# Blink vs Readonly

The clearest difference is price: Readonly at Free against Blink's $2.99. Readonly also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 74%). Blink's advantage is ratings volume (168 vs 15) and iOS requirement (13 vs 16.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Readonly is free to download; Blink costs $2.99 up front. Blink sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Readonly sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Blink against 4.4 for Readonly. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blink has 168 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Blink's written reviews are positive against 100% of Readonly's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blink | Readonly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (168 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-quick-notes-and-widget/id1182856129/reviews) | **[4.4 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readonly-read-it-later/id6452241434/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **168** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 74.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 22 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [EUIHYUNG JUNG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1744853554) | [龙 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680445870) |

## What reviewers say

### Blink

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-quick-notes-and-widget/id1182856129)

Capture thoughts instantly with this minimalist notepad. It prioritizes speed and simplicity, offering a unique layout to view all your notes at a glance. Ideal for quick ideas, to-dos, and reminders without complex organization.

**Highlights:** Lightning-fast entry, Clean minimal design, Priority markers, Hourly reminders, Home screen widget, Voice dictation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pages | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and straightforward
- 🚀 Quick and easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient voice dictation
- 👍 Minimalist and clean design
- 👍 Helpful reminders and notifications

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widget display issues
- 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
- 🐛 Backup and sync issues
- 🔧 Lack of customization options
- 🔧 Limited organizational features

**Reported bugs**

- Dictation not working on some devices
- Purchased features not persisting
- Crashing when using backup/restore
- Widget displaying text incorrectly

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode or customizable colors
- Implement iCloud or cross-device sync
- Allow rearranging and reordering of items
- Add support for iPad and Apple Watch
- Improve notification scheduling and controls


### Readonly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readonly-read-it-later/id6452241434)

Save articles from other apps to read later in a comfortable, distraction-free environment. Organize your saved content with tags, highlight key passages, and add notes for deeper comprehension. Customize the reading experience with various themes and layout adjustments.

**Highlights:** Quickly save articles from other apps, Highlight text and add notes, Organize articles with tags, Customize reading themes and layout, Synchronize data via iCloud, Export articles in Markdown format

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Purchase(iOS) | $2.99 | one-time |
| 永久购买（macOS） | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blink free?

Blink costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Readonly free?

Readonly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Blink or Readonly?

Readonly is rated higher. Blink averages 4.3 out of 5 from 168 ratings, while Readonly averages 4.4 from 15 ratings.

### Do Blink or Readonly have ads?

Neither Blink nor Readonly shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blink or Readonly?

Blink ships an update every 3 weeks, and Readonly every 3 weeks. Most recently, Blink was updated on September 24, 2026 and Readonly on August 30, 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.*