Sandbook vs blank
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sandbook
This app converts text into natural-sounding speech using an on-device model. Read ePub, PDF, and TXT files, type or paste text, or even read webpages aloud. Export audio files for offline listening with complete privacy.
- On-device text-to-speech
- Reads ePub, PDF, TXT files
- Type or paste text
- Read webpages aloud
- Export audio files
- Privacy protection
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Sandbook reads books, documents and articles aloud in natural voices, entirely on your iPhone or iPad. Nothing you read is uploaded, and there is no account, no subscription and no ads. NATURAL VOICES, OFFLINE - 41 voices in American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi - A book in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese or Hindi opens with a voice in its language - Powered by the open-source Kokoro model, running locally; no internet connection needed - Follow along as each spoken word is highlighted - Speed from 0.5x to 2.5x; each book remembers its voice and speed READ ALMOST ANYTHING - Import EPUB, PDF, Word (.docx), TXT, RTF, Markdown and HTML files - Add a web page by pasting a link, or share it from Safari - Scan printed pages with the camera, or pick a photo, and listen - Send files or selected text from any app with the share sheet, or type and paste your own - Open a document straight from the Files app with Open With, or set Sandbook as its default app LISTEN THE WAY YOU READ - Opens at the paragraph where you stopped - Keep listening when you leave the book, with a mini player at the bottom of the screen - Bookmarks, and search inside a book - Sleep timer: stop after a set time or at the end of the chapter - Passages you've already heard play back instantly - In a PDF, the sentence being read is highlighted on the page; tap any sentence to read from there - Reading options: light, sepia and dark themes, fonts, text size and line spacing - Appearance: light, dark or matching your system - See each book's length, listening time and the time left in the chapter - Prepare a chapter's audio ahead of time, then keep listening with the screen locked; prepared chapters replay instantly - Continue Reading with Siri or the Shortcuts app - Export any text as an M4A audio file ACCESSIBILITY - VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, larger text and contrast improvements - The app is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Hindi PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your books, text and voices stay on your device. Sandbook never sends what you read to a server. GOOD TO KNOW - Voices require iPhone 12 or later, or an iPad with an A14 or M1 chip or later. Sandbook also needs iOS 18.2 or later. - Real-time reading pauses when the screen locks. To listen with the screen off, prepare the chapter first. Questions or ideas: support@sandbook.app
blank
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blank is the fastest way to write markdown on iPhone. Your notes are a folder of plain .md files you own — nothing copied, nothing converted. Open an existing folder or create a new one, and start writing. Everything is local-first: no account, no analytics, no lock-in. Writing first - Live markdown styling as you type — headings, bold, lists, quotes, and code styled in place, never a split-pane preview. - Reading mode hides the markers for a clean read; focus mode fades everything but your words. - A markdown keyboard bar, smart lists, and a typeface chosen for long-form writing. Find anything, instantly - Full-text search as you type, with the match highlighted. - A quick switcher to jump to any note. - Wikilinks and backlinks to connect your notes; tags to group them. Yours, forever - Plain .md files, readable by any other app. Works in place on existing folders, including Obsidian vaults. - Store your notes on your iPhone or in your own iCloud Drive. - Light and dark, built natively for iOS. No sign-up. No subscription wall to start writing. Just a blank page, and your words.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sandbook at 18.2 against blank's 26.0. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Sandbook | blank |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (126 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 126 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SmashMelon LLC | Shariq Naiyer |
In-app purchases
Sandbook
No in-app purchases
blank
No in-app purchases









