Comparison

Mandrill vs Reflect Open

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

Head to head
About

Mandrill

Read full description

Mandrill is a fast, native Markdown reader and editor for iPhone and iPad; beautifully designed. Whether you're reviewing a README on the go, editing notes in your GitHub repo, or reading documentation on your iPad, Mandrill renders Markdown the way it's meant to look. Clean typography. GitHub themes. Zero clutter. GitHub integration: your repos in your pocket Sign in with GitHub and browse your repositories directly from the app. Open any repo, read and edit your Markdown files, and push changes back to GitHub when you're ready without ever touching a terminal or switching apps. Mandrill tracks which files have been modified and surfaces them clearly so you always know what's changed. Open anything Tap + to open a file from your device, browse a local folder, or connect to a GitHub repository. Mandrill shows only your .md files; no noise, no clutter, just the documents you care about. A reader you'll actually enjoy using Mandrill turns plain .md files into clean, typographically polished pages. Headings, lists, blockquotes, fenced code blocks, tables, inline code, bold, italic, and strikethrough, all rendered with care, in the theme you love. GitHub themes built in Choose GitHub Light, GitHub Dark, or System which follows your device's appearance automatically. Code blocks are highlighted per language like Swift, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin, C, C++, Objective-C, Ruby, Bash, SQL, CSS and more using authentic GitHub palettes. Made for how you read Mandrill gives you real control over your reading experience. Pick your typeface: Sans, Serif, or Mono. Adjust text size with a slider. Set your reading width to Narrow, Wide, or Full. Every setting is there because it matters. Tables, done right Markdown tables render properly with correct alignment, theming, and zero fuss. One-click code copying Every fenced code block ships with a copy button so you can grab snippets without selecting a single character. Fast, even on large files Markdown parsing and syntax highlighting run on a background thread, so the UI stays smooth and responsive on long documents. Private by design Mandrill requires no account to use and collects zero data. The optional GitHub integration connects only to GitHub's own servers we see nothing. No analytics. No third-party SDKs. Your files never leave your device. Highlights - GitHub integration: sign in, browse repos, track modified files, and push to GitHub from your iPhone or iPad - Open files, folders, or GitHub repositories from a single tap - Beautiful Markdown rendering: H1โ€“H6, bold/italic/strikethrough, inline code, fenced code blocks, blockquotes, lists, tables, and horizontal rules - GitHub Light, GitHub Dark, and System themes - Per-language syntax highlighting like Swift, Python, JS/TS, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin, C/C++/Obj-C, Ruby, Bash, SQL, CSS and more - Typeface picker: Sans, Serif, or Mono - Adjustable text size and reading width - One-click copy on every code block - Off-thread parsing for smooth performance on large files - Works on iPhone and iPad - Zero data collection. No account required to read and edit. Built with love for iOS and iPadOS.

About

Reflect Open

Features
Read full description

Reflect Open is a local-first note-taking app for daily notes, linked thinking, and private AI over your own files. Start each day in a daily note, capture meetings, ideas, tasks, and journal entries, then connect people and projects with wiki-style links. Reflect builds a personal graph from ordinary Markdown files, with fast search, backlinks, and optional semantic search that runs on-device. Your notes stay yours. Reflect has no account, no telemetry, and no Reflect-hosted cloud service. Notes are stored as plain Markdown in a folder you choose, with a rebuildable local SQLite index beside them. Optional AI chat, transcription, and sync features only run when you connect your own provider or storage, and private notes are blocked from external AI calls. Highlights: - Daily notes first, with quick capture into today. - Wiki links and backlinks instead of folders. - Full-text search and optional on-device semantic search. - Optional bring-your-own-key AI chat over your notes. - Audio memos with optional BYOK transcription. - iCloud Drive or Git-based sync using files you own. - Markdown source of truth for long-term portability. - Keyboard-native, minimal interface built for focus. Terms of Use: https://reflect.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://reflect.app/privacy

Screenshots

Mandrill4 screens
Reflect Open3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reflect Open at Free against Mandrill's $4.99. Reflect Open also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Mandrill's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, 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

Reflect Open is free to download; Mandrill costs $4.99 up front. Reflect Open sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Mandrill asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mandrill ships an update weekly, Reflect Open every 11 days. Both last shipped on September 17, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Mandrill versus Reflect Open: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandrillReflect Open
Price$4.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVandan DesaiReflect App, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Mandrill

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Reflect Open

Subscriptions2
  • Reflect Pro Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Reflect Pro Yearly7 Days trial$99.001 Year

Questions

Is Mandrill free?
Mandrill costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reflect Open free?
Reflect Open is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mandrill or Reflect Open have ads?
Neither Mandrill nor Reflect Open shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mandrill or Reflect Open?
Mandrill ships an update weekly, and Reflect Open every 11 days. Most recently, Mandrill was updated on September 17, 2026 and Reflect Open on September 17, 2026.

Other comparisons