# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Converter

The clearest difference is monetization model: Acrobat Reader at freemium against PDF Converter's subscription. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 6K) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). PDF Converter's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 49%) and device support (4 vs 2). 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 Converter sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 67% of PDF Converter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF Converter fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Converter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.4 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-converter-pdf-editor/id684119875/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 6K |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **67.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 385 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Techgear Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/524933495) |

## 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, #71 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 Converter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-converter-pdf-editor/id684119875)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing, editing, and converting PDF files. It allows users to merge, split, compress, and annotate documents, as well as fill forms and add digital signatures. Convert various file types to PDF and vice versa with ease.

**Highlights:** Merge, split, compress, rotate, unlock, watermark PDFs, Edit PDFs with text, shapes, comments, highlights, Annotate documents with drawing, text boxes, sticky notes, Convert JPG, Word, PPT, Excel, HTML to PDF, Convert PDF to JPG, Word, PPT, Excel, Fill PDF forms and add digital signatures, Password protection and encryption

**Features:** Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Converter Pro with Editor | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Image to PDF Converter - PDF PRO | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Converter, Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Converter Documents To PDF | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Converter - Convert to PDF Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Unlock-Clipboard-text-editing | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fonts | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock-UnLimted Web To PDF | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dropbox,Box,Drive,SkyDrive and Evernote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| PDF Annotation | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlockall | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Easy to use
- 📤 Convenient file sharing
- 🔒 Secure document handling
- 💡 Helpful features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔐 Paywall for full functionality
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 💸 Expensive subscription
- 🔍 Confusing navigation
- 📤 Issues with file exports

**Reported bugs**

- Conversion quality issues
- Orientation problems with PDFs
- Unreliable file saving
- Compatibility problems with older devices
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Improved file management options
- Seamless integration with cloud storage
- Enhanced PDF editing capabilities
- Customizable user interface
- Better customer support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Converter free?

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

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Converter averages 4.4 from 6K ratings.

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

Neither Acrobat Reader nor PDF Converter shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Converter fortnightly. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Converter on September 24, 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.*