Markdown Reader & Editor vs Paperlock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Markdown Reader & Editor
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Markdown, beautifully rendered. Read, write and highlight on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Open any .md file and read it as a clean, typeset document with real LaTeX math, colored code, tables and diagrams. Highlight and add notes as you read, and with Pro, write right on the page on Mac and iPad. Reading is free. ON iPHONE A calm, focused reader: open, read, find, highlight and present, with no risk of changing your file by accident. With Pro, export to PDF and HTML, print, and sync your highlights. READ IT BEAUTIFULLY • Full Markdown: headings, nested and task lists, tables, block quotes, footnotes, links and images • LaTeX math typeset with KaTeX, inline and on its own line • Code colored by a real syntax highlighter, with a one-tap Copy button • Mermaid diagrams drawn as pictures • Four themes (GitHub, Aurora, Dark and Apple) in light and dark mode, and adjustable text size HIGHLIGHT AND TAKE NOTES • Highlight in color, as a background or an underline • Add a note to any highlight and browse them all in the Highlights panel • Highlights live in the app, never in your file: the .md stays untouched • With Pro, they sync across your devices through your own iCloud, and export as a Markdown study sheet FIND YOUR WAY • An outline built from your headings that follows you as you read • Find highlights every match, with a counter and next/previous (⌘F with a keyboard) • Links to a section jump straight there • Recent files one tap away • Present any document as full-screen slides, with a laser pointer and a marker (free) WRITE ON THE PAGE (Pro, iPad) • Type directly in the reading view, like a word processor • Split view, with the Markdown source beside the page • Edit mode for the source alone, plus New and Save, back to your own .md files SHARE IT (Pro) • Export to PDF, with paper size, margins, header and page numbers, or to HTML • On iPhone, also print, export a single section, share a section or a formula as an image, and copy with formatting SAFE BY DESIGN • A downloaded document's links can't launch apps or scripts: web links open in your browser, other kinds ask first • A linked HTML page opens in MD Reader's own viewer • On iPhone and iPad, when a document's images are in a folder iOS hasn't shared, MD Reader says so and brings them in with one tap AND ON YOUR MAC The same purchase includes the full Mac app: Split with synced scrolling and mirrored selection, Live Studio's seven ready-made blocks, tabs, live statistics, reading fonts and keyboard shortcuts for everything. FREE AND PRO Reading is free, with no time limit: open any Markdown file and use the outline, Find, all four themes, highlights and notes, and Present mode. Pro is a single one-time purchase, no subscription. It unlocks writing and editing (Edit and Split modes, typing in the reading view, New and Save), export to PDF and HTML, Live Studio, multiple tabs and highlight sync through iCloud. Every new install can try all of Pro free for 7 days. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, and if you used MD Reader before version 1.2, you keep everything you had. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS Ordinary .md text files. No proprietary format, no MD Reader account, no sign-up, no analytics, no tracking and no subscription. The app goes online only to load images your document links to and, with Pro sync, to keep your highlights and notes in your private iCloud database, which the developer cannot access. Your documents are never uploaded. Opens .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd and .mkdn 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
Paperlock
This app turns your photos and scans into a searchable vault of documents. It automatically extracts information like expiration dates and spending amounts, providing direct answers to your questions. All data is secured with Face ID and encrypted on your device.
- Searchable document vault
- Automatic information extraction
- Question-based retrieval
- Photo library scanning
- Face ID protection
- Encrypted on-device storage
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Your paperwork, finally searchable. Paperlock is a private, Face ID–protected vault that doesn't just store pictures of your documents - it reads them, understands them, and remembers everything for you. ASK, DON'T DIG Just type a question the way you'd say it: • "When does my passport expire?" • "Find receipts from the cafe last fall" • "How much did I spend at the hardware store?" You get a straight answer, with the actual document attached. YOUR PHOTOS ARE FULL OF DOCUMENTS Paperlock scans your photo library - entirely on your iPhone - and finds the receipts, IDs, and paperwork hiding in it. One tap locks them all safely in your vault. EVERYTHING IS UNDERSTOOD AUTOMATICALLY Scan a receipt and Paperlock knows the store, the date, and the total. Scan your license and it knows when it expires - and reminds you in time — up to 6 months ahead for passports. No folders, no tagging, no filing. Ever. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Locked behind Face ID, encrypted on your device • Sensitive documents stay blurred until you reveal them • Your photo library is never changed or deleted • We never train on your documents, sell them, or look at them PAPERLOCK PLUS The free vault holds 25 documents and answers 5 questions a month. Plus gives you unlimited documents and questions, our most accurate document reading, and iCloud sync across your devices - $4.99/month, or $39.99/year with a 7-day free trial. Your documents are yours. Finally searchable. Terms of Use: https://getpaperlock.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://getpaperlock.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Paperlock at weekly against Markdown Reader & Editor's fortnightly. Markdown Reader & Editor's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Markdown Reader & Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paperlock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Markdown Reader & Editor ships an update fortnightly, Paperlock weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Markdown Reader & Editor | Paperlock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Victoria Rodriguez Diaz | Andrii Zagoruiko |
In-app purchases
Markdown Reader & Editor
- Pro$2.99
Paperlock
- Paperlock Plus$4.991 Month
- Plus Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Markdown Reader & Editor free?
Is Paperlock free?
Do Markdown Reader & Editor or Paperlock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Markdown Reader & Editor or Paperlock?
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