# Acrobat Reader vs FreePDF

The clearest difference is rating: Acrobat Reader at 4.6 against FreePDF's 1.8. Acrobat Reader also leads on review sentiment (49% vs 11%) and ratings volume (654K vs 5). FreePDF's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and FreePDF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 11% of FreePDF's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, FreePDF every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | FreePDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freepdf-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6502199711/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **49.1% of reviews** | 11.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 317 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## 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, #94 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


### FreePDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freepdf-pdf-editor-and-reader/id6502199711)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing, scanning, converting, filling, and signing PDF documents. It includes features like scanning to editable PDFs, annotation, form filling, document security, and an AI assistant. It's designed for professionals, students, and anyone needing a versatile PDF solution.

**Highlights:** Scan to editable PDFs, PDF annotation and editing, Advanced signature and form filling, Versatile file conversion, Document security with passcodes, AI Assistant and Writing Helper

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FreePDF Unlock All Features | $2.99 | per month |
| FreePDF Lifetime Pro Unlock | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is FreePDF free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while FreePDF averages 1.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Acrobat Reader or FreePDF have ads?

Neither Acrobat Reader nor FreePDF shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and FreePDF every 5 days. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 26, 2026 and FreePDF on August 26, 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.*