Comparison

Five Hours vs Plain Markdown

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

Head to head
About

Five Hours

Features
Read full description

Unlock Your Potential with Five Hours Follow the 5-hour rule by setting aside one hour a day for focused learning, experimentation, or reflection. Five Hours is a minimalist, privacy-focused productivity app designed to help you stay consistent and intentional with your personal growth. Unlike traditional time trackers, this app emphasizes quality over quantity. It’s all about documenting what you learned, how you grew, and the skills you developed. Key Features: β€’ Quick Logging: Add a new session with a title, notes, activity type (Learn, Experiment, Reflect), date, duration, and the skills you worked on. β€’ Weekly View: See all your entries for the current week and track your progress at a glance. β€’ History & Filters: Browse your full session history with powerful search and filtering. β€’ Private by Design: No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your device. If you’re serious about personal growth, Five Hours helps you stay accountable, one hour at a time.

About

Plain Markdown

Features
Read full description

Plain Markdown Read your .md files in place. Pick a folder on your iPhone or in iCloud Drive. The app lists every .md file inside β€” nothing more, nothing less. Tap a file to read it; the markdown is rendered with quiet, weight-driven typography that gets out of the way. The app uses Apple's standard folder picker, so it works with iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, and any third-party Files app provider (Dropbox, Google Drive, Working Copy, etc.). Pick once, and the app remembers β€” drill into subfolders, come back, switch folders. No accounts. No sync engine. No editor. Just a reader. Β· Folder picker with iCloud Drive and Files-app provider support Β· Drill into subfolders β€” back-button navigation Β· Inline images (jpg, png, gif, webp, svg, heic, heif, bmp, avif) Β· GitHub-flavored markdown: tables, blockquotes, code blocks, task lists, strikethrough Β· Adjustable text size (5 steps) Β· Light & dark mode Β· Mono body font option for code-style reading Β· Local only β€” your files never leave your device Privacy This app does not collect data, display ads, or communicate with any server. The folder picker is Apple's. Files are read on-device only. There are no analytics, no third-party SDKs, no telemetry. Less, but better.

Screenshots

Five Hours4 screens
Plain Markdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Five Hours at $1.99 against Plain Markdown's $2.99. Plain Markdown's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Five Hours costs $1.99 and Plain Markdown $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Five Hours versus Plain Markdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive HoursPlain Markdown
Price$1.99 β€” better$2.99
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS18.014.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size3 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTiago CostaYongmin Ji

In-app purchases

None

Five Hours

No in-app purchases

None

Plain Markdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Five Hours free?
Five Hours costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plain Markdown free?
Plain Markdown costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Five Hours or Plain Markdown have ads?
Neither Five Hours nor Plain Markdown shows ads.

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