# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Reader Pro

The clearest difference is price: Acrobat Reader at Free against PDF Reader Pro's $19.99. Acrobat Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). PDF Reader Pro's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.3). On in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Acrobat Reader is free to download; PDF Reader Pro costs $19.99 up front. Acrobat Reader sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Reader Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Acrobat Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 222, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 69% of PDF Reader Pro'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 Reader Pro every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Reader Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $19.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.3 (222 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-signedit-pdf/id883101890/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 222 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **68.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | #93 |
| Size | 522 MB | 180 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) | [PDF Technologies, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263126485) |

## 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 Reader Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-signedit-pdf/id883101890)

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Paid · Business (US App Store)

This app allows users to read, edit, annotate, sign, convert, and fill out PDF documents on their mobile devices. It offers features like text editing, image modification, page management, and OCR capabilities, making it a comprehensive tool for PDF management.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text and images, Annotate with highlights, notes, and drawings, Sign PDFs with custom signatures, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and more, Fill out interactive PDF forms, OCR scanned documents, Merge, split, and reorder PDF pages

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add 2-Device · Advanced Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Add Devices · Advanced Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Pro · AI Annual | $79.99 | per year |
| Convert PDF to Office Pack | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Efficient file management
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 👍 Seamless cloud integration
- 🚀 Fast performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Unreliable security features
- 💡 Limited text editing capabilities
- 🐛 Conversion issues (PDF to Word)
- 💡 Missing merge/reorder PDF functions

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupted PDF files after updates
- Disappearing files and loss of organization
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable PDF form filling
- Unexpected app crashes

**Requested features**

- Add undo/redo functionality
- Improve OCR accuracy
- Introduce password protection for PDFs
- Allow custom folder colors
- Enhance browser integration (history, new tabs)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobat Reader free?

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

### Is PDF Reader Pro free?

PDF Reader Pro costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

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

Acrobat Reader is rated higher. Acrobat Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 654K ratings, while PDF Reader Pro averages 4.3 from 222 ratings.

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

PDF Reader Pro shows ads; Acrobat Reader does not.

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

Acrobat Reader ships an update every 9 days, and PDF Reader Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Acrobat Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Reader Pro on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Acrobat Reader or PDF Reader Pro?

Acrobat Reader currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and PDF Reader Pro at #93. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*