# Caliu vs Artiful Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Artiful Reader at none against Caliu's 2. Artiful Reader also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Caliu's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Caliu sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Artiful Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Caliu against 5.0 for Artiful Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 12 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Caliu ships an update every 9 days, Artiful Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Caliu | Artiful Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caliu-markdown-notes/id6761850487/reviews) | [5.0 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artiful-reader-read-and-listen/id6762534360/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **12** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 210 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marc Torrelles](https://appshunter.io/developer/1712257538) | [Frank Liu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831598685) |

## What reviewers say

### Caliu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caliu-markdown-notes/id6761850487)

A minimalist markdown notes app designed for writers, offering a distraction-free writing experience with features like nested tags, reminders, and cross-device syncing. It allows for easy export and integration with external tools.

**Highlights:** Markdown writing with live formatting, Nested and colored tags for organization, Cross-device sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Reminders for notes, Export to various formats (Markdown, ePub, RTF), REST API and MCP server for integration, Customizable themes

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Caliu Pro - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Caliu Pro - Yearly | $17.99 | per year |


### Artiful Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artiful-reader-read-and-listen/id6762534360)

This app allows you to save articles and read documents like PDFs and EPUBs. It offers unlimited text-to-speech with natural voices, works offline, and removes distractions for a focused reading experience.

**Highlights:** Unlimited text-to-speech, Save articles for offline reading, PDF reflow for mobile-friendly view, Supports EPUB, Markdown, and text files, Distraction-free reading environment, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Caliu free?

Caliu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Artiful Reader free?

Artiful Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Caliu or Artiful Reader?

Caliu and Artiful Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 12 ratings respectively.

### Do Caliu or Artiful Reader have ads?

Neither Caliu nor Artiful Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Caliu or Artiful Reader?

Caliu ships an update every 9 days, and Artiful Reader every 4 days. Most recently, Caliu was updated on October 16, 2026 and Artiful Reader on October 7, 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.*