Comparison

Modrift vs MDDock

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

Head to head
About

Modrift

Features
Read full description

Modrift is a lightweight client for quickly opening, reading, and lightly editing files stored in the cloud โ€” right from your iPhone. Not a heavy notes app: just open, read, and tweak, as fast as possible. Key features - Open Markdown files (.md / .txt / .markdown) with clean formatted rendering - Launch straight from Files or any app via "Open in Modrift" - Keep your own working home (iCloud โ€บ Modrift): list, create and organise files there - Switch between Home (by place) and Recent (by time) - Toggle between edit and preview with one tap - A formatting toolbar above the keyboard in edit mode โ€” headings, lists, checkboxes, bold and more, one tap each - Automatic saving (no manual save button) - Full-text search, and sorting by date modified or name - Turn to landscape for longer lines โ€” easier on long paragraphs and tables - Japanese / English interface Beyond Markdown - View images (PNG / JPEG / GIF / HEIC / WebP) with pinch to zoom โ€” free - View PDFs with paging and zoom โ€” Modrift Pro (one-time purchase) - View Word documents (.docx) formatted, with headings, lists and tables โ€” Modrift Pro - View Excel workbooks (.xlsx) as tables, with sheet switching โ€” Modrift Pro Markdown, text and images stay free. Only PDF, Word and Excel viewing is part of Modrift Pro โ€” a single one-time purchase, no subscription. These formats are view-only; they cannot be edited. About your home and editing - Files in your home (iCloud โ€บ Modrift) are editable in place, and edits sync to iCloud - Files outside your home (Dropbox / Google Drive, or iCloud Drive outside the Modrift folder) are view-only. To edit one, use "Copy to Home" and edit the copy (the original is not written back) - You can choose whether your home lives in iCloud or on this iPhone, in Settings Relationship to the Files app Modrift complements the Files app rather than replacing it. Leave general folder management to Files; Modrift focuses on formatted Markdown viewing, light editing, and tidying its own home folder. The name combines Mo (Mobile / Motion) + drift โ€” the idea of thoughts and files flowing freely on mobile.

About

MDDock

Features
Read full description

MDDock is a calm, local-first Markdown workspace for people who think in notes. Every note lives as plain Markdown on your device, so your ideas stay readable, portable, and yours โ€” no lock-in, no cloud dependency. Write in a clean, distraction-free editor with syntax highlighting and full Markdown support. Link ideas naturally with [[wiki links]] and let MDDock build a living knowledge graph as you write. Find anything in milliseconds with instant full-text search across your entire library. Read beautifully with desktop-grade typography, a focused reader mode, and support for code blocks, tables, math, and diagrams. On iPad, split the library and editor side by side so you can browse, write, and reference without losing context. Keep your library completely offline, or turn on MDDock Cloud to sync securely across your devices. Your data is encrypted end-to-end and always belongs to you. Whether you are building a personal wiki, journaling, drafting articles, or managing a research library, MDDock gives you the speed of plain text and the structure of a connected knowledge base.

Screenshots

Modrift4 screens
MDDock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MDDock at every 2 days against Modrift's every 4 days. MDDock also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Modrift ships an update every 4 days, MDDock every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Modrift versus MDDock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterModriftMDDock
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.414.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size57 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNoriyuki KataharaๅŒ—ไบฌๅพฎๆ ผไบ’ๅŠจ็ง‘ๆŠ€่‚กไปฝๆœ‰้™ๅ…ฌๅธ

In-app purchases

None

Modrift

No in-app purchases

None

MDDock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Modrift free?
Modrift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MDDock free?
MDDock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Modrift or MDDock have ads?
Neither Modrift nor MDDock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Modrift or MDDock?
Modrift ships an update every 4 days, and MDDock every 2 days. Most recently, Modrift was updated on November 10, 2026 and MDDock on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons