# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter

The clearest difference is monetization model: Acrobat Reader at freemium against PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter's subscription. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 2.4K) and review sentiment (49% vs 31%). PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). 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 Scanner, Editor, Converter sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 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 4.5 for PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 2.4K, 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 31% of PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.5 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-editor-converter/id1619135136/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 2.4K |
| Positive reviews | **49.1% of reviews** | 31.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 227 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Ivan Marzan](https://appshunter.io/developer/927437502) |

## 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, #73 Top Grossing, #186 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 Scanner, Editor, Converter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-editor-converter/id1619135136)

Scan, edit, and convert documents into digital files. Easily manage PDFs, create new ones, and improve content quality. Offers features for ID documents and books with high accuracy.

**Highlights:** Scan PDF files, ID photos, and books, Edit and create PDFs, Convert documents to office formats, High accuracy recognition, Improve content quality, Manage digital documents

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Scanner App | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Document Scanner | $2.49 | per 7 days |
| Doc Master Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scanner Pro - Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scanner and Editor | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scanner PRO | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scanner PRO | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scan Document: Scanner App | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Scanner App Pro | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Doc Scanner and converter | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner & Editor PRO | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner and Manager | $45.99 | per year |
| PDF Master Pro Lifetime | $64.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 👍 Simple and intuitive
- 💡 Useful for converting images to PDF

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 👎 Poor quality scans
- 🤔 Limited functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Reverse order of scanned documents
- Crashes and freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit PDF files
- Improve batch scanning functionality
- Provide free version with limited features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter averages 4.5 from 2.4K ratings.

### Do Acrobat Reader or PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter have ads?

Neither Acrobat Reader nor PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter every 3 days. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on October 1, 2026 and PDF Scanner, Editor, Converter on September 29, 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.*