Comparison

ReflowPDF vs Recto Writer

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

Head to head
About

ReflowPDF

Transform scanned PDFs and regular documents into easily readable text with adjustable formatting. Seamlessly switch between a reflowed reading mode and the original document for verification. Process documents privately on your device with no uploads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Reflow scanned and text-based PDFs
  • Adjust font size, typeface, and line spacing
  • Switch between Reader Mode and original PDF
  • Search text and add bookmarks
  • Export recognized text as TXT
  • Create searchable PDFs
  • On-device OCR and processing
Features
Read full description

Read scanned PDFs without zooming. Scanned pages should be as comfortable to read as any article. ReflowPDF turns scanned books, papers, archives, and regular PDFs into clean, reflowed text designed for your iPhone and iPad. Import a document, process it on device, and read without constantly zooming or panning. READER MODE FOR PDFS • Reflow scanned and text-based PDFs into adjustable text • Choose font size, typeface, line spacing, and reading theme • Keep your reading progress and return where you left off CHECK THE ORIGINAL ANY TIME • Move between Reader Mode and the source PDF • Jump from a paragraph to its original page for quick verification • Search text, add bookmarks, and navigate document headings PRIVATE BY DESIGN • OCR and document processing happen on your device • Your PDFs and recognized text are not uploaded • No account, in-app analytics, advertising, or tracking USE YOUR RESULTS • Export recognized text as TXT • Create a searchable PDF while preserving the original pages • On supported devices, generate an on-device summary with Apple Intelligence The free version includes full processing for three standard documents. An optional one-time Lifetime unlock removes document limits and unlocks full large-document processing and export. OCR and document structure accuracy depend on scan quality, language, and page layout.

About

Recto Writer

Features
Read full description

Recto is a word processor for people writing books. Arrange your projects on your bookshelf. THE OUTLINE IS THE BOOK For pantsers and plotters alike, arrange your outline or infer it from your book. Your outline is always there for you to quickly glance at and jump to that section of your book. FRONT MATTER THAT KNOWS WHAT IT IS Keep your book's blurb, back cover description, and other information in one place so it's easy to export to EPUB. YOUR WORDS STAY YOURS No proprietary files or storage systems. Every book is stored as Markdown so you can open it in any editor. All files are kept in your own iCloud. WHEN THE DRAFT IS DONE Export to EPUB, Word, PDF, Markdown, HTML or plain text. WHAT ELSE IS IN HERE Kill Your Darlings, except you can also keep them and reuse them later in this book or the next book. Placeholders, for the fact you will look up later. Drop a flag and keep writing. Daily word goals, timed sprints, and a chart of the last thirty days. Find and replace across the whole book, spellcheck, typewriter scrolling, five reading typefaces and three styles of drop cap. FREE Recto is free. There is no trial, no subscription and no in-app purchases lurking in the shadows to steal your lunch money. If it becomes part of how you work and you want to say thank you, there's an opportunity to send me a tip. But it's not necessary. You can also email me and just say hi. WITH THANKS Recto is a native rewrite of NEO, the word processor Hugh Howey wrote and released under the MIT License. The outline, the scene breaks, and the idea that a writing app should get out of the way are all his. Recto shares none of his code and all of his intent.

Screenshots

ReflowPDF4 screens
Recto Writer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Recto Writer at none against ReflowPDF's 1. Recto Writer also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, 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. ReflowPDF sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Recto Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReflowPDF ships an update fortnightly, Recto Writer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ReflowPDF versus Recto Writer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReflowPDFRecto Writer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer亚雄 邹Prashant Sridharan

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ReflowPDF

One-time1
  • ReflowPDF Lifetime$4.99
None

Recto Writer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ReflowPDF free?
ReflowPDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recto Writer free?
Recto Writer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ReflowPDF or Recto Writer have ads?
Neither ReflowPDF nor Recto Writer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReflowPDF or Recto Writer?
ReflowPDF ships an update fortnightly, and Recto Writer every 3 days. Most recently, ReflowPDF was updated on October 21, 2026 and Recto Writer on October 26, 2026.

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