Comparison

Md Preview vs Read.md

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

Head to head
About

Md Preview

View your Markdown files with exceptional clarity on iPhone and iPad. Supports all Markdown features, code syntax highlighting, LaTeX math, and Mermaid diagrams. Renders files offline and integrates with other apps.

Highlights
  • Full GFM support (tables, task lists, footnotes)
  • Syntax highlighting for 40+ programming languages
  • LaTeX math rendering with KaTeX
  • Mermaid diagram support
  • Offline rendering on-device
  • System file handler for .md files
  • Dark mode with automatic theme switching
Features
Read full description

Md Preview renders your Markdown files with stunning clarity — right on your iPhone or iPad. Open any .md file from ChatGPT, Obsidian, Notion, GitHub, or 100+ other apps. Md Preview instantly shows a beautiful, fully-rendered preview with support for every Markdown feature you need. FEATURES • Full GFM Support — Tables, task lists, footnotes, strikethrough, and autolinks • Syntax Highlighting — 40+ programming languages beautifully colored • LaTeX Math — Inline and display equations powered by KaTeX • Mermaid Diagrams — Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, pie charts, and more • Dark Mode — Automatic theme switching that follows your system setting • 100% Offline — All rendering happens on-device. No data ever leaves your phone • Open From Anywhere — Works as a system file handler for .md files from any app • File History — Quickly reopen recent files with one tap • Share Extension — Receive Markdown files shared from other apps SUPPORTED FORMATS .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, .mkdn, .mdwn, .mdtxt, .mdtext, .mdx, .rmd, .qmd Md Preview is the fastest way to read Markdown on iOS. No editing, no clutter — just a clean, beautiful preview.

About

Read.md

This app allows you to beautifully view markdown files on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It offers perfect rendering of complex elements like tables, code blocks, and diagrams, with offline support and privacy in mind.

Highlights
  • Perfect markdown rendering
  • Syntax highlighting for 180+ languages
  • Mermaid diagram rendering
  • GitHub repository browsing
  • Export to PDF & HTML (Pro)
  • Smart diagram fixing
  • Auto-generated table of contents
Features
Read full description

Open any .md file and read it beautifully — on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Read.md is a markdown reader. Not an editor, not a note-taking app, not a vault system. A reader. Tap a .md file, it opens, it looks great, you read it. PERFECT RENDERING Tables, code blocks, nested lists, task lists, blockquotes, images, links — everything renders correctly. Syntax highlighting for 180+ programming languages. GitHub Flavored Markdown fully supported. MERMAID DIAGRAMS Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, class diagrams, and more render natively. Tap to zoom into any diagram for a detailed view. EXPORT TO PDF & HTML Turn any document into a clean, paginated, print-quality PDF or a self-contained HTML file — diagrams and syntax highlighting intact. Share it, print it, archive it. Or export the original Markdown source. (PDF and HTML export are Read.md Pro; Markdown export is free.) OPEN FROM GITHUB Read documentation straight from the source. Browse any GitHub repository — public or private — navigate its file tree, and open any .md file with the same beautiful rendering. Sign in with a personal access token; your token stays on your device. (Read.md Pro) SMART DIAGRAM FIXER ASCII art and box-drawing diagrams that look broken in other apps? Read.md detects and corrects misaligned characters automatically so your diagrams look the way they were intended. NAVIGATE LONG DOCUMENTS Auto-generated table of contents from your headings. Search within any document with match highlighting and next/prev navigation. Your scroll position is remembered when you come back to a file. ZERO FRICTION No account needed to read. No workspace. No vault. No setup. Works as your default .md file handler — open markdown files from Files, Finder, email attachments, AirDrop, the share sheet, or drag and drop. ADAPTS TO YOUR DEVICE iPhone: stacked navigation with a frosted-glass nav bar and bottom sheets. iPad: landscape split-view, portrait slide-over panels, trackpad and keyboard support. Mac: split-view with sidebar, reader, and table-of-contents panel, keyboard shortcuts, and translucent panels. Everything adapts automatically when you resize windows or rotate your device. DARK AND LIGHT MODES Switch between dark and light themes, or follow your system setting. Adjust font size to your preference. Everything updates live. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Opens instantly, even large files. Your markdown is rendered entirely on your device — file contents are never uploaded, and reading works fully offline. No ads. No account required to read. The only feature that touches the network is GitHub browsing, and only when you choose to use it. We use anonymous, aggregate analytics to improve the app. READ.MD PRO A one-time purchase — or a yearly subscription with a free trial — unlocks PDF/HTML export and GitHub browsing. Everything else stays free, forever. WHAT PEOPLE USE IT FOR Reading AI-generated markdown exports. Reading GitHub README files on mobile. Viewing documentation and project specs on the go. Reviewing technical docs from colleagues. Browsing personal notes written in markdown. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Md Preview3 screens
Read.md4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Read.md at Free against Md Preview's $2.99. Read.md also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (90% vs 71%). Md Preview's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads 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

Read.md is free to download; Md Preview costs $2.99 up front. Read.md sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Md Preview asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read.md holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read.md has 35 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Md Preview's written reviews are positive against 90% of Read.md's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Md Preview ships an update every 3 days, Read.md every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Md Preview versus Read.md: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMd PreviewRead.md
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (5 ratings)5.0 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings535 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCyberGame LimitedPavel Abin

Customer experience

Md Preview

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral28.6%
Negative0.0%

Read.md

All ratings35 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Md Preview

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Read.md

Subscriptions1
  • Read.md Pro Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Read.md Pro (Lifetime)$24.99

Questions

Is Md Preview free?
Md Preview costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Read.md free?
Read.md is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Md Preview or Read.md?
Read.md is rated higher. Md Preview averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Read.md averages 5.0 from 35 ratings.
Do Md Preview or Read.md have ads?
Neither Md Preview nor Read.md shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Md Preview or Read.md?
Md Preview ships an update every 3 days, and Read.md every 2 weeks. Most recently, Md Preview was updated on September 12, 2026 and Read.md on September 19, 2026.

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