Comparison

Acrobat Reader vs PDF to Word

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Acrobat Reader

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
Read full description

Major new updates: Collaborate and share your files in PDF Spaces, and turn your document summaries into podcast-style audio in Acrobat Studio. The world’s most trusted PDF reader, PDF editor, and PDF maker with more than 635 million installs. View, share, annotate, add comments, and sign documents - all in one app. You can store your files online and read documents anywhere. Get your 7-day free trial and try all the features of Acrobat Reader. Paid features: Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant • Work across multiple files in one place with PDF Spaces. Collaborate, store, and use AI Assistant across files • Use voice or text prompts with AI Assistant chatbot • Ask questions and get cited answers about details in your document, including charts, graphs, and tables with Figures Q&A • Easily share the responses you get • Try voice support to ask queries and have answers read aloud. • Use new Hands-free to keep the conversation flowing with voice only • Instantly generate summaries from your PDFs with Generative AI Summaries • Get content for emails, text, study notes, blogs, and more [Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant is a paid feature*, free for a limited time] Edit PDFs • With our PDF editor, edit text and images directly in your PDF (mobile only) • Fix typos or add paragraphs with the PDF editor • Easily add, delete, or rotate any image • Use this PDF signer and PDF viewer to get your docs just right Recognize text • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) turns scanned PDFs into searchable, editable text to use in other formats Merge & organize PDFs with PDF Converter • Split or combine multiple files into one PDF with PDF converter • Use the PDF editor to insert, delete, rotate, crop & reorder pages in your PDF file Create, convert & export PDFs • Easily convert to PDF from any file type including Microsoft, Google Docs, and images • Export and convert PDFs to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or various image files • Convert web pages to PDFs Compress & highly secure PDFs • Compress PDF files for easy saving and sharing • Password Protect PDF documents Have your PDF read aloud • Listen to your PDFs on the go, great for reading support • Choose free voices or upgrade for high-quality options Subscribe now to access all these features and use Acrobat across mobile and web platforms. Free-to-use features: PDF signer: Fill & Sign Adobe Fill & Sign is free & available in Acrobat Reader. A form filler and PDF signer that lets you fill, sign, and send Liquid mode in the optimal PDF viewer • Get the best PDF reading experience with this PDF viewer • Search, navigate & adjust font size or spacing to fit your screen Annotate PDFs • Add sticky notes, comments, and highlight text Store & manage files • Link online storage accounts like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive • Star files to quickly open important documents Connect the PDF viewer and reader to Google Drive • A PDF creator that lets you edit, compress, and export Google Drive files with a subscription Work with scanned documents • Access scanned PDFs from Adobe Scan in Acrobat to fill, sign, and share The Acrobat Reader mobile app is designed to work with customers who have Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) enabled. *An Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant add-on plan is available to Acrobat Individual customers. iOS 16 or above required. Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do not sell or share my personal information www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

PDF to Word

Convert PDF documents into editable Microsoft Office Word files, preserving original formatting and layout. This utility offers fast, on-device processing without an internet connection, supporting various export formats and file management options.

Highlights
  • Convert PDF to Word (.docx)
  • Preserves original layout and formatting
  • Fast conversion, on-device processing
  • Supports multiple export formats (PPTX, XLSX, Image, RTF, TXT, HTML)
  • Convert specific pages
  • File manager with transfer and compression options
  • Import from various apps and cloud storage
Features
Read full description

PDF to Word is an utility designed to convert Adobe PDF document to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other files. The PDF Converter can preserve the original content, layout, and formatting for easier editing or reuse, and supports opening in popular mobile office editor apps (such as: Microsoft Word, PPT, Excel, Polaris Office, Smart Office, or WPS Office). The conversion quality is excellent, requires no internet upload, is 100% local, secure, fast, and protects your privacy! OCR text recognition has been added. For scanned documents, please select the OCR language that matches your document, as this can significantly improve recognition accuracy. > Upgrade to Pro? You can convert the first few pages of any PDF document for free immediately. If you are satisfied, you can upgrade to the Pro version to convert full documents directly without ads. The app already includes several sample PDF files, so you can test the conversion results right away! Main Features of PDF to Word Converter: > Easily import PDFs and convert a 100-page PDF to Word, Excel or PPT in under 36 seconds, incredibly fast! > Convert PDF to Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx), CSV (.csv), Text (.txt), HTML (.html), and extract element resources (images, graphics), etc. > The entire process is a 100% on-device conversion on your local iOS device, requiring no internet connection, no uploads, ensuring privacy and security. > Outputs well-formatted Word content, preserving the layout, colors, font styles, and images identical to the original PDF document, making it very convenient for editing and reuse. > Convert any selected pages (e.g., 1, 3-8, 26, or all pages) to save time. > Save time learning complex Word editing skills and skip the annoying ads and pop-ups of online PDF converter. > Supports connection to online cloud storage, including CloudMe and any FTP or WebDAV server. > Provides you with 4 ways to transfer files (Open in..., iTunes USB file sharing, Wi-Fi sharing, cloud disk, and built-in file import function). > Compatible with various Office suites, such as Microsoft Office, WPS Office, MobiDocs, Polaris Office, and LibreOffice. == Quick Start == To convert a PDF file attached in the Mail app, just follow these three steps: 1. Open the Mail app and use "Open in..." to send the source PDF file to PDF to Word Converter. 2. Go to the Flyingbee PDF to Word Converter app and tap to open the PDF file. 3. Click the "Convert" button to convert the PDF to a Word document. FAQ: Why do I get a "Conversion Failed" error message when extracting from a PDF file? Answer: Is the PDF restricted from printing or copying text? If your PDF file has password security and other restrictions, you need to enter the master password to remove the text copying restriction, or enable the OCR feature. == Subscription Information == The duration and price of each subscription are displayed in the app store and will be updated upon purchase. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal can be managed/turned off in your iTunes Account settings. Once a subscription is purchased, any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: https://www.flyingbee.com/term-of-service/ https://www.flyingbee.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Acrobat Reader4 screens
PDF to Word4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against PDF to Word's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on ratings volume (654K vs 72) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). PDF to Word's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF to Word sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Acrobat Reader against 4.5 for PDF to Word. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 49% and 48% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, PDF to Word every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Acrobat Reader versus PDF to Word: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcrobat ReaderPDF to Word
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (654K ratings) — better4.5 (72 ratings)
Positive reviews49.1% of reviews — better48.2% of reviews
Number of ratings654K — better72
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.315.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size522 MB149 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.建伟 徐

Customer experience

Acrobat Reader

All ratings654,141 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews3,152 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative46.5%

PDF to Word

All ratings72 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive48.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative49.4%

User reviews

Acrobat Reader

From 654K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Secure document storage
  • 👍 Convenient for reading and annotating PDFs
  • 👍 Useful for students and professionals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🔒 Overly intrusive login requirements
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 👎 Counterintuitive user interface changes
  • 🔍 Poor search and organization features

PDF to Word

From 72 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast conversion speed
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • ✅ Good conversion effect
  • 📄 Converts PDF to Word
  • 🖼️ Retains image and text formatting

Room to improve

  • ❌ Premium version required for full functionality
  • 💸 Paid and still doesn't work
  • 🐛 Crashing issues
  • 📄 Poor formatting after conversion
  • ❌ Limited free version (2 pages)

Bugs and requests

Acrobat Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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 to Word

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes when converting
  • Paid version does not work
  • Conversion results in uneditable images
  • Formatting is lost or corrupted
  • Upgrade button does not work
Show 5 more
  • App crashes when opening converted files
  • Inconsistent page limits after payment
  • Stopped working under iOS 8
  • Converted documents unreadable in Word
  • Crashing on file transfer

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support OCR function
  • Improve conversion of scanned PDFs
  • Fix crashing issues on iOS 8
  • Allow conversion of full pages after upgrade
  • Improve handling of complex formatting

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Acrobat Reader

Subscriptions16
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Acrobat Premium$4.991 Month
  • AI Assistant for Acrobat$6.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • Acrobat Premium$7.497 Days
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Weekly$9.997 Days
  • PDF Pack - Doc Creator$9.991 Month
  • Premium - Edit & Create PDF$9.991 Month
  • PDF Edit and Convert Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Acrobat Reader Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe ExportPDF$23.991 Year
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro$24.991 Month
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$48.991 Year
  • Acrobat Premium - Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
5 purchases

PDF to Word

Subscriptions1
  • PDF to Word - Pro Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time4
  • PDF to Word +1 Times$0.99
  • PDF to Word +10 Times$4.99
  • PDF to Word +100 Times$19.99
Show 1 more
  • PDF to Word - Pro Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Acrobat Reader free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF to Word free?
PDF to Word is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Acrobat Reader or PDF to Word?
Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF to Word averages 4.5 from 72 ratings.
Do Acrobat Reader or PDF to Word have ads?
PDF to Word shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, Acrobat Reader or PDF to Word?
Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF to Word every 6 weeks. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF to Word on September 10, 2026.

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