# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Reader & PDF Editor

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against PDF Reader & PDF Editor's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (654K vs 777). PDF Reader & PDF Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 Reader & PDF Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 Reader & PDF Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 777, 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 51% of PDF Reader & PDF Editor's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Reader & PDF Editor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Reader & PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | **[4.7 (777 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-and-pdf-editor/id1627156674/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 777 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **51.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [ABISHKKING LIMITED.](https://appshunter.io/developer/896501517) |

## 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, #78 Top Grossing, #200 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 Reader & PDF Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-and-pdf-editor/id1627156674)

This app is a comprehensive tool for managing PDF documents. It allows users to quickly view, annotate, edit, and organize PDFs, as well as convert images to PDF. Advanced features like merging, splitting, and password protection are also available.

**Highlights:** Fast PDF viewing, PDF annotation and markup, Add e-signatures, Image to PDF conversion, Merge and split PDFs, File management and sorting, Password protection for files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick PDF editing and responsiveness
- 👍 Image to PDF conversion is useful
- 👍 Handles large files seamlessly
- 👍 Option to sort and lock PDFs
- 👍 Merge, split, and manage files effortlessly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Aggressive premium push with popups
- 👎 Not intuitive outside of basic PDF editing
- 👎 Charges are costly compared to free apps
- 👎 Free trial is misleading, charged immediately
- 👎 Billing errors and unexpected charges

**Reported bugs**

- Popups for premium are hard to close
- Free trial is deceptive, charged immediately
- Merge/split functions stopped working after one use
- App crashes when opening documents
- App crashes after a minute of use

**Requested features**

- Add bookmark functionality
- Add dark mode
- Add ability to view file outlines
- Add ability to add bookmarks
- Add text selection for copying in edit mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Reader & PDF Editor free?

PDF Reader & PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

PDF Reader & PDF Editor is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Reader & PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 777 ratings.

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

PDF Reader & PDF Editor shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Reader & PDF Editor every 2 months. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader & 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.*