Comparison

Obsidian vs READER

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Obsidian

Organize your thoughts and ideas with a powerful knowledge base that utilizes local Markdown files. This app acts as your personal second brain, accessible on your mobile device for seamless note-taking and idea connection.

Highlights
  • Local Markdown file storage
  • Customizable toolbar
  • Graph view for connections
  • Community plugins
  • Themes
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files. It is a second brain, for you, forever. Now available on the go for iOS! Features include: - Customizable toolbar - Pull down quick actions - Graph view - Community plugins - Themes - Sidebar pinning for tablet - iCloud vaults

About

READER

Features
Read full description

READER is a focused PDF reading app designed to help you build a real reading habit — one short session at a time. Import any PDF from the Files app and start reading right away. No account required. No sign-in. No tracking. Your files stay on your device. READER remembers exactly where you left off in every PDF, so you can always pick up where you stopped. A simple streak counter tracks how many days in a row you've read, and a session timer helps you start small — even 10 minutes counts. FEATURES — Open and read any PDF from Files — Zoom in, zoom out, and reset for comfortable reading — Previous and next page controls — Session timer with a daily reading goal — Reading streak — counts after just one minute — Recent PDFs with visual progress per book — Last page saved automatically for every PDF — No account, no login, no data collection — All files stay private on your device READER is for anyone who wants to read more but needs a simple, low-friction place to start.

Screenshots

Obsidian4 screens
READER4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Obsidian at #133 against READER's unranked. Obsidian also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Obsidian versus READER: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsidianREADER
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#133 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDynalist Inc.Eduardo Mora

Bugs and requests

Obsidian

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sync issues leading to data loss
  • Freezing and crashing on mobile devices
  • Editing bugs and text input issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved sorting and organization options
  • WYSIWYG editing on mobile
  • Better integration with other cloud storage services
  • More intuitive onboarding process for new users
  • Native mobile widgets and share sheet integration

READER

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

None

READER

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is READER free?
READER is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Obsidian or READER have ads?
Neither Obsidian nor READER shows ads.

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