Comparison

MD Preview vs KeyShelf

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

KeyShelf

Features
Read full description

KeyShelf is a private inventory for every physical key you own. Photograph both sides, write down what it opens, tag it, and never stand in front of a lock guessing again. Add a key in seconds: front and back photos, a color and head-shape quick-pick for keys without photos yet, the place its lock lives, and what exactly it opens. From there the shelf does what a junk drawer never will: instant search that ignores accents and looks through names, descriptions, places, tags, and even the people holding copies. Keys get copied, and copies wander. KeyShelf tracks every copy: who has it, since when, a note, and a lent-out flag that stays on the key until the copy comes home. The People screen flips the question around and shows every holder and exactly which of your keys they carry. WHAT YOU GET - Key inventory: front and back photos for every key, in a clean shelf grid - What it opens: a plain-words description plus a structured place (home, cottage, office, mailbox, padlock, vehicle, and more) - Tags and instant smart search: accent-insensitive, across names, descriptions, places, tags, and copy holders - Copy tracking: every copy with its holder, note, hand-over date, and a lent-out flag - People: everyone who holds a copy, and which keys they have - Private Face ID lock: optional, with your device passcode as fallback - Printable key registry PDF: a clean table grouped by place, photo thumbnails optional, with copy holders and lent flags - Syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud FREE AND LIFETIME Free covers a full shelf of 12 keys with photos, search, tags, copy tracking, and the Face ID lock. Lifetime is a single purchase that unlocks unlimited keys and the printable registry PDF, forever. No subscription. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account of ours and no tracking. Your keys live on your device and in your private iCloud, which we cannot read. An optional Face ID lock keeps the shelf closed to anyone but you, and Settings has a Delete All My Data control that erases everything from your device and your iCloud. PRICING KeyShelf Pro is a one time Lifetime purchase of $12.99 USD. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MD Preview4 screens
KeyShelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KeyShelf at none against MD Preview's 1. MD Preview's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. MD Preview sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KeyShelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MD Preview ships an update every 2 days, KeyShelf every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MD Preview versus KeyShelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMD PreviewKeyShelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (28 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGejun ZhuInnovaLabWorks

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MD Preview

One-time1
  • MD Preview Premium$2.99
None

KeyShelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MD Preview free?
MD Preview is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is KeyShelf free?
KeyShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MD Preview or KeyShelf have ads?
Neither MD Preview nor KeyShelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MD Preview or KeyShelf?
MD Preview ships an update every 2 days, and KeyShelf every 9 days. Most recently, MD Preview was updated on October 15, 2026 and KeyShelf on September 24, 2026.

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