# SiYuan vs ReadFlow

The clearest difference is rating: ReadFlow at 4.8 against SiYuan's 4.0. ReadFlow also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 68%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs weekly). SiYuan's advantage is ratings volume (29 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SiYuan sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and ReadFlow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReadFlow holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SiYuan has 29 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of SiYuan's written reviews are positive against 100% of ReadFlow's.

SiYuan ships an update weekly, ReadFlow every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SiYuan | ReadFlow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508/reviews) | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readflow/id6447425350/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **29** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 359 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583226510) | [实 许](https://appshunter.io/developer/681075194) |

## What reviewers say

### SiYuan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508)

A privacy-focused personal knowledge management system that allows offline use and encrypted data synchronization. It combines blocks, outlines, and bidirectional links to help users organize and refine their thoughts.

**Highlights:** Privacy-first design, Offline data storage, End-to-end encrypted sync, Block-based organization, Outline structuring, Bidirectional linking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO Features | $79.99 | one-time |
| Subscription | $188.99 | one-time |


### ReadFlow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readflow/id6447425350)

This app transforms PDF documents into a comfortable reading experience on small screens. It offers text reflow, customization options for fonts and themes, and iCloud sync for seamless access across devices. Enjoy reading PDFs as easily as other ebook formats.

**Highlights:** PDF text reflow for mobile, Customizable fonts and themes, Import custom font files, iCloud sync, PDF file cropping, Metadata editing, Generate and share reflowed text

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ReadFlow Pro 1x | $0.99 | per month |
| ReadFlow Pro 12x | $9.99 | per year |
| ReadFlow Pro ∞ | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SiYuan free?

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

### Is ReadFlow free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SiYuan or ReadFlow?

ReadFlow is rated higher. SiYuan averages 4.0 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while ReadFlow averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do SiYuan or ReadFlow have ads?

Neither SiYuan nor ReadFlow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SiYuan or ReadFlow?

SiYuan ships an update weekly, and ReadFlow every 4 days. Most recently, SiYuan was updated on September 23, 2026 and ReadFlow on September 19, 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.*