Comparison

Simple Viewer vs MBOX Reader

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

Head to head
About

Simple Viewer

Features
Read full description

Simple Viewer opens files. Quietly, quickly, and without asking for anything in return. Share any file from any app — Mail, Messages, Files, a browser, a cloud drive — and Simple Viewer renders it the way it was meant to be read. No account. No upload. Files stay on your device. It is designed for the moment when you just need to see what's inside a file. RENDERED WITH CARE • PDF with smooth scrolling and pinch-to-zoom • Markdown with typography that reads • Source code with precise syntax highlighting • JSON, XML, and YAML, pretty-printed • CSV and TSV, as readable tables • Excel spreadsheets (XLSX) • Word documents (DOCX) • ZIP archives, browsed inside • Plain text, logs, and scripts • x509 certificates BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD • Open from any app via the iOS share sheet • Recent files, one tap away • Orientation-aware on iPad • Works offline. Always. NOTHING YOU DON'T NEED No sign-up. No subscription. No ads. No tracking. No cloud sync. No bloat. Just a clean surface for reading what you already have. Because simple is elegant.

About

MBOX Reader

Features
Read full description

MBOX Reader helps you open and browse mailbox archives without importing them back into an email account. Use it for Gmail Takeout exports, old mailbox backups, saved work archives, or any local .mbox file you need to inspect. Features: - Open local MBOX mailbox files - Browse folders and labels from mailbox exports - Search by sender, subject, recipients, and message body - Read plain text and HTML emails - View message metadata and headers - Detect and save MIME attachments - Share or export readable message copies - Works locally with your archive files MBOX Reader is built for people who need a focused way to inspect email archives: researchers, consultants, support teams, legal and admin workflows, or anyone cleaning up old mailbox exports. No email account setup is required. Open an MBOX file and start reading. Privacy Policy: https://yevgenii.dev/projects/mbox-reader/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Simple Viewer3 screens
MBOX Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Viewer at none against MBOX Reader's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. MBOX Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Simple Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Simple Viewer versus MBOX Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple ViewerMBOX Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTLinkYevgenii Kryzhanivskyi

In-app purchases

None

Simple Viewer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

MBOX Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$24.99

Questions

Is Simple Viewer free?
Simple Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MBOX Reader free?
MBOX Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple Viewer or MBOX Reader have ads?
Neither Simple Viewer nor MBOX Reader shows ads.

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