Comparison

PDF Converter vs Adobe Scan

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

Head to head
About

PDF Converter

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
Read full description

PDF Converter & Editor: Your Complete PDF Toolkit File Management: Every tool you need to use PDFs, at your fingertips. Merge, split, compress, convert, rotate, unlock, and watermark PDFs with ease. Import files from cloud services like Drive, Box, and OneDrive. PDF Editor: Edit PDFs by adding text, shapes, comments, and highlights. A secure and simple tool for all your PDF editing needs. Enhance your PDF experience with our comprehensive PDF Annotation and Reader app. Whether you need to annotate documents for work, study, or personal use, or simply read PDFs with ease, our app has you covered. Key Features: * Annotation Tools: Highlight important text, add comments, draw shapes, and underline or strike through text to mark up your PDFs effectively. * Reader Mode: Switch to Reader Mode for a distraction-free reading experience. Adjust settings such as font size, background color, and brightness to suit your preferences. * Advanced Annotation: Use advanced tools like text box, sticky notes, and freehand drawing to customise your annotations and make your PDFs more interactive. * Document Management: Organise your PDF library with ease. Create folders, rename files, and move documents between folders for efficient file management. * Search and Navigation: Find specific content within your PDFs quickly using the search feature. Navigate through documents easily with page thumbnails and bookmarks. Additional Features: * PDF Form Filling: Fill out PDF forms directly within the app, saving time and paper. * Digital Signatures: Sign documents electronically with ease. Add, edit, or remove digital signatures as needed. * File Protection: Keep your PDFs secure with password protection and encryption. Key Features: Merge PDF: Combine multiple PDF files into one. Split PDF: Divide PDFs into smaller files. Compress PDF: Reduce PDF file size for easy sharing. CONVERT TO PDF JPG to PDF WORD to PDF POWERPOINT to PDF EXCEL to PDF HTML to PDF Additional Features: Invoice maker CV Maker AI PDF Summary CONVERT FROM PDF PDF to JPG PDF to WORD PDF to POWERPOINT PDF to EXCEL Experience the convenience of managing and editing PDFs with our comprehensive PDF Converter and Editor app. Easily merge, split, compress, and convert PDF files, and edit them with our intuitive PDF editor. Download now and unlock the full potential of your PDF files! Subscription Terms & Details Enjoy unlimited access to all features for $29.99/year, with a 3-day free trial. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account once the purchase is confirmed. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and disable auto-renewal at any time via your Account Settings. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. If you start a free trial and decide to subscribe, any remaining trial time will be forfeited. Privacy Policy: https://thepdfedit.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://thepdfedit.com/terms-and-conditions

About

Adobe Scan

Transform your mobile device into a powerful document scanner. Easily convert paper documents, receipts, and IDs into professional-looking PDFs or JPEGs. Enhance scans with automatic straightening, stain removal, and editable text conversion.

Highlights
  • High-speed bulk scanning
  • Convert paper to PDF/JPEG
  • Automatic straightening
  • Magic eraser for cleanup
  • Extract pages
  • Image to text OCR
  • Organize into folders
Read full description

Major update: The new Digitize tool lets you scan handwritten notes and whiteboards into editable, searchable documents that look digitally created. Currently available in beta. Adobe Scan is free to download and turns your mobile device into a powerful PDF and document scanner that helps you create, save, and organize your paper documents as digital files. 6 WAYS TO USE ADOBE SCAN 1) Save time with a fast document scanner: Use High-speed scan to bulk scan documents and turn stacks into PDFs in seconds. 2) Clean up scans with Magic eraser: Auto-detect and remove thumbs, shadows, stains and creases so your document scans look clear and professional. 3) Make a PDF with your phone: Convert paper documents or printed images into PDFs or JPEGs with the mobile PDF and photo scanner. 4) Use the Extract pages tool to choose the pages you need from any multi-page scan and save them as a new PDF. 5) Turn images to text: Use the image-to-text feature to make words in your scans searchable and editable with OCR. 6) Scan anything: Receipts, IDs, notes, recipes, photos, business cards, whiteboards – scan documents into PDF or JPEG files you can work with on your phone, tablet, or computer. CAPTURE WITH PRECISION • The Straighten tool fixes pages that come out curved or tilted while you scan, even if all four corners aren’t visible in the scan. • Advanced scanning technology detects borders, sharpens content, and makes your scans editable and searchable. ENHANCE YOUR SCANS • Edit in text lets you scan words, and handwritten text, to make it editable. • The Modify tool helps you crop, rotate, resize, and adjust colors in your scans. • Reorder pages and preview before saving. • Adjust the brightness and contrast of your scans in just a few taps. ORGANIZE YOUR DOCUMENTS • Scan paperwork and create custom folders for work documents, personal files, school forms, or ID scans. • Contact details are pulled straight from business cards so you can save them to your phone contacts in seconds. • Scans are automatically saved to Adobe Document Cloud for instant access and sharing. • Set a password to keep that important scan secure while you send it. SMART LIBRARY • This powerful doc scanner finds documents and receipts in your photo library and turns them into PDFs. • Touch up scans or photos directly from your camera roll. REUSE & SHARE • Open PDFs directly in Adobe Scan, without leaving the app. Then use tools like Modify, Edit, and Share. • Make high-quality PDFs that unlock text from images – from scanned contracts to study notes – so you can copy, edit, and reuse. • Export your scans to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for new formats, then share. DO MORE WITH ACROBAT READER • Open your PDF scan in Acrobat Reader to comment, highlight, fill forms, and sign documents. • Access and share securely across Scan, Reader, and Acrobat on web and mobile. IN-APP PURCHASE • Subscribe for even more scanning power. Subscriptions work across Scan and Reader mobile apps and Acrobat on the web. • Combine scans into one file so you can take multiple scans and consolidate into one document. • Increase OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages so that you can find text in multiple images. Download this free mobile scanner to convert important photos and documents into PDF and JPEG files to help you stay organized. Adobe Scan is the PDF converter trusted by millions worldwide. 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

Screenshots

PDF Converter4 screens
Adobe Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Adobe Scan at free with in-app purchases against PDF Converter's subscription. Adobe Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (1.6M vs 6K). PDF Converter's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence 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. PDF Converter sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Adobe Scan sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Adobe Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of PDF Converter's written reviews are positive against 82% of Adobe Scan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PDF Converter versus Adobe Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ConverterAdobe Scan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (6K ratings)4.9 (1.6M ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.4% of reviews82.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6K1.6M — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#13 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size468 MB400 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperTechgear IncAdobe Inc.

Customer experience

PDF Converter

All ratings6,011 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral3.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews1,420 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative27.7%

Adobe Scan

All ratings1,601,238 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews3,985 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative14.9%

User reviews

PDF Converter

From 6K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Adobe Scan

From 1.6M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Quick scanning
  • 👍 Convenient for on-the-go
  • 🚀 High-quality scans

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🐛 Issues with auto-cropping and alignment
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns around cloud storage
  • 💰 Expensive premium features

Bugs and requests

PDF Converter

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Adobe Scan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scans not saving properly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • Problems with multi-page document scanning

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to save scans locally without cloud sync
  • Improve edge detection and auto-cropping accuracy
  • Implement multi-language OCR support
  • Allow manual control over scan settings and adjustments

In-app purchases

13 purchases

PDF Converter

Subscriptions6
  • PDF Converter Pro with Editor3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Image to PDF Converter - PDF PRO$6.997 Days
  • PDF Converter, Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • PDF Converter Documents To PDF3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • PDF Converter Pro3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • PDF Converter - Convert to PDF Pro3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time7
  • Unlock-Clipboard-text-editing$0.99
  • Fonts$0.99
  • Unlock-UnLimted Web To PDF$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Dropbox,Box,Drive,SkyDrive and Evernote$0.99
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • PDF Annotation$0.99
  • Unlockall$19.99
13 purchases

Adobe Scan

Subscriptions13
  • Adobe Scan Premium$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Adobe PDF Pack$9.991 Month
Show 10 more
  • Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Premium$9.991 Month
  • Scan premium - monthly$14.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium1 Year trial$69.991 Year
  • Adobe PDF Pack$89.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Converter free?
PDF Converter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Adobe Scan free?
Adobe Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Converter or Adobe Scan?
Adobe Scan is rated higher. PDF Converter averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while Adobe Scan averages 4.9 from 1.6M ratings.
Do PDF Converter or Adobe Scan have ads?
Adobe Scan shows ads; PDF Converter does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Converter or Adobe Scan?
PDF Converter ships an update fortnightly, and Adobe Scan fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Converter was updated on October 31, 2026 and Adobe Scan on October 31, 2026.

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