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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Acrobat Reader vs PDF Editor ®

Acrobat Reader 4.7★ · Free to download 70
Winner Acrobat Reader
PDF Editor ® 4.5★ · Free + IAP 40

Acrobat Reader is the stronger choice for general PDF viewing and basic tasks, despite its own issues, while PDF Editor ® struggles with core editing functionality and aggressive monetization.

Full reviews: Acrobat Reader · PDF Editor ®

Acrobat Reader generally offers reliable PDF viewing and some editing capabilities, but users frequently complain about its cost, slowness, and customer service. PDF Editor ® is plagued by significant issues with editing, saving, and an aggressive subscription model that frustrates many users.

Head to head

Features and Functionality edge: Acrobat ReaderR2R9R12R27
Acrobat Reader Acrobat Reader is praised for opening all kinds of documents and being a vital tool for personal and professional use R2. However, some users report issues with specific features, like checkboxes not appearing after updates or difficulties with AI features R12R27. Many find it difficult to perform promised tasks and feel it's not keeping up with modern needs R9.
PDF Editor ® PDF Editor ® is lauded by some for being an all-in-one tool for editing, merging, splitting, and signing PDFs, and for making resume creation easy . However, a significant number of users report that the text editor is trash, doesn't match fonts, and often prevents saving changes R61. Some users cannot even edit documents or select text .
Ease of Use edge: Acrobat ReaderR2R10R22R28
Acrobat Reader Users have mixed experiences, with some calling Acrobat Reader excellent, convenient, and easy to use R2. Others find it slow, not user-friendly, and overly complicated for simple tasks R10. There are also complaints about difficulty signing in and poor instructions R22R28.
PDF Editor ® Some users find PDF Editor ® super simple and easy to use, especially for beginners . Conversely, many find it horribly difficult to use, with options disappearing and an inability to perform simple tasks like saving . The app is also described as slow and lagging .
Reliability and Performance edge: Acrobat ReaderR10R12R18R21
Acrobat Reader Acrobat Reader is described as accurate and a great tool . However, numerous reviews mention the app being slow, often glitching, freezing, and crashing R10R18R21. Some users report issues with forms not displaying correctly on mobile after updates R12.
PDF Editor ® PDF Editor ® users report frequent crashes after editing and the app closing without saving data R66. Some features disappear, requiring the app to reload, and it's described as slow and lagging .
Price and Value edge: Acrobat ReaderR7R13R16R25
Acrobat Reader Acrobat Reader is frequently criticized for its cost, with users feeling trapped into paying for features and bombarded with upgrade opportunities R13R25R41. Many express that simple tasks require payment and that the app is too expensive R25R53. There are also complaints about deceptive free trials and difficult cancellations R7R16R57.
PDF Editor ® PDF Editor ® faces overwhelming criticism for its pricing model, with users calling it a paywall app, greedy, and a rip-off R64. Many are frustrated by being forced to pay for basic functions like saving edits, and the weekly subscription fee of $7 is considered ridiculous R64R67. There are also reports of being charged for free trials or annual subscriptions without consent R71.
Customer Support and Billing tieR7R16R19R57
Acrobat Reader Acrobat Reader users report extremely poor customer service experiences, with one user unable to find a way to contact them after being wrongly charged R7R19. There are multiple complaints about being charged after canceling subscriptions or free trials, and difficulty with the cancellation process itself R7R16R57.
PDF Editor ® PDF Editor ® users report no way to contact the app owner after being wrongly charged R71. Many find it almost impossible to cancel subscriptions, with customer service web pages being unavailable . Users are charged for free trials or annual subscriptions without clear consent R71.
Pick Acrobat Reader if

You need a widely compatible PDF reader for general viewing and occasional basic editing, and are willing to navigate potential subscription costs for advanced features R2.

Pick PDF Editor ® if

You are looking for a very simple PDF tool for basic tasks and are prepared to pay a subscription, or if you find its specific interface particularly intuitive .

Evidence note: Both apps have significant complaints regarding their pricing models and customer service, making it difficult to definitively declare an edge in that dimension. Acrobat Reader has a much larger user base, which naturally leads to a greater volume of diverse feedback, both positive and negative.

Frequently asked

Is Acrobat Reader truly free?
Acrobat Reader is free to download, but many users report that advanced features, editing capabilities, and even saving documents often require a paid subscription, with some feeling trapped into paying R25R41R53.
What are the main complaints about PDF Editor ®?
The main complaints about PDF Editor ® revolve around its aggressive subscription model, with users being charged weekly ($7) or annually ($60, $49.99) for basic features like saving edits, and many reporting charges even after canceling free trials or without clear consent R64R67R71. Users also frequently report issues with editing functionality, inability to save changes, and app crashes R61R66.
Do either of these apps have issues with subscriptions and cancellations?
Yes, both apps have significant issues with subscriptions and cancellations; Acrobat Reader users report being charged after canceling free trials or subscriptions and difficulty reaching customer service R7R16R19, while PDF Editor ® users also report being charged for free trials, difficulty canceling, and no way to contact support R71.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Acrobat Reader 5/5 · US Genial: Está app es excelente. Abre toda clase de documentos recomendablemente 100%
  2. [R9] Acrobat Reader 3/5 · US Sucks: Promises wonderful things, but it’s so difficult to what it says it will do that. It’s almost to work on. They’re real frustrating mess.
  3. [R12] Acrobat Reader 3/5 · US New update: My check boxes are not appearing on my phone when using a form, but They appear on the desktop. It was there before but not after this update.
  4. [R27] Acrobat Reader 3/5 · GB Ai and paid: The ai features aren’t good and you have to pay for most of the good features. There are better alternatives.
  5. [R10] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Slow and hard to use: This app is slow, often glitches and is not user friendly
  6. [R22] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US How to use: Instructions on how to install acrobat app on PC laptop and use the product are very poor
  7. [R28] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US They make it hard to sign in: They don’t seem to care about productivity
  8. [R18] Acrobat Reader 3/5 · GB Soooo slow!: App itself is fine and works well, but takes an age to open (like 20+ seconds to open a small sized standard PDF document). Seriously, what is the app doing to take so long to load - I can open the same documents in other PDF reader apps virtually instantly…
  9. [R21] Acrobat Reader 3/5 · GB Acrobat: The app is great but it keep freezes and unable to type and get you out of the app and won’t save your files it is a shame been using this app for years for my work , the app has soo many bugs that need fixing .
  10. [R7] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Charged after Canceling subscription: I canceled 2 months after that the company charged me $29.99… I didn’t find some mail to write message to them. Thank you.
  11. [R13] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Traps People: Adobe traps you into their universe so they can charge a bunch of money. Not cool.
  12. [R16] Acrobat Reader 2/5 · US Billing Scam: I signed up for a 7 day free trial and cancelled it the same day (I have proof) and was still charged $14.99. After speaking with Apple, they said that I may have had a subscription in the past which is definitely not the case. Presenting consumers with a trial that is not honored is a deceptive practice.
  13. [R25] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Money !?: I just don’t have $14 to view and save one document that I need to rent an apartment. If I ran a business or was a regular writer I could justify $14 a month, but that’s a lot outa small pocket
  14. [R19] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Tries to temporarily cancel: It would be hard to put into words the dissatisfaction in my experience with customer service for this product. I intended to shut it off temporarily, but, now, I will not go back and I will do my best to avoid Adobe products of any kind in the future.
  15. [R57] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Cancellation is not allowed after trial: Cancel
  16. [R41] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Great, if you want to spend $$$: You immediately are bombarded with “opportunities” to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. You have options to export to Word…but, wait! That requires upgrade for $$$$. You can’t use half the functionality without (wait for it!) upgrade $$$$. If you are reminiscent of hucksters at carnivals and circuses, offering one thing and then fleecing you out of your money, then this i
  17. [R53] Acrobat Reader 1/5 · US Garbage: You have to pay to do simple tasks
  18. [R61] PDF Editor ® 1/5 · US Trash: The text editor is total trash, it doesn’t automatically match your old font you have to search for matching fonts and when you do it won’t let you use it keeps changing to Arial fonts
  19. [R64] PDF Editor ® 1/5 · US what is the point: whats the point of a pdf app that blocks half the settings if you dont pay for it???? and why is it weekly instead of a one time payment? greedy useless app
  20. [R66] PDF Editor ® 3/5 · US Works good but app keeps crashing after edit: Crash
  21. [R67] PDF Editor ® 1/5 · US Editing Problems: I downloaded this app just to fix one date on my resume and it wouldn’t let me save the changes. Also $7 a WEEK is ridiculous for an app unless you’re always editing documents from your phone
  22. [R71] PDF Editor ® 5/5 · US Rip off: I did not activate the free trial but they automatically set the free trial up. Then in the process of trying to cancel the free trial, an annual subscription was charged when I went to the settings to cancel. So I am out $60 with no way to contact this app owner!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store