Comparison

Inkstone Notes vs PDFDock

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

Head to head
About

Inkstone Notes

Features
Read full description

Inkstone keeps your notes as what they already are: plain Markdown files, in a folder you choose, on your own device. There is no database, no import step and no proprietary format. A vault another Markdown app created opens here, and a vault created here opens there. If Inkstone disappeared tomorrow, you would still have a folder of Markdown. WRITING Headings, bold, quotes, callouts, checkboxes, tables and code all render in place as you type, with the syntax revealed only on the line the cursor is on. Reading mode is a separate, read-only view for when you want the page without the scaffolding. Body font, code font and their sizes are set independently. LINKING [[Note]], [[Note#Heading]], [[Note^block]], ![[Embeds]] and aliases declared in frontmatter all resolve into one index. Every note shows what points at it, what it points at, and which of its links have no target yet. Rename a note and every link that pointed at it is rewritten across the whole vault, in the same action. SEEING THE SHAPE The graph view draws your notes as nodes joined by their links, and the simulation is deterministic β€” the same vault draws the same picture every time, so you can learn its layout instead of re-reading it on every open. SPATIAL NOTES The canvas puts cards, files and connections on an infinite sheet, saved as JSON Canvas 1.0 β€” the same open format other implementations read and write. FINDING THINGS A fuzzy switcher opens over every note with one gesture. Full-text search understands tag: and path:, and tags work inline or in frontmatter, nested, in any script. TYPOGRAPHY THAT HANDLES CJK Chinese sets solid β€” no word spaces β€” so a Latin word dropped into a Han sentence collides with it. Inkstone sets the gap between scripts properly, and lets you choose fonts and sizes that suit both. TWO DEVICES Sync a vault through iCloud, or push it to a GitHub repository with conflicts settled once rather than left as two copies. Per-file-type filters decide whether attachments and media travel with it. PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION No account. No telemetry. No network call you did not ask for. Your files are on your device and go only where you send them. Interface in English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

About

PDFDock

Read full description

Bring your documents together in a simple PDF workspace. Merge and organize pages, scan paper documents, turn photos into PDFs, annotate, add saved handwritten signatures and preview your finished work before sharing. Keep exported files locally and find them again in My files or the Files app. Edit supported PDF text directly on the page. Import compatible static TrueType fonts, use undo and redo, and save an edited copy while keeping your original document. Most tools process documents on your device. URL to PDF connects to the website you choose. No conversion account is required. Conversion support varies by format. Office and ebook conversions focus on readable text and may omit original layout and images. PDF spreadsheet exports contain text rows rather than reconstructed tables. Text editing supports compatible individual text runs, not automatic paragraph reflow. Handwritten signatures are visual marks rather than certificate verified digital signatures.

Screenshots

Inkstone Notes4 screens
PDFDock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Inkstone Notes at 2 against PDFDock's β€”. On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 4 level
Inkstone Notes versus PDFDock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInkstone NotesPDFDock
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoβ€”
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betterβ€”
Requires iOS26.0 β€” better26.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size15 MB20 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperOrrisNagarjuna Reddy Bhimavarapu

In-app purchases

None

Inkstone Notes

No in-app purchases

None

PDFDock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Inkstone Notes free?
Inkstone Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDFDock free?
PDFDock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Other comparisons