Comparison

MarkLook vs WorkBuddy

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

Head to head
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.

About

WorkBuddy

This AI-powered assistant helps with various work tasks across 12 industries. It offers over 140 AI consultants and 22,000 skill plugins, accessible via WeChat. It supports cloud and local operation for generating work products through conversation.

Highlights
  • AI-powered work assistance
  • 12 industry coverage
  • 140+ AI consultants
  • 22,000+ skill plugins
  • Cloud and local operation
  • Conversational task completion
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

WorkBuddy is an AI work assistant from Tencent Cloud, serving multiple industries with over 100 AI advisors and thousands of skill plugins. With support for both cloud and local modes, WorkBuddy helps you create a wide range of work deliverables through natural conversation. Feature availability varies by country, region, and language. Subscriptions and skill installations are currently available only in mainland China. Auto-Renewable Subscriptions WorkBuddy offers the following subscription plans. Prices below are in Chinese yuan (CNY) for mainland China: • WorkBuddy Standard Monthly: CNY 70 per month. Subscription period: 1 month. • WorkBuddy Standard Annual: CNY 678 per year. Subscription period: 12 months. • WorkBuddy Advanced Monthly: CNY 140 per month. Subscription period: 1 month. • WorkBuddy Advanced Annual: CNY 1,348 per year. Subscription period: 12 months. • WorkBuddy Ultimate Monthly: CNY 708 per month. Subscription period: 1 month. • WorkBuddy Ultimate Annual: CNY 6,788 per year. Subscription period: 12 months. Payment and Automatic Renewal Payment will be charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your Apple Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. Each renewal extends your subscription by 1 month or 12 months, depending on your selected plan. Managing and Canceling Subscriptions To manage or cancel your subscription, open Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tap your name, then tap Subscriptions. Select your WorkBuddy subscription and tap Cancel Subscription. To avoid renewal, cancel at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends. WorkBuddy Service Agreement: https://www.workbuddy.ai/document/term Privacy Policy: https://www.workbuddy.ai/document/privacy-policy

Screenshots

MarkLook4 screens
WorkBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MarkLook at 100% against WorkBuddy's 35%. WorkBuddy's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and chart position (#120 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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. MarkLook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and WorkBuddy sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MarkLook ships an update fortnightly, WorkBuddy weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
MarkLook versus WorkBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkLookWorkBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.4 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better35.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—33 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.215.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB454 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developer乙丑 蒋Tencent Technology (Shanghai) Company Limited

Customer experience

MarkLook

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

WorkBuddy

All ratings33 ratings
Positive60.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative39.4%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral18.6%
Negative46.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MarkLook

One-time1
  • MarkLook完全版$4.99
6 purchases

WorkBuddy

Subscriptions6
  • 个人标准版连续包月$9.991 Month
  • 个人高级版连续包月$19.991 Month
  • 个人标准版连续包年$99.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • 个人旗舰版连续包月$99.991 Month
  • 个人高级版连续包年$199.991 Year
  • 个人旗舰版连续包年$999.991 Year

Questions

Is MarkLook free?
MarkLook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WorkBuddy free?
WorkBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MarkLook or WorkBuddy have ads?
Neither MarkLook nor WorkBuddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MarkLook or WorkBuddy?
MarkLook ships an update fortnightly, and WorkBuddy weekly. Most recently, MarkLook was updated on October 31, 2026 and WorkBuddy on November 5, 2026.

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