# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is monetization model: Acrobat Reader at freemium against PDF Editor's subscription. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 35) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). PDF Editor's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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 Editor sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Acrobat Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 49% and 49% positive.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Editor every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.4 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-fill-editsign-pdf/id1672899598/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | 49.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [AHAD DURRANI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1666830783) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #14 Top Free · Business, #85 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 Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-fill-editsign-pdf/id1672899598)

Edit, annotate, and convert PDF files with advanced tools. This app allows for text and image modification, form creation and filling, and secure document management. It also includes OCR technology for scanned documents and AI assistance for smarter interactions.

**Highlights:** Edit existing PDF content, Modify text and images, Smart annotations, Scan and convert documents, OCR technology, E-signature support, Merge and split PDFs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium AI Assistant | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Offer | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium AI Assistant | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $89.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use for some
- 👍 Fulfills basic PDF needs
- 👍 Good for editing and signing
- 👍 Useful for converting files
- 👍 Handy for scanning documents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Not intuitive or user-friendly
- 👎 Poorly designed
- 👎 Limited features on Mac
- 👎 Difficult to navigate
- 👎 Strips formatting from PDFs

**Reported bugs**

- PDF reader not working
- Cannot open PDF files
- Cannot edit PDF files
- App crashes constantly
- Unable to fill PDF forms by typing

**Requested features**

- Allow typing in PDF forms
- Improve Mac compatibility and usability
- Provide clear instructions or tutorials
- Offer better customer support
- Fix subscription charging issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Editor free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.4 from 35 ratings.

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

Neither Acrobat Reader nor PDF Editor shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Editor every 6 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Editor on September 23, 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.*