Though Acrobat Reader and Acrobat both deal with PDF files, they don’t have the same functions.  They are actually complementary programs of one another.  The main differences between the two is that one is free and can only read PDF files and not create them, while the other can do both.  Though there are other essential differences, those are the basic ones.

Acrobat Reader vs. Adobe Acrobat

Acrobat Reader is free, while Acrobat is something that you have to buy.  Acrobat Reader allows users to be able to open PDF files.  Acrobat Reader is the program that allows you to create PDF files.  But Acrobat Reader is more powerful than that.  It can allow you to save documents into PDF files, scan documents, and transform them into PDF files through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.  Also, you can save web pages into PDF format for easy saving and archiving.  Adobe Acrobat also allows for digital signing, comment creation for peer reviews of the documents, and password security and encryption for the documents.  Acrobat can also easily allow you to include media files like video and images to a PDF document.  

The Adobe Reader can also enable other functions and capabilities of Acrobat Reader.  For example, if the PDF file made in Adobe Acrobat was saved with allowances for editing and saving, then people who can view those files through Adobe Reader can save their own copy and make alterations to the original copy.  When enabled to do so by Acrobat, you can also use Adobe Reader to digitally sign PDF files.  

So, as one can see, Adobe Reader is, in a way, on a level higher than Adobe Acrobat.  One can say that Acrobat allows the creation of PDF files, while Reader allows for the adoption of the file format of as much people as possible.  As creating a PDF file for public dissemination is futile if only the people with the program which created that file can read it, Adobe has created a way for people to make use and benefit from the file format even though they didn’t buy the software.  Since the Acrobat Reader is a free download and is included with every new computer released in the market, almost everyone can view PDF files, thus promoting the file format.  This is like free advertising for the PDF format and will get people interested in creating their own PDF files.  And thus, more people would be enticed to get the Adobe Acrobat.