ReadSync vs Margina
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ReadSync
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ReadSync remembers where you stopped reading — on every device. Open a PDF on your Mac, read to page 120, then pick up your iPhone. ReadSync opens the same document on the same page. Your highlights, notes and bookmarks are already there. WHY READSYNC • Your reading position syncs automatically through iCloud — in the free version too • No account to create, no subscription, no company server holding your files • Works completely offline — syncing is a layer on top, never a requirement PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF • A Continue Reading row at the top of your library, most recent first • A Home Screen widget that opens the document on the page you left • Nothing to press: the page is saved as you read and travels with you READING • A quiet reader that hides its controls while you read • Night mode that darkens the page without draining the colour from your highlights • Single or two-page layout, vertical or horizontal scrolling • Adjustable default zoom • Translate any passage you select into your own language, on your device with Apple's built-in translation HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES • Five highlight colours • Attach a note to any passage • Every highlight and note in one list — tap to jump straight to the page • Export everything from a document as a single file, to Notes, Mail or Files • Nothing is written into the PDF itself; your original file stays untouched FINDING YOUR PLACE • Full-text search inside the document • The PDF's own table of contents • Bookmarks for the pages you want to come back to YOUR LIBRARY • Add files from Files or iCloud Drive • Leave a file where it is, or copy it into ReadSync so it syncs across your devices • Cover, progress and page count at a glance • Sort by last read, title or date added READING STATS • Total reading time, and how much of it was this week • A chart of the last seven days • Progress for every document you have started FREE AND PRO The free version is a whole reader, not a demo: iCloud sync, night mode, search, table of contents, bookmarks, translation and all five highlight colours, with room for 5 documents and 10 highlights or notes in each one. ReadSync Pro lifts both limits and opens reading stats, note export and the widget. It is a one-time purchase — there is no subscription. A limit only ever stops you adding something new. Everything already in your library stays open, in full, whether you buy or not. PRIVACY ReadSync is built entirely with Apple's own frameworks and stores everything in your private iCloud database. Your documents are never uploaded to anyone else's server. Anonymous usage statistics are sent only if you agree when asked, and never include your files, page contents, notes or highlights.
Margina
A private reader for your documents that allows you to highlight, annotate, and organize your reading materials. It offers a distraction-free experience with customizable reading settings and powerful search capabilities. Your library is stored locally for maximum privacy.
- Supports PDF, EPUB, Word, Markdown, and plain text
- Highlight and annotate passages
- Organize library into folders
- Fast search across documents and annotations
- Customizable reading experience
- Private by design, local storage
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Margina is a calm, private home for everything you read. Send yourself a PDF, EPUB, Word doc, Markdown file, or plain text. Margina opens them all in one distraction-free reader that remembers exactly where you left off. No account, no cloud requirement, no clutter: just you and the page. A LIBRARY THAT LOOKS LIKE ONE Your documents live on a clean shelf of covers, each showing its format and how far you have read. Prefer rows? Switch to list view with one tap. Filter by what you are reading now, what is new, and what you have finished, and pin the book you keep coming back to. HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE Mark passages in five colors, attach a note in the margin, and drop bookmarks anywhere. Drag across a PDF page to select and highlight in one motion. Every annotation is gathered in one place, ready to browse, filter, and revisit. Tap any highlight to jump straight back to its page. FIND ANYTHING, FAST Search across titles, authors, highlights, and notes at once. Matches light up inside the results exactly like highlights on a page, grouped by document so you always know where a passage came from. STAY ORGANIZED Sort your library into color-coded folders for work, study, research, or that stack of essays you have been meaning to get to. Jump back into any book at the exact spot, or the exact highlight, you were last at. MADE FOR LONG READING A reading experience designed like a well-set book: quiet paper tones, generous margins, and your progress drawn as a thin rule in the margin itself. Choose paper, sepia, or dark. Tune font, size, line spacing, and margins right in the reader. Includes a dyslexia-friendly typeface option and respects your system accessibility settings, from Dynamic Type to VoiceOver, Reduce Motion, and Reduce Transparency. EVERY FORMAT YOU ACTUALLY USE PDF reader, EPUB reader, Word document viewer, Markdown reader, and plain text, all in one app. Import from the share sheet, the Files app, email attachments, or anywhere else you can tap Share. Everything works offline, on the train, on a plane, or at the cabin with no signal. EXPORT AND SHARE Turn your highlights and notes into a clean Markdown file or a formatted PDF and send them to your notes app, your research workflow, or a friend. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your library lives on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking, nothing to set up. Margina hosts nothing about you. Reading is personal; your reading data should be too. MARGINA PRO Upgrade to back up your library to your OWN iCloud, unlock the sepia reading theme, export your annotations, and add unlimited documents. Available monthly, annually, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Your backup stays in your iCloud, never on our servers, so even Pro keeps your data yours. WHO MARGINA IS FOR Students annotating readings and lecture notes. Researchers working through papers. Book club readers who argue in the margins. Writers collecting passages. Anyone who sends themselves things to read later and actually wants to read them, without ads, feeds, or noise. Read anything. Mark it up. Keep it yours. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://margina.app/privacy Margina Pro is offered as a monthly or annual auto-renewable subscription or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Margina at daily against ReadSync's every 2 months. Margina also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). ReadSync's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. ReadSync sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Margina sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ReadSync ships an update every 2 months, Margina daily. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ReadSync | Margina |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alper Albayrak | Echo Persona LLC |
In-app purchases
ReadSync
- Unlock Pro$19.99
Margina
- Margina Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Margina Pro Annual$14.991 Year
- Margina Lifetime$39.99









