# Pretext — Markdown & Plain Text Editor

> Markdown and plain text editor with Files app integration and HTML preview. (iPhone/iPad app by Sam Oakley.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pretext/id1347707000 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sam Oakley](https://appshunter.io/developer/591613205)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 1,475 App Store ratings · 207 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 4 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-04-25
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pretext/id1347707000/reviews.md

## What is Pretext?

Pretext is a simple but feature-filled Markdown and plain text editor.

• Markdown syntax highlighting
• HTML preview and export
• Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts
• Quick-tap format options
• Files app/Document provider support
• Seamless iOS integration
• Customisable font size
• Full undo/redo/revert-all-changes support
• Dark theme and icon (in-app purchase required)

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"This app is now my default solution for quickly creating .md files to share with other people." - Federico Viticci, MacStories

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‪Pretext is designed to work seamlessly with iCloud Drive and other file providers. This means you can open files directly from your Files app, and any changes are saved right back, available to use on other devices and in other applications. No clunky import and export steps just to make an edit – instead, you keep full control of your files.

Pretext works great on all your iOS devices. Thanks to comprehensive keyboard shortcuts, Pretext works especially well with iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard.

 If you encounter any problems, please get in touch at pretext@blork.co.uk, tweet @pretext_app, or post at /r/pretextapp.

## Key features

- Markdown syntax highlighting
- HTML preview and export
- Files app/Document provider support
- Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts
- Customisable font size
- Full undo/redo support
- Dark theme option

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dark Theme + App Icons | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Pretext?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- 🚀 Efficient file editing
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🔒 Integrates with cloud storage
- 💡 Useful for writing Markdown files

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Limited file format support
- 🤔 Confusing workflow (e.g., having to save before editing)
- 📝 Lacks advanced features (e.g., search, font customization)

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening large text files
- Corrupts files in some cases
- Unresponsive close button
- Issues with keyboard and cursor handling

**Most requested features**

- Add support for more file formats (e.g., .css, .html)
- Implement a search function
- Allow customization of font and text settings
- Improve handling of cloud sync conflicts

## Recent user reviews (10 of 207)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pretext/id1347707000/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Too limited

*2026-03-06, version 1.1.0*

Doesn’t handle tables.  Doesn’t handle UTF-8 without a BOM.

### 5/5 — This is the best text editor app hands down!

*2026-02-17, version 1.1.0*

LOVE IT!

### 5/5 — Gets work done but need some more feature

*2025-12-10, version 1.1.0*

Almost perfect, but few issues I faced is when we are writting text in middle of text file and then switch apps and come back cursor automatically goes to bottom forcing us to again scroll to text where one was editing.
2.  There should be functionality to search across the text, missing search feature.

### 1/5 — Doesnt open grok markdown files

*2025-09-02, version 1.1.0*

Advertises it, but does not open markdown files

### 1/5 — Shouldn’t have to save before you start typing

*2025-08-12, version 1.1.0*

I downloaded this to have a Text Edit equivalent on iOS, because I do a lot of copy/paste where I want plain text. Biggest flaw here is you have to create/save a file before you do anything, rather than just start typing and save (or in my case don’t) later. So this won’t work for me. I’ll stick with Notes for now.

### 4/5 — Bonne appli, ne lag pas

*2025-06-30, version 1.1.0*

Marche bien pour les gros fichiers et ne lag pas vraiment.

### 5/5 — The little editor that could

*2025-05-31, version 1.1.0*

Imagine being able to simply open plaintext and markdown files.

iOS can’t, this app can.

Thank you, Pretext.

### 1/5 — App crashes

*2025-04-28, version 1.1.0*

After install, I create a new md document and begin editing.  When I tap return on keyboard, the app crashes.  Unusable.

### 5/5 — Pay option is failed

*2025-02-21, version 1.1.0*

Great app and works very well. I can’t tell I am using Pretext or Files app ☺️

Unable to pay for the additional features. Got an error.

### 1/5 — Stop bugging me.

*2025-02-12, version 1.1.0*

I gave a one star rating because I could barely get 5 minutes into trying this App out, and every time I turned around it pops up this obnoxious rating and review dialog. You want a rating? One out of five. You want a review? Stop asking for a goddamn review every time I leave and return to the app. That is a terrible experience.

## Frequently asked questions about Pretext

### What does Pretext do?

Pretext is a Markdown and plain text editor for iOS devices. It provides features like syntax highlighting, HTML preview and export, and seamless integration with the Files app, allowing you to edit documents directly from iCloud Drive and other document providers.

### What are the key features of Pretext?

Key features include Markdown syntax highlighting, an HTML preview and export function, comprehensive keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing, quick-tap formatting options, and support for the Files app for direct document access and saving. It also offers customizable font sizes and full undo/redo capabilities.

### Is Pretext free to use?

The core functionality of Pretext is available for free. However, certain customization options, such as the dark theme and icon, require an in-app purchase to unlock.

### What devices is Pretext compatible with?

Pretext is designed to work seamlessly on all iOS devices. It is particularly well-suited for the iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard due to its comprehensive keyboard shortcut support.

### How does Pretext handle file saving?

Pretext integrates with the Files app and document providers like iCloud Drive. This allows you to open files directly from your Files app and save changes back to their original location without needing clunky import or export steps, ensuring you maintain full control over your files.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.0 — 2020-01-26

Thanks for using Pretext! This update adds support for system Dark Mode* and Multi-Window (on iPadOS).
If you encounter any problems, please get in touch at pretext@blork.co.uk, tweet @pretext_app, or post at /r/pretextapp.

*Pretext's theme now follows the system setting for Dark Mode. The in-app purchase now unlocks fixed themes, if you always want light or dark enabled regardless of the system theme.

### 1.0.3 — 2019-03-25

Thanks for using Pretext! This update adds support for newer device screen sizes.
If you encounter any problems, please get in touch at pretext@blork.co.uk, tweet @pretext_app, or post at /r/pretextapp.

### 1.0.2 — 2018-05-07

Thanks for using Pretext! This update adds better support for non-Latin languages by supporting more file encoding types.

If you encounter any problems, please get in touch at pretext@blork.co.uk, tweet @pretext_app, or post at /r/pretextapp.

### 1.0.1 — 2018-04-29

Thanks for downloading Pretext! This update addresses several issues.

- Fixed issue where purchases would need to be restored on every re-launch
- Fixed issue where syntax highlighting would break if the file contained "/r/n" characters for new lines (i.e. created on Windows)
- Fixed crash when using certain shortcut in a blank file
- Correctly open files selected in the Files app
- Improve keyboard scroll behaviour
- Prevent interaction before document has loaded

 If you encounter any problems, please get in touch at pretext@blork.co.uk, tweet @pretext_app, or post at /r/pretextapp.

### 1.0.0 — 2018-04-24

No release notes.

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## More apps by Sam Oakley

- [Pinner for Pinboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinner-for-pinboard/id591613202)
- [Tasked: Simple To-do Lists](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tasked-simple-to-do-lists/id790342486)
- [Jobsworth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jobsworth/id6475964365)

All apps by Sam Oakley: https://appshunter.io/developer/591613205

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*