Comparison

Acrobat Reader vs Sign PDF Documents

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 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
Read full description

Major new updates: Collaborate and share your files in PDF Spaces, and turn your document summaries into podcast-style audio in Acrobat Studio. The world’s most trusted PDF reader, PDF editor, and PDF maker with more than 635 million installs. View, share, annotate, add comments, and sign documents - all in one app. You can store your files online and read documents anywhere. Get your 7-day free trial and try all the features of Acrobat Reader. Paid features: Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant • 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 • Ask questions and get cited answers about details in your document, including charts, graphs, and tables with Figures Q&A • Easily share the responses you get • Try voice support to ask queries and have answers read aloud. • Use new Hands-free to keep the conversation flowing with voice only • Instantly generate summaries from your PDFs with Generative AI Summaries • Get content for emails, text, study notes, blogs, and more [Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant is a paid feature*, free for a limited time] Edit PDFs • With our PDF editor, edit text and images directly in your PDF (mobile only) • Fix typos or add paragraphs with the PDF editor • Easily add, delete, or rotate any image • Use this PDF signer and PDF viewer to get your docs just right Recognize text • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) turns scanned PDFs into searchable, editable text to use in other formats Merge & organize PDFs with PDF Converter • Split or combine multiple files into one PDF with PDF converter • Use the PDF editor to insert, delete, rotate, crop & reorder pages in your PDF file Create, convert & export PDFs • Easily convert to PDF from any file type including Microsoft, Google Docs, and images • Export and convert PDFs to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or various image files • Convert web pages to PDFs Compress & highly secure PDFs • Compress PDF files for easy saving and sharing • Password Protect PDF documents Have your PDF read aloud • Listen to your PDFs on the go, great for reading support • Choose free voices or upgrade for high-quality options Subscribe now to access all these features and use Acrobat across mobile and web platforms. Free-to-use features: PDF signer: Fill & Sign Adobe Fill & Sign is free & available in Acrobat Reader. A form filler and PDF signer that lets you fill, sign, and send Liquid mode in the optimal PDF viewer • Get the best PDF reading experience with this PDF viewer • Search, navigate & adjust font size or spacing to fit your screen Annotate PDFs • Add sticky notes, comments, and highlight text Store & manage files • Link online storage accounts like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive • Star files to quickly open important documents Connect the PDF viewer and reader to Google Drive • A PDF creator that lets you edit, compress, and export Google Drive files with a subscription Work with scanned documents • Access scanned PDFs from Adobe Scan in Acrobat to fill, sign, and share The Acrobat Reader mobile app is designed to work with customers who have Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) enabled. *An Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant add-on plan is available to Acrobat Individual customers. iOS 16 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

Sign PDF Documents

Easily sign documents like PDFs and other files directly from your device. Scan, capture, or create custom signatures to apply to your files. Manage and share all your signed documents with this offline app.

Highlights
  • Sign documents from files
  • Sign documents from iCloud
  • Sign documents from photos
  • Scan and sign documents
  • Create and capture signatures
  • Edit PDFs with signatures
  • Share signed documents
  • Manage signed documents
Features
Read full description

Sign PDF documents, contracts, and forms in seconds with E-Signature — the fastest electronic signature app for iPhone and iPad. Add your digital signature to any PDF, eSign agreements, and scan paper documents without printing, faxing, or scanning hassle. Pick PDFs from Files, iCloud, Photos, or paste a URL. Scan paper documents with your camera and convert them to PDF instantly. Open any PDF or image directly from the Files app or other apps and start signing immediately. Everything stays private. Your documents and signatures are stored locally on your device — your data never leaves your iPhone or iPad. KEY FEATURES Sign PDF documents from Files, iCloud, Photos, or URLs Open PDFs and images directly from the Files app Scan paper documents with your camera and sign them Draw your signature or type it with 20+ handwriting fonts Capture a paper signature using your camera Use the built-in signature generator to create signatures instantly Add stamps, text, dates, and watermarks to any PDF Generate AI summaries and key points from any document — powered by on-device Apple Intelligence Control the document signer with Siri Shortcuts and voice commands Save and manage multiple signatures with favorites Browse, rename, and share all signed documents Dark Mode support Works completely offline — no internet required WHY CHOOSE E-SIGNATURE Faster than web-based signing tools — sign right on your iPhone No account, no signup, no cloud — open the app and sign The only document signer with built-in scanning, AI summaries, and Apple Watch support Trusted digital signature app for freelancers, founders, and small business owners SIRI SHORTCUTS "Sign a PDF" — opens the file picker "Scan and Sign" — launches the document scanner "Sign from Photos" — pick an image to sign "Open Last Document" — jump back to your most recent file "Show My Signatures" — view all saved signatures PERFECT FOR Signing contracts and NDAs on the go eSigning rental agreements and lease documents Adding electronic signatures to invoices and proposals Signing offer letters, consent forms, and authorization papers Quick PDF edits with text, stamps, and annotations SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS E-Signature offers auto-renewable subscriptions to unlock premium features: Weekly & Monthly Subscription along with Free trial availability Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen plan. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your Apple ID Account Settings. Privacy Policy: https://esign-pdf-documents.nextpixelapps.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://esign-pdf-documents.nextpixelapps.app/terms

Screenshots

Acrobat Reader4 screens
Sign PDF Documents4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Acrobat Reader at 654K against Sign PDF Documents's 55. Acrobat Reader also leads on chart position (#2 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Sign PDF Documents's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, ads, 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 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Sign PDF Documents sells 6 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

Sign PDF Documents holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, Sign PDF Documents every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Acrobat Reader versus Sign PDF Documents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcrobat ReaderSign PDF Documents
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (654K ratings)4.9 (55 ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings654K — better55
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.317.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size522 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.NextPixel apps

Customer experience

Acrobat Reader

All ratings654,141 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews3,096 reviews
Positive49.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative46.4%

Sign PDF Documents

All ratings55 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.8%

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

Sign PDF Documents

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Acrobat Reader

Subscriptions16
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Acrobat Premium$4.991 Month
  • AI Assistant for Acrobat$6.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • Acrobat Premium$7.497 Days
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Weekly$9.997 Days
  • PDF Pack - Doc Creator$9.991 Month
  • 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 Reader Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe ExportPDF$23.991 Year
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro$24.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$48.991 Year
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
6 purchases

Sign PDF Documents

Subscriptions6
  • PDF Signature weekly plan$4.997 Days
  • Sign PDF Documents with Esign3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Sign PDF Documents with Esign$5.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • E-signature documents & PDF$6.997 Days
  • Document sign now - Monthly3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PDF Signature - eSign App3 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sign PDF Documents free?
Sign PDF Documents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or Sign PDF Documents?
Sign PDF Documents is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while Sign PDF Documents averages 4.9 from 55 ratings.
Do Acrobat Reader or Sign PDF Documents have ads?
Neither Acrobat Reader nor Sign PDF Documents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or Sign PDF Documents?
Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and Sign PDF Documents every 3 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and Sign PDF Documents on September 10, 2026.

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