Recto MD vs Dutiful
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Recto MD
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Recto MD opens a Markdown file and gets out of the way. Open one from Files, Mail or Safari with Open in Recto MD, or share it in from any app. On iPadOS and iOS 26, Files > Get Info > Always Open With makes it the default. Reading comes first: pick a file and it is on screen, typeset and ready, nothing to configure. When you want to change something, Edit mode puts the source next to the live preview - side by side on iPad, a Source/Preview switch on iPhone - and Save is explicit, so nothing is written until you ask for it. TYPOGRAPHY FIRST The reading column, the leading and the vertical rhythm are the product. Pinch to zoom the whole page from 50% to 300% - text, measure and margins scale together, the way a browser's page zoom does - the column measure also has three widths, and the page is laid out so a long document stays comfortable rather than merely legible. RENDERS WHAT YOUR DOCUMENTS ACTUALLY CONTAIN - CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown: tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, footnotes - GitHub-style alerts: NOTE, TIP, IMPORTANT, WARNING, CAUTION - Mermaid diagrams, loaded only when a document has one - Mathematics and chemistry, typeset by KaTeX: inline and display LaTeX, and mhchem chemical equations. The delimiters are narrow on purpose, so a price written as $5 stays a price - Syntax-highlighted fenced code blocks, with a copy button - Wide tables scroll inside the reading column, so the page itself never scrolls sideways EDITING, WHEN YOU WANT IT Edit mode puts a source pane beside the live preview - side by side on iPad, a Source/Preview switch on iPhone. Save is explicit, and nothing autosaves in the background. Export the document as a PDF whenever you want a copy to share. FIND YOUR WAY AROUND An outline is generated from the document's headings: a sheet on iPhone, a sidebar on iPad that also holds your recent documents. Search inside a document with a live match count and step through the matches. Recents remembers where you stopped reading and puts you back there. IT UPDATES WHILE YOU READ Change the file somewhere else and the document updates in place - same scroll position, no flash, no reload button to hunt for. If you have unsaved edits, the app stops and asks instead of choosing for you. Turn auto-reload off and you get a "File changed" tap target instead. A THEME EDITOR, NOT A THEME PICKER Duplicate a built-in theme or start from nothing, and tune it in six groups: text (font, scale, line height, spacing, indent, justification); headings (font, weight, an accent color, rules, and a size for each of the six levels); layout (column width by characters, points or percent, a max width, custom margins, a page-card look); sidebar (font size and step per level, row height, indent, background and accent mix); blocks (code font and size, table density and zebra striping, blockquote style, the code syntax palette); and color, down to the selection highlight. Import or export any theme as JSON. OFFLINE, AND PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION The app makes no network requests at all. No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no tracking, nothing collected. Your documents are files on your device or in your iCloud Drive, and that is where they stay. BUILT FOR THE PLATFORM Dynamic Type through to the accessibility sizes, VoiceOver reading real document structure, Increase Contrast, Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency are all honoured. With a hardware keyboard, every navigation shortcut is independently rebindable - pick the key, choose Command, Option or Shift, and the app flags a conflict before you save one - and Open, Find, Find Next, Reload, the zoom commands and Settings are all one keystroke away, listed in the Command-hold sheet. The interface is available in twelve languages, with a System option and a picker for the one you want.
Dutiful
This app transforms confusing mail, bills, and letters into clear summaries with actionable next steps and deadlines. It helps you understand important information quickly and set reminders to never miss a due date. Share translated reminders with family members to keep everyone informed.
- AI-powered mail summarization
- Identifies actionable next steps
- Extracts and reminds of deadlines
- Translates reminders for family
- Reduces mental load from paperwork
- Organizes important documents
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Got long confusing mail, official letters, bills, school notes, and parent mail stop piling up? Dutiful turns confusing letters into clear summaries, deadlines, and next steps in seconds. Understand every letter faster Scan a letter, bill, notice, form, school handout, or piece of mail with your camera. Dutiful: AI Mail Scanner turns long, stressful paperwork into a simple smart summary that explains what the mail says, why it matters, and what you may need to do next. No more rereading the same paragraph five times. No more guessing what is urgent. Get clear next best steps Dutiful identifies important actions hidden inside everyday mail. See whether you need to pay, call, sign, reply, schedule, upload a document, or save something for later. Each scan becomes a practical action plan, so you can move from “I’ll deal with this later” to “I know exactly what to do.” Never miss an important deadline Dates can be easy to overlook, especially when mail arrives for you, your kids, and your parents. Dutiful finds due dates, appointment dates, renewal dates, payment deadlines, and response windows, then helps you set smart reminders before the deadline. Get nudges early enough to take action, not when it is already too late. Share reminders with family in their language Caring for other people often means translating, explaining, and following up. Dutiful helps you send a clear reminder to a family member in their language, so everyone understands what needs attention. Share a simple summary, deadline, or next step with a parent, partner, adult child, caregiver, or sibling without rewriting the whole letter yourself. Built for busy brains and real life admin Paperwork is not just paper. It is mental load. Dutiful helps reduce the clutter of unopened envelopes, school forms, medical notices, insurance letters, government mail, appointment reminders, and bills. Instead of turning your mail pile into another source of guilt, the app helps you capture it, understand it, and take the next step with less overwhelm. Dutiful is especially helpful for people managing home admin, family logistics, and care tasks while juggling work, parenting, ADHD, errands, appointments, and aging parents. Use it when a school letter comes home in a backpack, when a medical bill arrives for a parent, when an insurance notice looks confusing, or when a deadline is buried in a long document. If you are the person everyone relies on to remember forms, payments, appointments, and follow-ups, Dutiful gives you a calmer way to stay on top of it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dutiful-privacy.apps.lingcode.dev/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Recto MD at none against Dutiful's 2. Recto MD also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Dutiful sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Recto MD asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Recto MD | Dutiful |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ITSUCARA, K.K. | Ai Ling You |
In-app purchases
Recto MD
No in-app purchases
Dutiful
- Family Guard Monthly$7.991 Month
- Family Guard Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year









