Comparison

Tomato vs Boreal Markdown Editor

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

Head to head
About

Tomato

Features
Read full description

You don't have a focus problem. You have a "where do I even start" problem. Type the task you've been avoiding. Tomato's AI breaks it into 25-minute steps — then starts the first one. That's the whole app. Built for ADHD brains and anyone who freezes in front of something big. HOW IT WORKS 1. Type what you're avoiding — "finish my thesis", "do my taxes" 2. Tomato splits it into 3-4 steps you can actually begin 3. Tap once. The timer runs, and a Live Activity keeps it on your Lock Screen Your first 3 AI breakdowns are free. No account, no sign-up. FREE, FOREVER • Full Pomodoro timer — focus, short break, long break • Custom durations, intervals and daily goals • Infinite focus mode — long-press the clock to count up with no limit • Tasks with voice dictation and automatic categories • Daily stats, session count and your focus streak • Live Activity, Dynamic Island and Home Screen widgets • A daily reminder at the hour you actually focus best • Dark mode and a true-black OLED theme • Everything stored on your device. No ads. No trackers. No login. TOMATO+ 7-day free trial, then $4.99/month or $29.99/year. Cancel anytime. • Unlimited AI task breakdown — never stare at a blank page again • AI Focus Coach — reads your real focus history and tells you which hours to protect • Weekly, monthly and yearly stats, plus an annual contribution heatmap • Time-of-day analysis — find the hours your brain actually works • Always-On Display, custom alarm sounds, vibration control and headphone mode • Premium typography (Inter, Space Grotesk, Nunito, Poppins) and custom colour themes WHY TOMATO IS DIFFERENT Every other focus timer assumes you already know what to work on. That assumption is exactly where most people get stuck. Tomato decides the first step for you, then starts it. PRIVACY Your focus history stays on your device, and you can back it up locally whenever you like. AI features send only the text you type — a task title, or a short summary of your session history for coaching — to DeepSeek, our AI processor, which operates from China. Nothing is sold, and nothing is used to identify you. No ads. No trackers. No account required. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in App Store settings. Terms: https://mel-adna.github.io/mel-adna-appstore/legal.html#terms Privacy: https://mel-adna.github.io/mel-adna-appstore/legal.html#privacy

About

Boreal Markdown Editor

Features
Read full description

Boreal Markdown is a focused iOS document tool for people who already keep notes, drafts, specs, and reports in plain Markdown files. Open a .md or .markdown file from Files, read the rendered preview, edit the source, then save intentionally or export a clean PDF. Boreal Markdown is built around the small document loop, not a new notes database or cloud workspace. Included for everyone: - Open Markdown and plain text files through iOS file access - Read a rendered Markdown preview with clear document typography - Switch between preview and source editing - Apply headings, bold, italic, links, lists, and code to the cursor or selected text - See saved and unsaved states near the document title - Choose Save, Discard, or Cancel before leaving a document with unsaved edits - Save changes back to the opened file when iOS file access allows it - Export the rendered document as a PDF with paper, theme, text size, and title options - Share the PDF or save it back to Files - Persist appearance, accent, editor text, and PDF defaults between launches Boreal Pro is an optional one-time purchase. It unlocks: - Document outline navigation - Find and replace - Markdown cleanup - Split editing and preview on supported layouts - Advanced PDF themes, margins, table of contents, page numbers, headers, footers, and reusable presets Boreal Markdown is local-first. There is no account, subscription, hosted sync service, AI processing, backend document storage, or collaboration system. Use Boreal Markdown when you want a quiet iPhone and iPad workbench for opening, editing, saving, and sharing Markdown files as PDFs.

Screenshots

Tomato4 screens
Boreal Markdown Editor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Tomato at 15.0 against Boreal Markdown Editor's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Tomato sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Boreal Markdown Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tomato ships an update every 9 days, Boreal Markdown Editor fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Tomato versus Boreal Markdown Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTomatoBoreal Markdown Editor
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMohamed El AdnaniBorealbit Technology Limited

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tomato

One-time1
  • Tomato+ Lifetime$9.99
1 purchases

Boreal Markdown Editor

One-time1
  • Boreal Markdown Editor Pro$6.99

Questions

Is Tomato free?
Tomato is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boreal Markdown Editor free?
Boreal Markdown Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tomato or Boreal Markdown Editor have ads?
Neither Tomato nor Boreal Markdown Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tomato or Boreal Markdown Editor?
Tomato ships an update every 9 days, and Boreal Markdown Editor fortnightly. Most recently, Tomato was updated on September 19, 2026 and Boreal Markdown Editor on July 26, 2026.

Other comparisons