# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Acrobat Reader at 4.6 against PDF Reader's 4.1. Acrobat Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (654K vs 11). PDF Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.3). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 PDF Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.1 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-editor/id1666456462/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 142 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Games Wing](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453004090) |

## 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, #69 Top Grossing, #204 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdf-editor/id1666456462)

This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents. It allows users to view, edit text and images, fill and sign forms, convert images to PDF, and scan physical documents. The application aims to simplify all your PDF-related tasks.

**Highlights:** View and annotate PDFs, Edit text and images, Convert images to PDF, Fill and sign forms, Scan documents, Organize and manage files

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Partial Remove Ads -Weekly Sub | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Remove Ads Weekly Subscription | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Partial Remove Ads -Month Sub | $6.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads Monthly Sub | $7.99 | per month |
| Partial Remove Ads -Annual Sub | $24.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $17.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Reader free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Reader averages 4.1 from 11 ratings.

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

PDF Reader shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Reader monthly. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader on September 14, 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.*