Comparison

PDF Reader & Tools vs Boreal Markdown Editor

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

Head to head
About

PDF Reader & Tools

Features
Read full description

PDFKit is the privacy-first PDF reader and toolbox that does everything on your device โ€” no uploads, no accounts, no waiting in line. Open any PDF and read it like a book, with paginated turn animations, sepia/dark backgrounds, font-size and line-spacing controls, bookmarks, and highlights that sync across reading sessions. Or stay in classic document mode for forms, contracts, and reports. Then jump straight into the toolbox: merge multiple PDFs, split a single document by page range, compress a giant scan to email size, convert images to PDF (and PDF pages back to images), rotate, reorder pages, add a password, watermark a draft, or stamp page numbers. Every operation runs locally โ€” your files never leave your device. BUILT FOR READING โ€ข Three reader modes: Document, Book (paginated), Reflow (resizable text) โ€ข Five backgrounds: White, Sepia, Gray, Dark, AMOLED Black โ€ข Bookmarks and highlights, with one-tap export โ€ข Auto-resume where you left off, even across app restarts FULL OFFLINE TOOLBOX โ€ข Merge multiple PDFs into one โ€ข Split by page range or every N pages โ€ข Compress with quality presets (low / medium / high) โ€ข Convert images (JPG/PNG/HEIC) to PDF โ€ข Convert PDF pages to images โ€ข Rotate, reorder, delete pages โ€ข Password-protect a PDF โ€ข Add watermark or page numbers PRIVACY FIRST โ€ข 100% on-device processing โ€” files NEVER uploaded โ€ข No account required โ€ข No data collection or tracking โ€ข Works fully offline LIBRARY YOU'LL ACTUALLY USE โ€ข Grid and list views โ€ข Filter by recents, favorites, or completed โ€ข Sort by name, date, size, or last opened โ€ข Search across imported documents โ€ข Custom collections for organizing If you've been frustrated by web-based tools that limit free uploads, slow conversion queues, and unclear data policies, PDFKit is the tool you've been waiting for. Read your PDFs, fix your PDFs, and keep them entirely yours. Download PDFKit and own your PDF workflow.

About

Boreal Markdown Editor

Features
Read full description

Boreal Markdown is a focused iOS document tool for people who already keep notes, drafts, specs, and reports in plain Markdown files. Open a .md or .markdown file from Files, read the rendered preview, edit the source, then save intentionally or export a clean PDF. Boreal Markdown is built around the small document loop, not a new notes database or cloud workspace. Included for everyone: - Open Markdown and plain text files through iOS file access - Read a rendered Markdown preview with clear document typography - Switch between preview and source editing - Apply headings, bold, italic, links, lists, and code to the cursor or selected text - See saved and unsaved states near the document title - Choose Save, Discard, or Cancel before leaving a document with unsaved edits - Save changes back to the opened file when iOS file access allows it - Export the rendered document as a PDF with paper, theme, text size, and title options - Share the PDF or save it back to Files - Persist appearance, accent, editor text, and PDF defaults between launches Boreal Pro is an optional one-time purchase. It unlocks: - Document outline navigation - Find and replace - Markdown cleanup - Split editing and preview on supported layouts - Advanced PDF themes, margins, table of contents, page numbers, headers, footers, and reusable presets Boreal Markdown is local-first. There is no account, subscription, hosted sync service, AI processing, backend document storage, or collaboration system. Use Boreal Markdown when you want a quiet iPhone and iPad workbench for opening, editing, saving, and sharing Markdown files as PDFs.

Screenshots

PDF Reader & Tools4 screens
Boreal Markdown Editor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader & Tools at none against Boreal Markdown Editor's 1. PDF Reader & Tools also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Boreal Markdown Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Reader & Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader & Tools ships an update daily, Boreal Markdown Editor fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
PDF Reader & Tools versus Boreal Markdown Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF Reader & ToolsBoreal Markdown Editor
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily โ€” betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size37 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGunawan SantosoBorealbit Technology Limited

In-app purchases

None

PDF Reader & Tools

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Boreal Markdown Editor

One-time1
  • Boreal Markdown Editor Pro$6.99

Questions

Is PDF Reader & Tools free?
PDF Reader & Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Boreal Markdown Editor free?
Boreal Markdown Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Reader & Tools or Boreal Markdown Editor have ads?
Neither PDF Reader & Tools nor Boreal Markdown Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader & Tools or Boreal Markdown Editor?
PDF Reader & Tools ships an update daily, and Boreal Markdown Editor fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Reader & Tools was updated on October 11, 2026 and Boreal Markdown Editor on October 13, 2026.

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