Markdown My Words vs OpenRead
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Markdown My Words
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Markdown is everywhere now. It is in coding-agent plans, AI-generated research notes, README files, study guides, project specs, lecture material, technical drafts, and the surprisingly long βquick summaryβ an AI tool gave you at 1:13 a.m. Markdown My Words gives those documents a calmer place to live than a chat window. Open a folder of Markdown files, read them in a clean rendered view, highlight the passages that matter, and leave yourself precise notes. When you are done, export your comments as Markdown, TSV, CSV, or an annotated copy of the document. Your original file stays clean. Your thoughts stay attached. WHAT YOU CAN DO β’ Read Markdown in a quiet, comfortable layout β’ Navigate long documents with an automatic outline β’ Highlight passages in seven colours β’ Add notes to any highlight β’ Search and filter your annotations β’ Export feedback as Markdown, TSV, CSV, or annotated Markdown β’ Toggle source view when you want the raw text β’ Keep annotations beside your files as lightweight sidecar data WHY IT FEELS DIFFERENT Markdown My Words is built for focused reading, not fiddling. It works with ordinary .md files in folders you choose. Your annotations are stored separately, so the source document stays untouched and portable. That makes it useful for reviewing AI-generated plans, coding-agent proposals, study notes, research reports, technical docs, and long drafts you actually need to think through. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No server. No tracking. No analytics. No document upload. Just your files, your notes, and a quieter way to think. Markdown My Words is for the moment after something generates a serious document for you β when you need to stop skimming, sit with it, question it, mark it up, and decide what you actually think.
OpenRead
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Find your documents and focus on reading. OpenRead brings PDFs, documents, presentations, and spreadsheets into one on-device library. CONNECT A FOLDER ONCE Choose a folder in the Files picker. OpenRead finds supported documents in that folder and its subfolders. Add or disconnect folders whenever you need to. On iOS, access is limited to locations you select and allow. FIND THE RIGHT FILE Filter by file type, search file names, and sort by recent files or name. Open a document directly from the list. READ IN A VIEW THAT FITS Zoom and navigate PDF pages. Read HWP, HWPX, DOC, and DOCX content in a mobile reading layout. Move through PPTX slides and explore XLS, XLSX, and CSV sheets. Saved reading positions help you pick up where you left off. MAKE TEXT COMFORTABLE Adjust body text in the text reader. A separate slider in the More menu changes interface text size in the library, menu, and information pages. KEEP DOCUMENTS ON YOUR DEVICE No account or sign-in is required. OpenRead does not upload your documents or use remote conversion. Downloaded documents can be read offline. Original copies, parsed data, and reading positions stay on your device. Cloud-only files must be downloaded first. SUPPORTED FORMATS PDF, HWP, HWPX, DOC, DOCX, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, CSV, TXT, Markdown, EPUB, ODT, and RTF. Legacy PPT files are unsupported; convert them to PPTX or PDF. Password-protected documents, complex formatting, macros, and embedded objects may have limited support. Rendering depends on document structure and device capabilities. Reading features have no ads, in-app purchases, subscriptions, or app-imposed document-count limit. Terms, privacy information, and help are available in the More menu. Support: david.hwang@kakao.com
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Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Markdown My Words at none against OpenRead's shown. OpenRead's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Markdown My Words ships an update monthly, OpenRead every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Markdown My Words | OpenRead |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 days β better |
| Ads | No β better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | YARON AMIR BENJAMIN DR. GOLDSTEIN | KyoungChan Hwang |
In-app purchases
Markdown My Words
No in-app purchases
OpenRead
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Markdown My Words free?
Is OpenRead free?
Do Markdown My Words or OpenRead have ads?
Which is updated more often, Markdown My Words or OpenRead?
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