# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Editor

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Acrobat Reader at 654K against PDF Editor's 7.9K. Acrobat Reader also leads on chart position (#2 vs #38) and review sentiment (49% vs 38%). PDF Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, update cadence 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 15 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 7.9K, 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 38% of PDF Editor's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Editor fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 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) | **[4.7 (7.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-read-scan-convert/id6443583054/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 7.9K |
| Positive reviews | **49.0% of reviews** | 38.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | #38 |
| Size | 522 MB | 217 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Rhophi Analytics LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647365609) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #17 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 Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-editor-read-scan-convert/id6443583054)

**Currently charting:** #38 Top Grossing · Business, #124 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

Edit, read, scan, and convert PDF documents with a comprehensive suite of tools. Annotate, draw, and sign your files with ease. This app offers offline functionality and supports collaboration.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDF documents, Scan physical documents to PDF, Convert various file types to PDF, Convert PDF to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Sign documents electronically, Collaborate by sharing PDF files, Work offline

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

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $11.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Pro Weekly Plan | $12.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| Black Friday Premium Sale | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📚 Comprehensive PDF editing tools
- 🚀 Reliable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🙄 Intrusive ads and feedback popups
- 📁 Limited functionality in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to save or export PDFs
- Editing tools not working as expected
- Subscription issues and billing problems

**Requested features**

- Add option to delete pages
- Improve save/export functionality
- Introduce a one-time purchase option


## 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?

PDF Editor is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Editor averages 4.7 from 7.9K 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 fortnightly. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on October 3, 2026 and PDF Editor on October 2, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Acrobat Reader or PDF Editor?

Acrobat Reader currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and PDF Editor at #38. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*