Comparison

Cardbal vs MarkView

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

Head to head
About

Cardbal

Read full description

Check your transit card balance on iPhone with NFC. CardBal reads supported transit and stored-value cards, showing balance, card details, and trip data where available. Supported cards include: Japan (FeliCa): Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, SUGOCA, nimoca, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, Hayakaken, SAPICA, IruCa, and more. Japan (SV / e-money): nanaco, Rakuten Edy, WAON. Greater China (T-Union): 300+ city cards, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and more. Hong Kong: Octopus. South Korea (KSX6924): T-money, EZL, Cashbee. France (Calypso): Lignes d'Azur. Ideal for travel, commuting, and checking card balance before you tap.

About

MarkView

A lightweight and private Markdown reader for Apple devices. It focuses on a clean reading experience, fast loading, and robust privacy by processing all documents locally. Enjoy features like dark/light modes, table of contents, and full-text search.

Highlights
  • Lightweight and fast loading
  • Local processing for privacy
  • Dark and light modes
  • Table of contents and search
  • Supports Mermaid charts and math formulas
  • Read-only design
Read full description

MarkView is a lightweight, clutter-free Markdown viewer, built for fast, private, local document reading. Open Markdown notes, READMEs, exported files and long .md documents effortlessly on iPhone and iPad. It strips away cumbersome project-management logic — simply open, read, and revisit your files anytime. Import and open files directly from the Files app or the system Share Sheet. No account sign-up, no cloud uploads — all your files stay local and private on your device. Core Features • Lightweight & Minimal Fast file loading and a clean, distraction-free reading interface, with no redundant toolbars or complicated setup. • Private Local Reading Every file renders locally on your device. No sign-ins, no cloud uploads — your document privacy is fully protected. • Optimized Reading Experience Elegant typography, adaptive light/dark modes, a table of contents, in-file search and progress tracking deliver comfortable reading even for long documents. • Full Format & System Support Supports all mainstream Markdown formats, native Files and Share Sheet access, plus quick revisit through recent documents. • Rich Rendering & Safe Read-Only Faithfully renders tables, code blocks, Mermaid diagrams, math formulas and more. Pure read-only mode never modifies your original files. If you're looking for a lightweight, elegant, privacy-focused Markdown viewer that respects your local files, MarkView is your ideal choice.

Screenshots

Cardbal4 screens
MarkView4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cardbal at Free against MarkView's $0.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

Cardbal is free to download; MarkView costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cardbal ships an update every 2 weeks, MarkView every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Cardbal versus MarkView: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardbalMarkView
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKitta Co.迪 黎

In-app purchases

None

Cardbal

No in-app purchases

None

MarkView

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cardbal free?
Cardbal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MarkView free?
MarkView costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cardbal or MarkView have ads?
Neither Cardbal nor MarkView shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cardbal or MarkView?
Cardbal ships an update every 2 weeks, and MarkView every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cardbal was updated on September 26, 2026 and MarkView on September 21, 2026.

Other comparisons