Comparison

Markdown Reader & Editor vs Marten

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

Head to head
About

Markdown Reader & Editor

Features
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Markdown, beautifully rendered โ€” on iPhone, iPad and Mac. MD Reader turns plain .md files into clean, readable documents with real LaTeX mathematics, colored code blocks and elegant tables. Native, fast, and built around one idea: your words stay yours. ON iPHONE A calm, focused, read-only reader. Open, read, search and navigate โ€” with no risk of changing your file by accident. With Pro you can also export to PDF and HTML. WRITE, NOT JUST READ (iPad) โ€ข An editor with a live side-by-side preview that updates as you type โ€ข New, Open and Save โ€ข Your edits go back to your own .md files BEAUTIFUL RENDERING โ€ข Full Markdown: headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, nested lists, tables, block quotes, links and images โ€ข LaTeX mathematics typeset with KaTeX โ€” inline formulas and centered display equations โ€ข Colored code blocks with a one-tap Copy button โ€ข Smart typography: curly quotes, em dashes and ellipses applied automatically FIND YOUR WAY โ€ข Instant search that highlights every match, with a counter and next/previous โ€ข Table of contents built from your headings โ€” a sheet on iPhone, a sidebar on Mac โ€ข In-document links jump straight to any section โ€ข Recent files always one tap away MAKE IT COMFORTABLE โ€ข Four themes โ€” GitHub, Aurora, Dark and Apple โ€” each adapting to light and dark mode โ€ข Adjustable text size AND ON YOUR MAC The same purchase includes the full Mac app: โ€ข AI Markdown โ€” describe what you need and Apple's on-device model writes the Markdown. Nothing leaves your Mac. โ€ข Live Studio โ€” seven ready-made building blocks: section, table, checklist, code, quote, storyboard and action plan โ€ข Several documents open at once, in tabs, with synced scrolling โ€ข Live statistics, a choice of reading fonts, and a full menu bar with keyboard shortcuts for everything FREE AND PRO Reading and writing are both free. Open any Markdown file, use all four themes, LaTeX, colored code, tables, search, contents and the bundled samples โ€” and on iPad and Mac, write in the editor with its live side-by-side preview, create new documents and save them. Pro is a single one-time purchase โ€” no subscription โ€” and it covers taking the document back out of the app: export to PDF and HTML on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and on iPhone and Mac also printing, exporting a single section, sharing as an image and copying with formatting. On Mac it adds Live Studio, AI Markdown and several documents open at once. One purchase covers all three. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS Ordinary .md text files. No proprietary format, no account, no sign-up, no analytics, no tracking and no subscription โ€” one purchase, that's all. The only time the app uses the network is to load images your own document links to. Opens .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd and .mkdn โ€” from the Files app, iCloud Drive or a share sheet. Available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.natural-apps.com/MDReader/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.natural-apps.com/MDReader/privacy.html

About

Marten

Features
Read full description

Marten is a clean, distraction-free note app built for developers. Write in Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks, then turn any note into a project with just the tabs you need. Keep a plain note, or add API keys, secrets, passwords, social logins, links, references, and checklists. Each filled tab becomes an item, so one note holds everything about a project. FEATURES Markdown editor Fenced code blocks with an olive, editor-style highlight. Toggle a live preview anytime. Project tabs Note, List, API, Ref, Link, Secret, Password, and Social. Add only the tabs you want with a tap. Secrets vault Store API keys, passwords, and accounts with masked fields and a quick reveal. Checklists Reminders-style lists with tap-to-complete items. Tags and search Organize with #hashtags and find anything instantly with full-text search. Sync, your way Local-first storage that works offline, with optional cloud sync across your devices. Turn sync on or off whenever you want. Built for every screen A native app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with an adaptive three-column layout on iPad and Mac. Light and dark themes. Private by design Your notes are yours. No ads, no tracking, and you can delete your account and all data from inside the app at any time. Marketing URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com Privacy Policy URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com/privacy

Screenshots

Markdown Reader & Editor4 screens
Marten4 screens

Verdict

The call

Markdown Reader & Editor and Marten are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Markdown Reader & Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Marten weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Markdown Reader & Editor versus Marten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkdown Reader & EditorMarten
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size10 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVictoria Rodriguez Diazjoseph hamawi

In-app purchases

None

Markdown Reader & Editor

No in-app purchases

None

Marten

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Markdown Reader & Editor free?
Markdown Reader & Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Marten free?
Marten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Markdown Reader & Editor or Marten have ads?
Neither Markdown Reader & Editor nor Marten shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Markdown Reader & Editor or Marten?
Markdown Reader & Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and Marten weekly. Most recently, Markdown Reader & Editor was updated on October 12, 2026 and Marten on September 30, 2026.

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