Comparison

Journal Mate vs Markdown Notes Editor

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

Head to head
About

Journal Mate

Organize your physical and digital documents, from handwritten notes and scattered papers to screenshots and PDFs. This app acts as a scanner, library, and manager, making it easy to store, search, and share your important information.

Highlights
  • Scan papers on the go
  • Save screenshots and PDFs
  • Recognize and interact with text
  • Import from Photos and Files apps
  • Share notebooks or pages
  • Automatic iCloud sync
  • Instant search by name
Read full description

Saved something important - but can’t remember where? Journal Mate keeps handwritten notes, receipts, scans, photos, screenshots, GIFs, videos, Live Photos, PDFs, saved locations, and web links together and organized - instead of scattered across Photos, chats, browsers, albums, and folders. CAPTURE IT WHILE IT MATTERS β€’ Scan paper pages or capture several photos with the built-in camera, then review or retake them before saving β€’ Import photos, screenshots, GIFs, videos, Live Photos, and PDFs β€’ Scan QR codes, save websites as bookmark pages, play saved YouTube links inline, and save locations shared from Apple Maps or Google Maps as map bookmarks β€’ Create blank pages for drawing and annotation KEEP THE CONTEXT β€’ Keep related pages together in Stacks and group new imports automatically without changing their journal order β€’ Search journals by title and notes, then manage content with filters, multi-select, and Spotlight β€’ Reorder pages, move or copy them between journals, merge or duplicate journals, mark journals as favorites, pin important ones, and archive older ones β€’ Edit photos, GIFs, Live Photos, and videos: crop, rotate, adjust, filter, pixelate or blur details, draw, and add text, emoji, or stickers - while preserving animation and motion USE IT WHEN YOU NEED IT β€’ Share media files, create configurable PDFs from selected pages or complete journals, and export a restorable backup β€’ Preview PDFs and adjust paper size, layout, margins, scaling, and pages per sheet β€’ Save content to Journal Mate from other apps with the Share Extension β€’ Sync your library through iCloud across your Apple devices β€’ Work comfortably on iPad with a multi-column layout and easy navigation between your library, journals, and pages YOUR DATA, WITHOUT TRACKING Your library is stored on your devices and syncs through your iCloud account. Journal Mate does not use third-party ad SDKs or cross-app tracking. Journal Mate includes improvements to VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, contrast, and navigation, refreshed themes, and support for 85 languages. Your first 50 active pages are free. Pro removes the page limit and unlocks every color theme. Save it now. Find it later. Terms of Use: https://journalmate.app/en/legal/terms/

About

Markdown Notes Editor

A privacy-focused markdown editor and writing app that keeps all your files locally. It offers real-time syntax highlighting, AI writing assistance, and robust task management features. Designed for distraction-free writing and secure document handling.

Highlights
  • Markdown editing with syntax highlighting
  • AI writing assistant (BYO API key)
  • Full offline support
  • AES-256 file encryption
  • Todo.txt task management
  • Version history
  • Focus mode with Pomodoro timer
Features
Read full description

Markden is a privacy-first markdown editor and writing app designed for people who value ownership of their words. Every file stays on your device. No account required. No cloud lock-in. Just your thoughts in plain text. Markdown editing with real-time syntax highlighting AI writing assistant powered by Claude (bring your own API key) Full offline support with no internet required for core features AES-256 file encryption for sensitive documents Todo.txt task management with priorities, contexts, and projects Version history with up to 50 snapshots per file Focus mode with Pomodoro timer and word count goals 13 file formats supported including Markdown, JSON, YAML, CSV, Org-Mode, and AsciiDoc Dark and light terminal-inspired themes Quick note capture for instant ideas Daily notes with auto-generated templates Find and replace with full regex support Kanban board view for task management Live markdown preview with math (KaTeX) and diagrams (Mermaid) Export to HTML for sharing and publishing Customizable editor with multiple fonts, sizes, and spacing options AI WRITING TOOLS Fix grammar and spelling Rewrite for clarity Summarize long documents Change tone (formal or casual) Continue writing from where you left off Explain code blocks Generate tables and todo lists from text You pay Anthropic directly for AI usage. Markden never touches your API key or data. PRIVACY BY DESIGN All files stored locally in your app sandbox API key secured in iOS Keychain No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry No third-party SDKs that collect data No account or sign-up required Uninstalling removes everything. Nothing persists elsewhere. BUILT FOR PRODUCTIVITY 6 built-in templates: meeting notes, blog post, journal, weekly review, Cornell notes, and project readme Smart auto-save with configurable intervals File browser with favorites, search, and sort options Breadcrumb navigation for nested folders Swipe actions for quick file management Custom keyboard toolbar with format-specific shortcuts DESIGNED FOR IPHONE AND IPAD Sidebar navigation on iPad with split view editor and preview Adaptive layouts that use the full screen on every device Keyboard shortcuts and external keyboard support Markden is free to download with all editing features included. AI features require your own Anthropic API key which you can get at console.anthropic.com. Whether you write meeting notes, journal entries, blog posts, code documentation, or manage daily tasks, Markden gives you a fast, private, distraction-free space to think and write. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Journal Mate4 screens
Markdown Notes Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Journal Mate at 50% against Markdown Notes Editor's 0%. Journal Mate also leads on price (Free vs $1.99). Markdown Notes Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Journal Mate is free to download; Markdown Notes Editor costs $1.99 up front. Journal Mate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Markdown Notes Editor sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Journal Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, Markdown Notes Editor every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
Journal Mate versus Markdown Notes Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJournal MateMarkdown Notes Editor
PriceFree β€” better$1.99
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews β€” better0.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks β€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size189 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVitalii BahmetAneesh Pradeep

Customer experience

Journal Mate

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Markdown Notes Editor

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Journal Mate

Subscriptions2
  • Journal Mate Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Journal Mate Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
3 purchases

Markdown Notes Editor

One-time3
  • Small Coffee$1.99
  • Big Coffee$4.99
  • Generous Supporter$9.99

Questions

Is Journal Mate free?
Journal Mate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Markdown Notes Editor free?
Markdown Notes Editor costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Journal Mate or Markdown Notes Editor have ads?
Neither Journal Mate nor Markdown Notes Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Journal Mate or Markdown Notes Editor?
Journal Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, and Markdown Notes Editor every 3 weeks. Most recently, Journal Mate was updated on September 14, 2026 and Markdown Notes Editor on September 17, 2026.

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