# Cardbal vs MarkView

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.

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

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cardbal | MarkView |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markview-a-markdown-viewer/id6781754238/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 50 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kitta Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896674871) | [迪 黎](https://appshunter.io/developer/1471076179) |

## What reviewers say

### Cardbal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardbal/id6760978958)

**In-app purchases:** none


### MarkView

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markview-a-markdown-viewer/id6781754238)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*