# Acrobat Reader vs PDF Reader Pro

The clearest difference is ads: Acrobat Reader at none against PDF Reader Pro's shown. Acrobat Reader also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (654K vs 437). PDF Reader Pro's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.3). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Reader Pro sells 6 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Acrobat Reader has 654K ratings behind it against 437, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Acrobat Reader's written reviews are positive against 64% 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. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobat Reader | PDF Reader Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (654K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobat-reader-pdf-editor/id469337564/reviews)** | [4.4 (437 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-lite-edition/id919472509/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **654K** | 437 |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **63.7% 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** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 194 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, #14 Top Free · Business, #100 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-lite-edition/id919472509)

This app offers comprehensive tools for managing PDF documents on mobile devices. It allows users to read, edit text and images, annotate, fill forms, convert to various formats, compress files, and perform OCR. Organize, protect, and share your PDFs with ease.

**Highlights:** Read PDFs with multiple viewing options, Edit PDF text and images, Annotate with highlights, notes, and drawings, Fill out PDF forms, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and other formats, Perform OCR on PDFs, Compress PDF file sizes

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add 2-Device · Advanced Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Add Devices · Advanced Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Pro · Advanced Annual | $79.99 | per year |
| PDF Pro · AI Annual | $79.99 | per year |
| Permanent License | $24.99 | one-time |
| PDF Pro · Advanced Permanent | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features like highlighting and annotating
- 👍 Great for reading and studying PDFs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Security issues with locked files
- 💰 Expensive upgrade to unlock full functionality
- 🤖 Poor customer support and unresponsive developers

**Reported bugs**

- Annotations not saving or displaying correctly
- App crashing when trying to convert or edit PDFs
- Syncing issues between devices
- Unexpected password locks on files

**Requested features**

- Undo/redo functionality for annotations
- More font and theme options
- Improved compatibility with cloud storage services
- Better support for older devices


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

### 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 4.4 from 437 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 25, 2026 and PDF Reader Pro on September 22, 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.*