# PDF Reader Pro vs Adobe Scan

The clearest difference is rating: Adobe Scan at 4.9 against PDF Reader Pro's 4.4. Adobe Scan also leads on ratings volume (1.6M vs 437) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). PDF Reader Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader Pro sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year and Adobe Scan sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 437, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of PDF Reader Pro's written reviews are positive against 83% of Adobe Scan's.

PDF Reader Pro ships an update every 2 months, Adobe Scan fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader Pro | Adobe Scan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (437 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pro-lite-edition/id919472509/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-ocr-scanner/id1199564834/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 437 | **1.6M** |
| Positive reviews | 63.7% of reviews | **82.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#12** |
| Size | 194 MB | 398 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PDF Technologies, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263126485) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Adobe Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-ocr-scanner/id1199564834)

**Currently charting:** #12 Top Grossing · Business, #32 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Scan premium - monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader Pro free?

PDF Reader Pro 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 Reader Pro or Adobe Scan?

Adobe Scan is rated higher. PDF Reader Pro averages 4.4 out of 5 from 437 ratings, while Adobe Scan averages 4.9 from 1.6M ratings.

### Do PDF Reader Pro or Adobe Scan have ads?

Both PDF Reader Pro and Adobe Scan show ads.

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

PDF Reader Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Adobe Scan fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Reader Pro was updated on September 22, 2026 and Adobe Scan on September 25, 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.*