# Acrobat Reader vs AirScan

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AirScan at none against Acrobat Reader's 18. AirScan also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.3). Acrobat Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (654K vs 455). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. AirScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 455, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 73% of AirScan'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, AirScan every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | AirScan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.4 (455 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airscan-docs-scanner-to-pdf/id803059426/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 455 |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | **73.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.3 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [airSlate, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/565493707) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobat Reader

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Business, #13 Top Free · Business, #96 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


### AirScan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airscan-docs-scanner-to-pdf/id803059426)

Easily digitize paper documents into high-quality PDFs using your mobile device. Recognize text in multiple languages, edit scans, and convert them to various file formats. Securely store important documents like IDs and licenses within the app.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF, Text recognition (OCR) in 8 languages, Convert to DOCS, XLS, PPT, Edit and enhance scans, Add digital signatures, Email and print scans, Securely store IDs and licenses

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick document scanning and sharing
- 📧 Seamless email integration
- 💼 Great for business professionals on-the-go
- 🆓 No excessive in-app purchase prompts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📏 Limited document size compatibility
- 🖼️ Results similar to basic camera photos
- 🐛 Photos disappear after editing
- 📤 Unreliable email sending
- 🔧 Limited editing features

**Reported bugs**

- Email validation errors preventing app access
- Cursor placement issues when entering information
- App freezing on iPhone 6s Plus
- Incompatibility between app and PDF Filler after updates
- Email sending failures

**Requested features**

- Support for multiple document sizes
- Android version availability
- Advanced PDF editing features
- Built-in printing capability
- Improved photo persistence during editing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is AirScan free?

AirScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while AirScan averages 4.4 from 455 ratings.

### Do Acrobat Reader or AirScan have ads?

Neither Acrobat Reader nor AirScan shows ads.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and AirScan every 2 months. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 27, 2026 and AirScan on September 4, 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.*