
Do Acrobat Reader or Swift PDF Editor have ads?
Swift PDF Editor shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or Swift PDF Editor?
Acrobat Reader ships an update every 10 days, and Swift PDF Editor every 11 days. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on November 7, 2026 and Swift PDF Editor on November 7, 2026.

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