# Astropad Workbench vs Read.md

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astropad Workbench at none against Read.md's 2. Read.md's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 59%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Read.md sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Astropad Workbench asks for nothing beyond the download.

Read.md holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 177 and 81 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Astropad Workbench's written reviews are positive against 88% of Read.md's.

Astropad Workbench ships an update every 3 weeks, Read.md fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Astropad Workbench | Read.md |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astropad-workbench/id6758788573/reviews) | **[5.0 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readmd/id6760943472/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **177** | 81 |
| Positive reviews | 58.6% of reviews | **88.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 41 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Astro HQ](https://appshunter.io/developer/934510729) | [Pavel Abin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1510604971) |

## What reviewers say

### Astropad Workbench

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astropad-workbench/id6758788573)

Access and control your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad. Manage your machine, run desktop applications, and monitor tasks from anywhere with a high-performance, secure connection.

**Highlights:** Real-time Mac control, Voice dictation to Mac, Unified multi-display workspace, Apple Pencil cursor control, Hassle-free network connections, End-to-end encrypted sessions

**In-app purchases:** none


### Read.md

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readmd/id6760943472)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Read.md Pro Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Read.md Pro (Lifetime) | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Astropad Workbench free?

Astropad Workbench is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Read.md free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Astropad Workbench or Read.md?

Read.md is rated higher. Astropad Workbench averages 4.8 out of 5 from 177 ratings, while Read.md averages 5.0 from 81 ratings.

### Do Astropad Workbench or Read.md have ads?

Neither Astropad Workbench nor Read.md shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Astropad Workbench or Read.md?

Astropad Workbench ships an update every 3 weeks, and Read.md fortnightly. Most recently, Astropad Workbench was updated on October 13, 2026 and Read.md on October 13, 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.*