# MDNotes — A minimum markdown notes app

> Minimal, functional markdown editor with SwiftUI, syntax highlighting, and export options. (iPhone/iPad app by Yubo Qin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdnotes/id1471287219 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Yubo Qin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1436932534)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.42/5 from 26 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 8 MB
- Languages: English, Chinese, Chinese
- Released: 2019-07-06
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdnotes/id1471287219/reviews.md

## What is MDNotes?

MDNotes is a free minimal yet fully functional markdown editor. Main features are:

- Built with SwiftUI, light and native
- Markdown syntax highlight
- Elegantly styled preview
- Integrated nicely with Files app
- Support customize fonts
- Support dark mode
- Multi window support on iPadOS
- Various editor options
- Statistics with word count using Natural Language Processing
- Real-time preview in split screen on supported devices
- Support desktop level toolbar that is optimized for iPadOS 16
- AD FREE

With Pro features, you will have access to:

- Colorful and beautiful themes for markdown editor
- HTML, PDF, JPEG and PNG formats export
- Customize export configurations, like paper size, orientation and image compression quality
- LaTeX math formula support

## Key features

- Markdown syntax highlighting
- Real-time preview
- Files app integration
- Customizable fonts
- Dark mode support
- Multi-window support
- Word count statistics

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 21)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdnotes/id1471287219/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Brilliant

*2023-10-23*

I have been using Obsidian for some time now, on both the desktop app and the iOS app.  My preference for the vault location was Dropbox but the iOS app can only use iCloud which involves me copying MD files from iCloud to Dropbox.  I signed up for the pro version of MD Notes (one-time fee of £3.99) and now i can export (share) files to my Dropbox vault in a few clicks. One very slight inconvenience is that it does not capture image files.   Thanks guys - lovely app - and I am now deleting the Obsidian iOS app.

### 3/5 — Freezes sometimes

*2023-05-19*

Sometimes when I switch to the app, it does not respond to taps until I force it to close, then reopen it. It may have something to do with using a OneDrive folder and not having a network connection.

### 3/5 — Uncomplicated but crashed on large document

*2022-07-03, version 3.4.1*

This app seems simpler and more straightforward than the big-name writer’s apps; iCloud sync worked fine. But it crashed hard and recovery was difficult. So I uninstalled it and will continue looking for a basic text editor for iPad.

**Developer response:** mind sharing how large your document could be?

### 1/5 — Preview in pro is joke

*2022-03-22, version 3.4.1*

Not a product that I can recommend the interface and the is garbage and lacks basics of design. Not sure how this product is still in app store

**Developer response:** cry about it

### 5/5 — simple and very useful

*2020-11-14, version 2.5.1*

**Hands down the best markdown editor on he app store.**

 It uses the default Apple file browser to open files which was a *necessity* for me. Many many many choices of themes, well worth the extra bucks for the customization in my opinion.

I don’t often write reviews, but this app is so great and I use it so often I felt inclined to.

### 3/5 — Does not play well with OneDrive

*2020-11-08, version 2.5.1*

When creating files in OneDrive, so far it's created a couple of files that I can edit but show as zero size and now I can't delete and they won’t sync.

### 5/5 — Lovely app

*2020-10-22, version 2.5.1*

Great app for writing, journaling and editing with my Obsidian files on the go-- and for free! I only wish it had a webclipper. It’d make Zettelkasten folks very happy campers. Thanks for this terrific product.

### 4/5 — Good

*2020-09-17, version 2.4*

Integrates well with iCloud Drive. However there are some issues with syncing changes between multiple devices. Oftentimes, the app overwrites the changes made to a file from another device. There needs to be some sort of update monitoring functionality.

### 5/5 — Good for Zettelkasten That’s Not on Dropbox

*2020-09-11, version 2.3*

I’ve been exploring iOS/iPadOS text editors to supplement building a Zettelkasten archive that lives in a Resilio Sync folder mostly managed on a laptop with either TheArchive or Obsidian (neither of which as mobile apps yet).  MDNotes turns out to be the winner for iOS/iPadOS mainly because it works correctly with the iOS Files functionality for external services - particularly creating new files, renaming files and displaying the full file name.  So many other fine text/code editors manage to screw up this basic functionality for external services that aren’t Dropbox.

### 5/5 — Obsidian

*2020-09-01*

Excellent iOS app to link with Obsidian for Mac. Will go pro as a thank you to developer.

## Frequently asked questions about MDNotes

### What does MDNotes do?

MDNotes is a free, minimal yet fully functional markdown editor. It allows you to write and edit markdown documents with features like syntax highlighting, real-time preview, and integration with the Files app. It's built with SwiftUI for a light and native experience.

### What are the key features of MDNotes?

Key features include markdown syntax highlighting, an elegantly styled preview, integration with the Files app, customizable fonts, dark mode support, multi-window support on iPadOS, and word count statistics using Natural Language Processing. It also offers a desktop-level toolbar optimized for iPadOS 16.

### Is MDNotes free to use?

The core markdown editor functionality of MDNotes is free and ad-free. However, there are 'Pro features' available through in-app purchases that unlock additional capabilities such as colorful themes, export to HTML, PDF, JPEG, and PNG, customizable export configurations, and LaTeX math formula support.

### What devices is MDNotes compatible with?

MDNotes is built with SwiftUI and is designed for Apple devices. It offers features like multi-window support and an optimized toolbar for iPadOS 16, suggesting strong compatibility with iPads. It also supports real-time preview in split screen on supported devices.

### What are common use cases for MDNotes?

MDNotes is ideal for writing notes, drafting documents, creating markdown-based content, and managing text files. Its export features make it suitable for generating reports, articles, or visual assets from your markdown content. The Pro version enhances its utility for more complex document creation and sharing.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.3.1 — 2024-06-14

What’s New:
• Minimum iOS Requirement: We’ve updated the minimum iOS requirement to iOS 17.0 to ensure compatibility with the latest system features and improvements.
• Enhanced Stability and Performance: Thanks to adaptation of the latest system frameworks, MDNotes is now more stable and performs better overall, providing you with a smoother note-taking experience.
• Refactored Syntax Highlight Module: Our syntax highlight module has been refactored for improved speed and efficiency. Enjoy faster syntax highlighting with support for more themes to customize your writing environment to your liking.

### 4.3 — 2024-06-13

What’s New:
• Minimum iOS Requirement: We’ve updated the minimum iOS requirement to iOS 17.0 to ensure compatibility with the latest system features and improvements.
• Enhanced Stability and Performance: Thanks to adaptation of the latest system frameworks, MDNotes is now more stable and performs better overall, providing you with a smoother note-taking experience.
• Refactored Syntax Highlight Module: Our syntax highlight module has been refactored for improved speed and efficiency. Enjoy faster syntax highlighting with support for more themes to customize your writing environment to your liking.

### 4.2.2 — 2024-04-20

- Improvement to markdown parsing and rendering performance
- Updated minor visual styles

### 4.2.1 — 2023-10-21

- Fixed an issue where documents opened from Files app cannot be revealed properly.

### 4.2 — 2023-09-22

- Significantly upgraded core markdown parser, faster and more stable.
- Optimized rendering style for preview, supports native dark mode.
- Updated dependencies for LaTeX parsing and rendering.
- Added support for checkmark list and ordered list. Automatic completion now works for both.
- Updated keyboard shortcuts.

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## More apps by Yubo Qin

- [SSHaking](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sshaking/id1586587696)
- [Lumine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumine/id6473465304)

All apps by Yubo Qin: https://appshunter.io/developer/1436932534

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*
