Markdown Editor & Reader vs Marklens
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Markdown Editor & Reader
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Open, read, edit and share Markdown — beautifully. MD Preview is an all-in-one Markdown workspace for iPhone and iPad. Open Markdown files from Files, iCloud Drive, Mail or your favorite apps. Read beautifully rendered documents, edit when needed, browse GitHub READMEs, and export polished documents to PDF, HTML or DOC — all completely offline. Whether you're reviewing a README, editing technical documentation, writing notes, or preparing documents to share, MD Preview gives you everything you need in one clean, native experience. KEY FEATURES • Beautiful rendering — GitHub-flavored Markdown with proper typography, syntax-highlighted code blocks, tables, blockquotes and footnotes. • Two views, one tap — toggle between rendered preview and raw source mode. Source view supports text selection. • Table of Contents — auto-generated from headings; tap to jump anywhere in long documents. • 9 hand-crafted themes — Parchment (warm cream), Eclipse (deep navy), Woodland (mossy green), Blossom (soft pink), Tide (deep sea), Iris (vivid violet), Sunlit (cream amber), Nocturne (inky violet), Glacier (frosted slate). Light and dark variants. • Folders & recents — organize your markdown files into custom folders with icons and colors. Recently opened files reappear on home for one-tap access. • Smart export — generate a print-ready PDF with your chosen theme baked in. Share the original file, or copy the markdown to clipboard. • Font controls — adjust reading size for tired eyes or small screens. • Fully offline — no servers, no tracking, no signup. Your files stay on your device. • Native iOS feel — built with SwiftUI for iPhone and iPad. Supports light/dark mode, dynamic type, and the share sheet. PERFECT FOR • Reading READMEs from GitHub or local repos • Reviewing technical specs and documentation • Reading novels and notes written in Markdown • Sharing rendered docs with non-technical teammates • Exporting handouts as PDFs from a phone PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your documents stay on your device. • No accounts • No cloud processing • No tracking • No analytics SDK • No telemetry Everything works offline. PRIVACY MD Preview does not collect, store, or transmit your files. Everything runs on-device. There is no analytics SDK, no telemetry, no account. You can manage or disable auto-renewal in your Account Settings after purchase. For more details, please refer to our privacy policy and terms of use. Privacy policy: https://sites.google.com/view/nguyendangnam-privacy-policy/home Term of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ — Open a .md file from Files, iCloud Drive, Mail or any sharing app — and start reading
Marklens
This app is a fast, native Markdown viewer for macOS, iPadOS, and iPhone. It renders .md files instantly with beautiful typography, themes, syntax highlighting, and diagrams. Designed for reading, it offers a private and friction-free experience.
- Instant Markdown rendering
- Syntax highlighting for 30+ languages
- Mermaid diagram support
- GitHub-Flavored Markdown
- Light and dark themes
- Export to PDF
- Quick Look preview on macOS
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Marklens is a fast, native Markdown viewer for macOS, iPadOS, and iPhone. Open any .md file with a click and see it rendered immediately — beautiful typography, light and dark themes, syntax-highlighted code, and Mermaid diagrams. No editor, no library, no friction. HIGHLIGHTS • Instant render — every .md opens in a clean, focused window • 30+ language syntax highlighting via highlight.js, bundled offline • Mermaid 11 diagrams — flowcharts, sequence, state, xy-charts and more • GitHub-Flavored Markdown — tables, task lists, footnotes, strikethrough • Light and dark theme matching the system appearance • Quick Look on macOS — press Space on any .md in Finder for a rendered preview • Export to PDF on every platform • Pinch-to-zoom on iPadOS and iPhone, ⌘+ / ⌘− / ⌘0 on macOS • Open files via drag-and-drop, the Share Sheet, or the Files app MADE FOR READING Marklens doesn't try to be a notes app or a knowledge base. It opens a file, renders it perfectly, and gets out of the way. If you write Markdown in another tool — VS Code, Obsidian, GitHub, your favorite text editor — Marklens is the viewer you reach for to look at the result. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Marklens collects nothing. No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reports, no network requests. Every rendering asset — Mermaid, highlight.js, fonts — ships inside the app. Read the full privacy policy at https://donald-jackson.github.io/marklens/privacy/ OPEN SOURCE Marklens is MIT-licensed and developed in the open. Source, issues, and contribution guide live at https://github.com/donald-jackson/marklens.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marklens at none against Markdown Editor & Reader's 1. Markdown Editor & Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Markdown Editor & Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Marklens asks for nothing beyond the download.
Markdown Editor & Reader ships an update weekly, Marklens monthly. Both last shipped on September 19, 2026.
| Parameter | Markdown Editor & Reader | Marklens |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dang Nam Nguyen | Donald Jackson |
In-app purchases
Markdown Editor & Reader
- MD Preview Pro (Lifetime)$3.99
Marklens
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Markdown Editor & Reader free?
Is Marklens free?
Do Markdown Editor & Reader or Marklens have ads?
Which is updated more often, Markdown Editor & Reader or Marklens?
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