Comparison

MD Preview vs MarkLook

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

Head to head
About

MD Preview

This app provides a clean and elegant way to read markdown files from various cloud storage services. It offers beautiful formatting, syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, and customizable themes. An optional one-time purchase unlocks additional features like PDF export and custom font sizes.

Highlights
  • Open .md files from cloud storage
  • Beautifully formatted markdown rendering
  • Syntax highlighting for 180+ languages
  • Toggle between preview and raw markdown
  • Collapsible table of contents
  • 6 free reading themes
  • Export to PDF (premium)
Features
Read full description

MD Preview is a fast, elegant markdown reader. Open .md files from anywhere — Files, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox — and read them with beautiful formatting. Built for people who work with AI tools that generate markdown files. No more squinting at raw text or pasting into web tools. Just open the file and read. WHAT IT DOES - Opens .md files from any document provider on your device - Renders headings, tables, code blocks, task lists, images, and more - Syntax highlighting for 180+ programming languages - Toggle between rendered preview and raw markdown - Share files via the iOS share sheet - Collapsible table of contents with tap-to-jump navigation - Pin recent files so they stay at the top, forever 6 FREE READING THEMES - Paper — Warm cream tones with serif headings - Midnight — Dark mode, easy on the eyes - Forest — Deep greens, earthy, and calm - Rosé — Soft pinks, elegant typography - Ocean — Cool blues, modern and clean - Lavender — Purple hues, gentle and refined PREMIUM UNLOCK — $1.99 ONE-TIME Want more? Upgrade once and keep it forever: - Export to PDF — Save beautifully rendered documents as PDFs - Custom Font Size — Adjust text size to your preference - 4 Extra Themes — Solarized, Dracula, Nord, and Tokyo Night - No subscription. Just a single purchase. NO ACCOUNT. NO ADS. PRIVACY FIRST. Just open a file and read it. That's it. MD Preview doesn't store, upload, or copy your files. It reads them in place from wherever they live. Recent files are remembered by path for quick access — nothing else is saved. Supports GitHub Flavored Markdown, including tables, strikethrough, task lists, and fenced code blocks.

About

MarkLook

This app transforms raw Markdown text into beautifully typeset documents for effortless reading on Apple devices. It offers customizable themes, advanced syntax support, and optimized mobile viewing for documents with images, code, and equations.

Highlights
  • Read .md files on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Customizable reading themes
  • Code highlighting for 180+ languages
  • LaTeX math equation rendering
  • Mermaid flowchart and diagram support
  • Optimized mobile reading experience
  • Immersive image preview
Features
Read full description

Open .md files on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, or paste raw Markdown from a social post or chat. MarkLook turns it into a clear, beautifully typeset document for reading. MarkLook stores no files, offers no editor, requires no account, and has no monthly subscription. It is made for reading. On iPhone and iPad, choose an .md file from the Files app or paste Markdown from the clipboard. On Mac, open files from Finder, Quick Look, or the Open With menu. --- FIND YOUR FAVORITE READING VIBE --- To cater to different reading habits and aesthetic preferences, we offer several built-in themes. For each theme, we've fine-tuned the typography, font sizes, and line spacing to ensure reading is effortless, while specifically optimizing the visual balance when mixing English and non-English text. We have prepared several built-in appearances (themes) for you: • Default: The cleanest, foundational system font typography. • Essay: Looks like a meticulously typeset book, perfect for reading long articles. • Typewriter: Recreates the monospace texture of a typewriter, bringing back classic manuscript styling. • Notebook: A rounded, soft notebook style. • GitHub: The classic style familiar to all programmers. All built-in themes support Dark Mode. If you are a loyal Typora user, you can also directly import your commonly used Typora theme packages (.zip or .css formats) to continue your most familiar reading experience. --- OPTIMIZED MOBILE READING EXPERIENCE --- Reading documents on mobile devices is often constrained by the system environment or narrow screen layouts. MarkLook has made targeted optimizations: • Folder Browsing: Add a folder to browse Markdown and TextBundle documents from it and its subfolders in one place, with search by file name, path, or content. • One-Tap Local Image Authorization: Due to iOS sandbox restrictions, apps cannot read external images by default. With a simple one-tap authorization of your document directory, images in your text appear instantly. • Immersive Image Preview: Tap an image to go full-screen. Supports pinch-to-zoom and swipe gestures, allowing you to see every detail clearly even on a limited screen. • Smooth Wide Table Scrolling: Optimized algorithms for narrow screens ensure complex tables are no longer crowded or distorted. Supports horizontal scrolling to view complete data, keeping the text looking as it should. --- COMPREHENSIVE ADVANCED FEATURE SUPPORT --- Beyond basic syntax, the following contents are also well-supported: • Code Highlighting: Supports 180+ programming languages with clear logical presentation. • Math Equations: Flawless support for LaTeX math, rendering even complex formulas quickly and elegantly. • Flowcharts & Diagrams: Supports Mermaid flowcharts and sequence diagrams, which can be enlarged for full-screen viewing. --- ONE-TIME PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS --- The app offers both a free and a full version. The "Default" theme is completely free with a clean interface. When you try out other built-in themes, a subtle upgrade prompt will appear at the bottom of the preview page. If you desire a more refined and pure experience, consider a one-time purchase to unlock the full version (no subscriptions, no ads): • Unlock All Built-in Themes: Switch freely between your favorite typography styles without any prompt bars. • Unlock Typora Theme Import: Bring in your custom community theme packages (.zip or .css formats). One-time purchase, universal for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Simply tap "Restore Purchase" on your other device. We hope to provide you with a quiet, comfortable little tool for reading. If you happen to read Markdown files frequently, welcome to give it a try.

Screenshots

MD Preview4 screens
MarkLook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MD Preview at every 3 days against MarkLook's fortnightly. On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. MD Preview sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MarkLook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MD Preview ships an update every 3 days, MarkLook fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
MD Preview versus MarkLook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMD PreviewMarkLook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (20 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings20 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.616.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGejun Zhu乙丑 蒋

Customer experience

MD Preview

All ratings20 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

MarkLook

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MD Preview

One-time1
  • MD Preview Premium$2.99
1 purchases

MarkLook

One-time1
  • MarkLook完全版$4.99

Questions

Is MD Preview free?
MD Preview is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MarkLook free?
MarkLook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MD Preview or MarkLook have ads?
Neither MD Preview nor MarkLook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MD Preview or MarkLook?
MD Preview ships an update every 3 days, and MarkLook fortnightly. Most recently, MD Preview was updated on September 11, 2026 and MarkLook on September 17, 2026.

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