Comparison

Simple Markdown Editor vs Read.md

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

Head to head
About

Simple Markdown Editor

Easily edit markdown text with syntax highlighting, image and table support, and intuitive controls. Switch seamlessly between editing and preview modes, with auto-save and easy export options. Ideal for notes, meeting minutes, and writing.

Highlights
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Image and table support
  • Intuitive editing
  • Split-screen preview
  • Auto-save functionality
  • Export and share options
  • Dark theme support
Features
Read full description

Simple Markdown Application can easily edit markdown text. It also supports syntax highlighting during editing and inserting links, images, and tables, enabling a variety of expressions. It is used in the following situations. - Create meeting minutes - Idea book - Writing - Simple notepad Since it can be used for anything managed with markdown, there are reports of various usages. If you want to take notes in markdown, please try it. ■ Features * Intuitive operability Ease of use is the most important thing for simple functions. It works quickly and you can edit intuitively. * Smooth switching to preview Simply swipe the screen left or right to switch between the edit screen and the preview screen. * Various expressions It supports not only basic expressions such as bullet points and links, but also images, tables, codes, and formulas. Therefore, it can be used in a variety of situations. * Easy cursor movement You can move up, down, left and right with the cross cursor button. Easier movement makes editing smoother. * Auto save When you edit the text, it is saved automatically, so you don't forget to save it. * Ready to use You can use it immediately without registering an account. * Export and share You can export the created data, share it, or edit it on your PC. * Dark theme support Since it supports a dark theme, it is also ideal for use at night.

About

Read.md

This app allows you to beautifully view markdown files on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It offers perfect rendering of complex elements like tables, code blocks, and diagrams, with offline support and privacy in mind.

Highlights
  • Perfect markdown rendering
  • Syntax highlighting for 180+ languages
  • Mermaid diagram rendering
  • GitHub repository browsing
  • Export to PDF & HTML (Pro)
  • Smart diagram fixing
  • Auto-generated table of contents
Features
Read full description

Open any .md file and read it beautifully — on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Read.md is a markdown reader. Not an editor, not a note-taking app, not a vault system. A reader. Tap a .md file, it opens, it looks great, you read it. PERFECT RENDERING Tables, code blocks, nested lists, task lists, blockquotes, images, links — everything renders correctly. Syntax highlighting for 180+ programming languages. GitHub Flavored Markdown fully supported. MERMAID DIAGRAMS Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, class diagrams, and more render natively. Tap to zoom into any diagram for a detailed view. EXPORT TO WORD, PDF & HTML Turn any document into a real Word (.docx) file with proper headings, tables, lists and code blocks, a clean, paginated, print-quality PDF, or a self-contained HTML file — diagrams and images intact. Share it, print it, archive it. Or export the original Markdown source. (Word, PDF and HTML export are Read.md Pro; Markdown export is free.) OPEN FROM GITHUB Read documentation straight from the source. Browse any GitHub repository — public or private — navigate its file tree, and open any .md file with the same beautiful rendering. Sign in with a personal access token; your token stays on your device. (Read.md Pro) SMART DIAGRAM FIXER ASCII art and box-drawing diagrams that look broken in other apps? Read.md detects and corrects misaligned characters automatically so your diagrams look the way they were intended. NAVIGATE LONG DOCUMENTS Auto-generated table of contents from your headings. Search within any document with match highlighting and next/prev navigation. Your scroll position is remembered when you come back to a file. ZERO FRICTION No account needed to read. No workspace. No vault. No setup. Works as your default .md file handler — open markdown and plain-text files from Files, Finder, email attachments, AirDrop, the share sheet, or drag and drop. ADAPTS TO YOUR DEVICE iPhone: stacked navigation with a frosted-glass nav bar and bottom sheets. iPad: landscape split-view, portrait slide-over panels, trackpad and keyboard support. Mac: split-view with sidebar, reader, and table-of-contents panel, keyboard shortcuts, and translucent panels. Everything adapts automatically when you resize windows or rotate your device. DARK AND LIGHT MODES Switch between dark and light themes, or follow your system setting. Adjust font size to your preference. Everything updates live. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Opens instantly, even large files. Your markdown is rendered entirely on your device — file contents are never uploaded, and reading works fully offline. No ads. No account required to read. The only feature that touches the network is GitHub browsing, and only when you choose to use it. We use anonymous, aggregate analytics to improve the app. READ.MD PRO A one-time purchase — or a yearly subscription with a free trial — unlocks Word/PDF/HTML export and GitHub browsing. Everything else stays free, forever. WHAT PEOPLE USE IT FOR Reading AI-generated markdown exports. Turning markdown into Word documents for colleagues. Reading GitHub README files on mobile. Viewing documentation and project specs on the go. Reviewing technical docs from colleagues. Browsing personal notes written in markdown. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Simple Markdown Editor4 screens
Read.md4 screens

Verdict

The call

Simple Markdown Editor and Read.md both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 88% of Read.md's written reviews are positive against 50% of Simple Markdown Editor's. Read.md also leads on ratings volume (81 vs 3). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Simple Markdown Editor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Read.md sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Simple Markdown Editor against 5.0 for Read.md. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read.md has 81 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Simple Markdown Editor's written reviews are positive against 88% of Read.md's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Markdown Editor ships an update monthly, Read.md fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Simple Markdown Editor versus Read.md: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Markdown EditorRead.md
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (81 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews88.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings381 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYUKI TANAIKEPavel Abin

Customer experience

Simple Markdown Editor

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Read.md

All ratings81 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral11.8%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple Markdown Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Simple Markdown Pro Monthly.$0.991 Month
  • Simple Markdown Pro (Annual)$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Read.md

Subscriptions1
  • Read.md Pro Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Read.md Pro (Lifetime)$24.99

Questions

Is Simple Markdown Editor free?
Simple Markdown Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read.md free?
Read.md is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Markdown Editor or Read.md?
Simple Markdown Editor and Read.md are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 81 ratings respectively.
Do Simple Markdown Editor or Read.md have ads?
Neither Simple Markdown Editor nor Read.md shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Markdown Editor or Read.md?
Simple Markdown Editor ships an update monthly, and Read.md fortnightly. Most recently, Simple Markdown Editor was updated on October 4, 2026 and Read.md on October 8, 2026.

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