# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Format Converter

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against PDF Format Converter's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 14) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Format Converter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 4.5 for PDF Format Converter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Format Converter every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Format Converter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.5 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-format-converter/id1670073358/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% 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 | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Petr Polasek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1613323784) |

## 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, #90 Top Grossing (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 Format Converter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-format-converter/id1670073358)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF files on iOS devices. It allows users to convert various document formats to PDF, scan paper documents, edit and annotate existing PDFs, and create new PDF documents from scratch. Secure local storage ensures document privacy.

**Highlights:** Convert Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images to PDF, Scan and convert paper documents to high-quality PDFs, Edit, annotate, and fill PDF forms, Create PDFs from scratch with text and image editing, Secure local document storage, Print documents via AirPrint

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Month Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium 1 Week | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Year plan | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Format Converter free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Format Converter averages 4.5 from 14 ratings.

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

PDF Format Converter shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Format Converter every 2 months. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on October 3, 2026 and PDF Format Converter on October 2, 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.*