# Acrobat Reader vs Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents at 97% against Acrobat Reader's 49%. Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.3). Acrobat Reader's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 1.0) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 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 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 664K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 97% of Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents'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, Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (664K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-fill-and-sign-pdf-documents/id1623192354/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **664K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | **96.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 556 MB | 127 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Pasha Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558703482) |

## 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, #102 Top Grossing, #195 Top Free (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 (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


### Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-fill-and-sign-pdf-documents/id1623192354)

Easily sign and fill out any document digitally using your finger or a handwritten signature. Request signatures from others, create custom stamps, and secure your documents with advanced features. Supports various file formats and cloud storage integration.

**Highlights:** Insert digital signatures with finger or handwritten scan, Request and track signatures from others, Create and add custom stamps, text, and dates, Import documents from cloud storage, Supports multiple document formats (PDF, Word, Excel, JPG, etc.), Advanced security with Fingerprint/Face ID and PIN, Offline signing and draft saving

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $2.49 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $3.49 | per month |
| Weekly - Essential Features | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly - Essential Features | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly - Essential Features | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents free?

Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents?

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 664K ratings, while Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Acrobat Reader or Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents have ads?

Neither Acrobat Reader nor Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents?

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 10 days, and Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents every 2 days. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on October 31, 2026 and Scan Fill & Sign PDF Documents on October 24, 2026.

---

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