Comparison

Marko Viewer vs Modrift

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

Head to head
About

Marko Viewer

Features
Read full description

A fast, beautiful Markdown viewer for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Open any .md file and read it instantly โ€” no editing, no setup, no distractions. Open Markdown files from Finder or Files and each one renders in its own window with clean, readable formatting. That's it. Features: - Beautiful rendering with syntax-highlighted code blocks - Tables that wrap long text so nothing runs off the screen - Document outline with tap-to-navigate headings - Inspector panel with word count, reading time, and file info - YAML frontmatter support (title, tags, status) - In-document search - Copy a document's full text to the clipboard - Open the current file in your favorite editor (Mac) - Adjustable font size - Follows system light/dark mode - Full VoiceOver accessibility - Works with relative Markdown links between files On-device AI assistant (Pro): - Summarize a section in a couple of sentences - Explain dense passages in plain language - Pull out action items and key takeaways - Ask questions about what you're reading Powered by on-device Apple Intelligence โ€” nothing leaves your device. No cloud, no API keys, no accounts. No accounts. No subscriptions. No telemetry.

About

Modrift

Features
Read full description

Modrift is a lightweight client for quickly opening, reading, and lightly editing files stored in the cloud โ€” right from your iPhone. Not a heavy notes app: just open, read, and tweak, as fast as possible. Key features - Open Markdown files (.md / .txt / .markdown) with clean formatted rendering - Launch straight from Files or any app via "Open in Modrift" - Keep your own working home (iCloud โ€บ Modrift): list, create and organise files there - Switch between Home (by place) and Recent (by time) - Toggle between edit and preview with one tap - A formatting toolbar above the keyboard in edit mode โ€” headings, lists, checkboxes, bold and more, one tap each - Automatic saving (no manual save button) - Full-text search, and sorting by date modified or name - Turn to landscape for longer lines โ€” easier on long paragraphs and tables - Japanese / English interface Beyond Markdown - View images (PNG / JPEG / GIF / HEIC / WebP) with pinch to zoom โ€” free - View PDFs with paging and zoom โ€” Modrift Pro (one-time purchase) - View Word documents (.docx) formatted, with headings, lists and tables โ€” Modrift Pro - View Excel workbooks (.xlsx) as tables, with sheet switching โ€” Modrift Pro Markdown, text and images stay free. Only PDF, Word and Excel viewing is part of Modrift Pro โ€” a single one-time purchase, no subscription. These formats are view-only; they cannot be edited. About your home and editing - Files in your home (iCloud โ€บ Modrift) are editable in place, and edits sync to iCloud - Files outside your home (Dropbox / Google Drive, or iCloud Drive outside the Modrift folder) are view-only. To edit one, use "Copy to Home" and edit the copy (the original is not written back) - You can choose whether your home lives in iCloud or on this iPhone, in Settings Relationship to the Files app Modrift complements the Files app rather than replacing it. Leave general folder management to Files; Modrift focuses on formatted Markdown viewing, light editing, and tidying its own home folder. The name combines Mo (Mobile / Motion) + drift โ€” the idea of thoughts and files flowing freely on mobile.

Screenshots

Marko Viewer4 screens
Modrift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Modrift at none against Marko Viewer's 1. Modrift also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.2). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Marko Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Modrift asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marko Viewer ships an update every 2 months, Modrift every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Marko Viewer versus Modrift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarko ViewerModrift
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.216.4 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size15 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperE-String Technologies, Inc.Noriyuki Katahara

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Marko Viewer

One-time1
  • Marko Viewer$4.99
None

Modrift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marko Viewer free?
Marko Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Modrift free?
Modrift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Marko Viewer or Modrift have ads?
Neither Marko Viewer nor Modrift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marko Viewer or Modrift?
Marko Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and Modrift every 4 days. Most recently, Marko Viewer was updated on September 24, 2026 and Modrift on October 7, 2026.

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