Comparison

Private Writer Markdown Editor vs PDF Editor

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

Head to head
About

Private Writer Markdown Editor

A fast, distraction-free writing application focused on privacy and security. It offers a clean interface for writing in Markdown or plain text with live formatting and auto-save. All your notes are stored locally and can be locked with a PIN.

Highlights
  • Markdown and plain text writing
  • Live formatting
  • Auto-save
  • Local data storage
  • PIN app lock
  • PDF export
  • Search and pin notes
Features
Read full description

▶ Private Writer – Write. Lock. Own your notes. ▶ Private Writer is a fast, distraction-free writing app built for people who care about privacy and focus. ▶ No account. No cloud. No tracking. Just write. ▶ Fast & Clean Writing ▷ Write in Markdown or plain text ▷ Live formatting while you type ▷ Smooth, lag-free editing ▷ Auto-save instantly — never lose your work ▶ Beautiful Preview ▷ Switch to a clean full preview ▷ Perfect for reading and reviewing ▷ Distraction-free layout ▶ Stay Organized ▷ Search by title and content ▷ Pin important notes ▷ Find everything instantly ▶ Private by Default ▷ Lock app with a 6-digit PIN ▷ All data stored locally ▷ No account • No cloud • No tracking ▶ Export Anytime ▷ Export notes as clean PDF ▷ Share or save anywhere ▶ Built for Focus Private Writer removes everything you don’t need. • No setup • No clutter • No distractions Just a calm space to think and write. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PDF Editor

Features
Read full description

Document Assistant is the all-in-one PDF toolkit that lives on your device. Scan paper, sign contracts, edit, convert and organize documents in seconds. Your files are processed on your iPhone or iPad and never uploaded to a server. SCAN PAPER TO PDF • Capture documents with your camera, with automatic edge detection and cropping • Save as PDF, searchable PDF with text recognition (OCR), or images • OCR in multiple languages makes scanned text searchable and selectable SIGN AND MARK UP • Draw your signature once and place it on any page • Highlight, underline, add text, notes, shapes and freehand drawings • Redact to permanently black out sensitive information • Works beautifully with Apple Pencil on iPad 35+ PDF TOOLS • Organize: merge, split, remove or extract pages, reorder, rotate and duplicate • Optimize: compress PDFs, repair damaged files, run OCR • Convert to PDF: images, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, text and HTML • Convert from PDF: Word (DOCX), Excel (XLSX), text and JPG, or extract images • Edit: add watermarks, page numbers and rotations • Security: protect PDFs with a password or remove one you know IMAGE TOOLS • Compress, resize, crop and rotate images • Convert to and from JPG, PNG, HEIC, GIF and TIFF • Add watermarks, upscale images, blur faces automatically, or make a meme SMART FILE LIBRARY • Folders, favorites, recent files and instant search • Create new PDFs from ready-made templates • A 30-day Bin so nothing is lost by accident • Your library is also available in the Files app ASK YOUR DOCUMENTS • Chat with a PDF to get summaries, key points and answers • Runs on-device with Apple Intelligence on supported devices DESIGNED FOR EVERY SCREEN • iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, in portrait and landscape • Light and Dark Mode PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account needed. Your documents are processed on your device and are never uploaded. Privacy policy: https://digitalhole.github.io/DHPrivacy.html Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Private Writer Markdown Editor4 screens
PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Private Writer Markdown Editor at none against PDF Editor's shown. Private Writer Markdown Editor also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Private Writer Markdown Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PDF Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Writer Markdown Editor ships an update daily, PDF Editor monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Private Writer Markdown Editor versus PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Writer Markdown EditorPDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB11 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperHai Nam TrinhArima Jain

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Private Writer Markdown Editor

One-time1
  • Unlock Premium$1.99
1 purchases

PDF Editor

One-time1
  • Unlock All Features$3.99

Questions

Is Private Writer Markdown Editor free?
Private Writer Markdown Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Editor free?
PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Private Writer Markdown Editor or PDF Editor have ads?
PDF Editor shows ads; Private Writer Markdown Editor does not.
Which is updated more often, Private Writer Markdown Editor or PDF Editor?
Private Writer Markdown Editor ships an update daily, and PDF Editor monthly. Most recently, Private Writer Markdown Editor was updated on November 4, 2026 and PDF Editor on October 31, 2026.

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