Comparison

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup vs Gloss Ink

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

Head to head
About

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup

This app streamlines writing and referencing by integrating a browser with customizable text display. It offers smart Markdown shortcuts, multiple customizable presets for editing and viewing, and robust version control for documents. The app prioritizes a clean, distraction-free writing experience with advanced typography options.

Highlights
  • Integrated browser with custom color schemes
  • Smart Markdown shortcuts
  • Customizable presets for editing and viewing
  • HTML preview sync
  • Dropbox repository browsing
  • Automatic document versioning
  • Advanced typography options
Features
Read full description

When we write, we reference the dictionary, Wikipedia, Google, and any number of websites. I made Shift to make writing and referencing both easy to do and especially, easy to read. The integrated browser displays text in your custom color-scheme using gorgeous fonts, so the web can readable at night and during the day. This means that you can quickly open Wikipedia or other text-based website and have the text size & colors match your custom choices without busy clutter. And Shift makes changing between presets easy. You have four customizable presets to choose from, accessible from the editor itself. Two touches, that's it. The MultiMarkdown editor syncs the text with an HTML preview that shows your work with the customizable style of your choice. Tap text to edit, pinch to preview. It's easy. Shift is smart about Markdown. Shift has shortcuts to create lists, emphasis and strong, indentation, headings, and more. All lines selected can be marked at once. For example, if you want to mark a few words to be italic, select at least parts of the words and press the italic button. Shift will insert the markdown where it needs to be. It's smart. Some Markdown documents or some websites are easier to read in landscape. That's no problem in Shift. You can use Shift in landscape view as well as portrait. And Shift can browse your entire Dropbox repository, not just a single folder. Every time you open a document, a copy is saved. Two previous versions are always available for you to revert any mistakes. There will be no tears when using Shift. I care about typography. Shift comes with Concourse, Equity, and Triplicate, three gorgeous fonts by Matthew Butterick (see http://practicaltypography.com). And so font selection and editor layout has been carefully put together. But you are free to change (and restore) text color, background color, highlight colors, and presentation style. You'll find that the keyboard color will follow your background color selection and other parts of the UI adapt to your choices as well. Shift is customizable, but it's simple. It gets out of your way so you can write and read the way you want. If you have any question, go to http://shiftwriter.com and press the "support" link on the bottom of the page. I'll answer as best as I'm able. Thanks for your time. A special thanks to Icons8 at http://iconpharm.com for the use of a number of their icons.

About

Gloss Ink

Features
Read full description

A Fast, Minimal Markdown Notes App Write faster and stay focused with this elegant, distraction-free writing app — perfect for quick notes, markdown editing, and smart productivity. Minimalistic Note-Taking Stay organized with a clean, single-window interface. Choose from seven color-coded folders to keep your ideas, drafts, and notes grouped and accessible. Dark & Light Mode Support The interface adapts to your device’s system theme — ideal for day or night writing. Great for journal entries, study notes, or focused sessions. Compact & Efficient This lightweight note-taking app launches instantly and stays out of your way. No sign-up. No sync delays. Just open and write. Markdown Formatting Write in plain text or use formatting tools to apply bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough. Perfect for structured writing, blogging, or clean RTF export. Fast Editing Tools Apply bold, italic, underline, or checkmarks instantly using a custom, intuitive toolbar — optimized for quick writing. Ideal for: • Writers and creators • Students and professionals • Anyone looking for a minimal markdown note app Download now and enjoy a clean, powerful writing experience — with zero clutter

Screenshots

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup4 screens
Gloss Ink3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gloss Ink at daily against Shift Editor & Quick Lookup's every 11 months. Shift Editor & Quick Lookup's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 18.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup ships an update every 11 months, Gloss Ink daily. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup versus Gloss Ink: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift Editor & Quick LookupGloss Ink
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB7 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJohn LincolnAlec Bogdan

In-app purchases

None

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup

No in-app purchases

None

Gloss Ink

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shift Editor & Quick Lookup free?
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gloss Ink free?
Gloss Ink is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shift Editor & Quick Lookup or Gloss Ink have ads?
Neither Shift Editor & Quick Lookup nor Gloss Ink shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Editor & Quick Lookup or Gloss Ink?
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup ships an update every 11 months, and Gloss Ink daily. Most recently, Shift Editor & Quick Lookup was updated on October 4, 2026 and Gloss Ink on October 11, 2026.

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