# Zavala vs Plain Org

The clearest difference is price: Zavala at Free against Plain Org's $14.99. Zavala also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Plain Org's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Zavala is free to download; Plain Org costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Zavala against 4.7 for Plain Org. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 156 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Zavala's written reviews are positive against 86% of Plain Org's.

Zavala ships an update every 2 weeks, Plain Org every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zavala | Plain Org |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zavala/id1546457750/reviews)** | [4.7 (156 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-org/id1578965002/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 68 | **156** |
| Positive reviews | **87.7% of reviews** | 85.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 19 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vincode, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434335357) | [Xenodium Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/304568690) |

## What reviewers say

### Zavala

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zavala/id1546457750)

This app offers a modern approach to outlining, providing a full suite of features. It supports gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows for efficient organization and content creation. Easily import and export in various formats, sync across devices, and customize your outlining experience.

**Highlights:** OPML Import & Export, Markdown Export, iCloud Syncing & Sharing, Nested Tags, Image Embedding, Keyboard Shortcuts, Drag and Drop

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Plain Org

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-org/id1578965002)

Manage your org mode tasks and notes on the go. This app offers a rich editing experience with support for various markup features, filtering, and cloud syncing. It allows for outline-style editing, task management, and customization of display modes.

**Highlights:** Rendered org markup, Filter by keyword, tag, priority, Cloud file syncing, Outline-style editing, Interactive checkboxes, Light/dark mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and minimalist interface
- 🚀 Fast and lightweight performance
- 📝 Excellent for viewing and editing org files on mobile
- 🔄 Seamless sync with iCloud, Dropbox, NextCloud, and Git
- 💪 Robust org-mode implementation with tables and images

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional sync issues on mobile networks
- 🐛 Copy/paste functionality unreliable
- 🐛 Text disappears when closing keyboard
- 📱 Poor iPad experience with no keyboard shortcuts
- 🐛 'What's New' dialog persists when opening via shortcuts

**Reported bugs**

- Text disappears when closing keyboard without saving
- Copy and paste doesn't work reliably
- Pasting from external sources fails
- Roam links fail to resolve
- 'What's New' dialog won't close when opening files via shortcuts

**Requested features**

- Widget support for home screen
- Agenda view across multiple files
- Apple Watch support
- Tag filtering and display
- Schedule/deadline date picker button


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zavala free?

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

### Is Plain Org free?

Plain Org costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zavala or Plain Org?

Zavala is rated higher. Zavala averages 4.8 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Plain Org averages 4.7 from 156 ratings.

### Do Zavala or Plain Org have ads?

Neither Zavala nor Plain Org shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zavala or Plain Org?

Zavala ships an update every 2 weeks, and Plain Org every 2 months. Most recently, Zavala was updated on October 17, 2026 and Plain Org on October 13, 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.*