# 1Writer vs PDF Indexer

The clearest difference is price: PDF Indexer at Free against 1Writer's $4.99. PDF Indexer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). 1Writer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (388 vs 2). On device support there is nothing between them.

PDF Indexer is free to download; 1Writer costs $4.99 up front. 1Writer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. PDF Indexer asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Indexer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 1Writer has 388 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

1Writer ships an update every 2 months, PDF Indexer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 1Writer | PDF Indexer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (388 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1writer-markdown-text-editor/id680469088/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-indexer/id6799589624/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **388** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 83.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#165** | — |
| Size | 19 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ngoc Luu](https://appshunter.io/developer/476810735) | [MATTHEW BYONG BAE](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776132813) |

## What reviewers say

### 1Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1writer-markdown-text-editor/id680469088)

**Currently charting:** #165 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This app is a powerful text editor for creating, revising, and sharing ideas efficiently. It supports plain text and Markdown, with advanced features like an extended keyboard, photo insertion, and custom URL actions. Sync with cloud services and personalize your writing experience.

**Highlights:** Markdown syntax highlighting and preview, Extended keyboard with custom buttons, Photo insertion with Dropbox integration, Sync with iCloud, Dropbox, and WebDAV, Custom URL actions and JavaScript support, In-app web browser for research, Passcode and biometric app protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nice Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Massive Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


### PDF Indexer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-indexer/id6799589624)

This app creates fast navigation for PDFs by turning title-to-page mappings into searchable indexes. It allows you to import mappings from various file formats and opens directly to the mapped page within the PDF. All data is stored locally on your device for privacy.

**Highlights:** Search across multiple indexed PDFs, Exact, prefix, substring, and alias matching, Jump directly to mapped pages, Import mappings from CSV, JSON, XLSX, and text, Page-offset calibration, Mapping correction and export, Local-first data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 1Writer free?

1Writer costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is PDF Indexer free?

PDF Indexer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, 1Writer or PDF Indexer?

PDF Indexer is rated higher. 1Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 388 ratings, while PDF Indexer averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do 1Writer or PDF Indexer have ads?

PDF Indexer shows ads; 1Writer does not.

### Which is updated more often, 1Writer or PDF Indexer?

1Writer ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Indexer every 2 days. Most recently, 1Writer was updated on October 16, 2026 and PDF Indexer on October 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*