# Acrobat Reader vs eSign

The clearest difference is monetization model: Acrobat Reader at freemium against eSign's subscription. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 147) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). eSign's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (60% vs 49%). 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 eSign sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

eSign holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 147, 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 60% of eSign's.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, eSign every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | eSign |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews) | **[4.8 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esign-digital-signature-maker/id6714449679/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 147 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 264 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) | [Torgomyan Levon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1770178086) |

## 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, #78 Top Grossing, #200 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


### eSign

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esign-digital-signature-maker/id6714449679)

Easily sign documents like PDFs and images with a custom or AI-generated digital signature. Scan, edit, and secure your files with password protection and share them directly from the app.

**Highlights:** Sign PDFs and documents, Create custom digital signatures, AI-generated signatures, Scan and upload documents, Password protection for documents, Share signed files

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Signature | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Signature | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Signature PRO | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Signature PRO | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Signature | $12.99 | per month |
| Signature Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| Premium Signature | $39.99 | per year |
| Signature PRO | $39.99 | per year |
| Signature PRO | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is eSign free?

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

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

eSign is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while eSign averages 4.8 from 147 ratings.

### Do Acrobat Reader or eSign have ads?

Neither Acrobat Reader nor eSign shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and eSign every 2 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and eSign 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.*