Comparison

Dawn vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

Dawn

This app transforms raw Markdown text into a beautifully formatted and readable document. It supports various Markdown flavors, code blocks, tables, math, and diagrams, offering a clean reading experience for AI-generated content, notes, and documents.

Highlights
  • Beautifully renders Markdown
  • Supports CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown
  • Syntax-highlighted code blocks
  • Renders tables, math, and diagrams
  • Customizable text sizing and themes
  • File integration with iCloud Drive
  • Private and offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Dawn is the calm, beautiful place to read Markdown on your iPhone. These days your AI assistant answers in Markdown — headings, lists, code, tables. On a phone, that usually shows up as a wall of raw symbols. Open it in Dawn and it becomes a page worth reading: clean margins, real hierarchy, a comfortable line length, and type set the way a good book is. And it isn't only AI. Your notes, your READMEs, your documents — any .md file reads beautifully here. No editing chrome, no clutter, just the words. WHAT DAWN RENDERS • Full CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown • Syntax-highlighted code blocks that collapse out of the way • Tables that scroll sideways instead of breaking • Math, written in LaTeX and set with KaTeX • Diagrams, drawn from Mermaid • Task lists, nested quotes, footnotes, and frontmatter — folded into a tidy Properties strip BUILT FOR READING • Pinch to size the text exactly how you like it • Light, dark, and automatic themes • An outline you can open to jump between headings • A slim progress line so you always know where you are • A measured column width that keeps long lines easy on the eyes YOUR FILES, YOUR WAY • Open Markdown straight from the Files app or iCloud Drive • Send a web link from Safari and Dawn fetches and renders it • Recent documents group themselves by Today, Yesterday, and This Week • Pin the ones you keep coming back to, and search across names and contents SHARE BEAUTIFULLY Select any passage and share it as plain text, as Markdown, or as a polished image card with syntax highlighting — ready for Messages, X, or anywhere else. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-in, no tracking. Your files stay on your device, and nothing you read is sent anywhere. Everything renders on-device, so Dawn works with or without a connection. Requires iPhone with iOS 17 or later.

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Folio is a personal workspace for the things you want to remember, make, and get done. CAPTURE YOUR THOUGHTS Write notes, organize them into notebooks, pin favorites, and build checklists. KEEP DOCUMENTS CLOSE Scan documents into editable text while keeping the original attached. Read PDFs, highlight passages, and keep linked notes alongside the source. MAKE ROOM TO DRAW Sketch on a canvas, choose colors and drawing tools, and export your work. PLAN YOUR EVERYDAY Organize tasks, keep shopping lists with totals, and collect useful information in your workspace. YOUR PERSONAL WORKSPACE Folio stores your content locally and requires no account. Export and share a copy when you choose. Optional calendar, map, and reminder features use Apple system services.

Screenshots

Dawn4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Folio at daily against Dawn's every 9 days. On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dawn ships an update every 9 days, Folio daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Dawn versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDawnFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHallidai Inc.Nagarjuna Reddy Bhimavarapu

In-app purchases

None

Dawn

No in-app purchases

None

Folio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dawn free?
Dawn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dawn or Folio have ads?
Neither Dawn nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dawn or Folio?
Dawn ships an update every 9 days, and Folio daily. Most recently, Dawn was updated on October 9, 2026 and Folio on October 16, 2026.

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