Kosshi Outliner vs Mandrill
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kosshi Outliner
This native outliner app allows you to organize thoughts with a hierarchical structure, zoom into specific sections, and format text using Markdown. It supports images, sketches, internal links, and reminders, with seamless iCloud sync across Apple devices.
- Hierarchical outlining with indentation
- Zoom into specific rows
- Markdown formatting
- Image and file embedding
- Apple Pencil sketches
- Internal linking
- Reminders and calendar sync
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Kosshi is a fast, native outliner. Simple and smooth on large outlines. Available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad — one purchase covers all three. Outliner Hit Tab to indent and build a hierarchy. Collapse what you don't need, drag to move things around. Zoom In / Zoom Out Zoom into any row and only its contents are shown. Breadcrumbs tell you where you are, and you can jump home anytime. Markdown Bold, italic, highlight, links, checkboxes, code blocks, and LaTeX math all render right where you type. Formatting markers only appear while editing — move away and they're gone. Images & Files Add images by pasting or dragging, and resize however you want. PDFs and videos show as inline previews too. Apple Pencil Sketches Draw sketches with Apple Pencil on iPad. They sync to Mac and iPhone through iCloud. Search Cmd+F to search your whole outline. Matches get highlighted. Replace works too. Dark Mode Switch between light and dark themes. Automatically follows your system setting. Tags Use #tags to categorize and @tags for dates or status. Filter from the sidebar. Internal Links Type [[ to search and link to another row. Build a web of connected outlines. Bookmarks Press Cmd+D to bookmark a row. Bookmarks appear at the top of the sidebar. Prose Mode Switch a row to Prose Mode for long-form writing. Bullets disappear and children stay expanded. Reminders & Calendar Any @tag with a date syncs to Apple Reminders or Calendar. Use @todo(3/15), @meeting(every monday 10:00), and so on. Keyboard Shortcuts Collapse, move, indent — all without reaching for the mouse. Export Export as Markdown, OPML, or plain text. Your data is never locked in. Auto Backup Restore past outlines from daily backups. Feel free to delete outlines you no longer need. iCloud Sync When iCloud is available, your outlines sync across Apple devices via CloudKit. Data is stored in your iCloud account, and the developer cannot access its contents. Pay Once Built natively for speed. Launches quickly and works offline. One-time purchase covers Mac, iPhone, and iPad — no subscription, no account required. A 7-day free trial is available. Feedback Feature requests and bug reports are always welcome. Reach us via the contact form at https://kosshi.app/contact or on X at @shirokumamake.
Mandrill
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Mandrill is a fast, native Markdown reader and editor for iPhone and iPad; beautifully designed. Whether you're reviewing a README on the go, editing notes in your GitHub repo, or reading documentation on your iPad, Mandrill renders Markdown the way it's meant to look. Clean typography. GitHub themes. Zero clutter. GitHub integration: your repos in your pocket Sign in with GitHub and browse your repositories directly from the app. Open any repo, read and edit your Markdown files, and push changes back to GitHub when you're ready without ever touching a terminal or switching apps. Mandrill tracks which files have been modified and surfaces them clearly so you always know what's changed. Open anything Tap + to open a file from your device, browse a local folder, or connect to a GitHub repository. Mandrill shows only your .md files; no noise, no clutter, just the documents you care about. A reader you'll actually enjoy using Mandrill turns plain .md files into clean, typographically polished pages. Headings, lists, blockquotes, fenced code blocks, tables, inline code, bold, italic, and strikethrough, all rendered with care, in the theme you love. GitHub themes built in Choose GitHub Light, GitHub Dark, or System which follows your device's appearance automatically. Code blocks are highlighted per language like Swift, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin, C, C++, Objective-C, Ruby, Bash, SQL, CSS and more using authentic GitHub palettes. Made for how you read Mandrill gives you real control over your reading experience. Pick your typeface: Sans, Serif, or Mono. Adjust text size with a slider. Set your reading width to Narrow, Wide, or Full. Every setting is there because it matters. Tables, done right Markdown tables render properly with correct alignment, theming, and zero fuss. One-click code copying Every fenced code block ships with a copy button so you can grab snippets without selecting a single character. Fast, even on large files Markdown parsing and syntax highlighting run on a background thread, so the UI stays smooth and responsive on long documents. Private by design Mandrill requires no account to use and collects zero data. The optional GitHub integration connects only to GitHub's own servers we see nothing. No analytics. No third-party SDKs. Your files never leave your device. Highlights - GitHub integration: sign in, browse repos, track modified files, and push to GitHub from your iPhone or iPad - Open files, folders, or GitHub repositories from a single tap - Beautiful Markdown rendering: H1–H6, bold/italic/strikethrough, inline code, fenced code blocks, blockquotes, lists, tables, and horizontal rules - GitHub Light, GitHub Dark, and System themes - Per-language syntax highlighting like Swift, Python, JS/TS, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin, C/C++/Obj-C, Ruby, Bash, SQL, CSS and more - Typeface picker: Sans, Serif, or Mono - Adjustable text size and reading width - One-click copy on every code block - Off-thread parsing for smooth performance on large files - Works on iPhone and iPad - Zero data collection. No account required to read and edit. Built with love for iOS and iPadOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Kosshi Outliner at Free against Mandrill's $4.99. Kosshi Outliner also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Mandrill's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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
Kosshi Outliner is free to download; Mandrill costs $4.99 up front. Kosshi Outliner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mandrill asks for nothing beyond the download.
Kosshi Outliner ships an update every 3 days, Mandrill weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Kosshi Outliner | Mandrill |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Junichi Sato | Vandan Desai |
In-app purchases
Kosshi Outliner
- Kosshi Outliner$24.99
Mandrill
No in-app purchases









