# Acrobat Reader vs Swift PDF Editor

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | Swift PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (667K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.2 (378 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-pdf-editor-scan-and-sign/id1590992609/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **667K** | 378 |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | **69.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 556 MB | 220 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Apero Technologies Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/1740698764) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #13 Top Free · Business, #99 Top Grossing (US App Store)

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:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Assistant for Acrobat | $6.99 | 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 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


### Swift PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-pdf-editor-scan-and-sign/id1590992609)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| pdf editor weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Editor weekly trial | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Editor: Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor PRO | $19.99 | per month |
| year vip | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor PRO | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor PRO | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Life time | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- App charges unexpectedly
- Cannot cancel subscription
- App does not work as expected


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*