Comparison

Plain Org vs Metanote

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

Head to head
About

Plain Org

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
Read full description

View and edit your org mode tasks while on the go. Org is a wonderfully rich markup language, so **please check** if your favorite feature is supported below (or check https://plainorg.com/#faq): - Beautifully rendered org markup. - Filter by keyword, tag, and priority. - High fidelity org roundtripping. - Sync your org files using your favorite cloud provider. - Control your display between regular and compact mode. - Toggle visibility for scheduling, tags, and stars. - Toggle recurring tasks. - Log state transitions. - Optimize wrapping using paragraph fill. - Regroup your tasks so active ones bubble up. - Create new files. - Outline-style editing with toolbar - Keywords - Indent - Priority - Tags - Formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, verbatim, and code. - Open files via the iOS Files app using its "Share" menu. - Add links from Safari via share extension. - Add new tasks via Spotlight. - Reorder headings via drag/drop. - Checkboxes - Interactive toggling. - Quickly reset multiple checkboxes. - Open local links (including id links). - Render latex src blocks (experimental). - Render LOGBOOK. - Show inline images. - Show property drawers. - File-local keywords and visibility. - Filter open/closed tasks. - Edit raw text. - Light/dark mode. - Open either .org or .txt files. - Quickly switch between open file and recently open (tap on title). NOTE: Cloud syncing support varies across providers. Please check for compatibility https://plainorg.com/#cloud-providers

About

Metanote

A privacy-focused offline editor that supports Org mode for writing, task management, and knowledge wikis. It offers real-time editing of rich content and seamless synchronization across devices.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first offline editor
  • Full Org mode support
  • Real-time rich content editing
  • Seamless synchronization
  • Integrated task management
  • Full-text search
Read full description

Metanote is a privacy-first offline editor that supports org mode. In Metanote, everything is text, everything is editable. Supports real-time editing and rendering of images, hyperlinks, tables, Latex mathematical formulas, source code blocks, attachments and other rich content with the text markup language 'org mode'. Literary creation, academic papers, literary programming, task management, knowledge wiki and other usage scenarios can be easily handled. *** Freedom & Private 100% work offline, no account required, no network required, no private document formats, no data collection, your data and privacy are completely under your control. *** Writing every where Whether on the go or in your bedroom, you can create, view and edit your documents anytime, anywhere, and with built-in synchronization, everything will be there when you return to your desk. *** A silky-smooth editing experience Pure native development, lightweight and smooth, rejecting any lag, even for large files! *** Thinking better Through the structured editing function, ideas come to life on screen. It is not only a beautiful outline, but also efficient thinking. *** Never miss a thing There is no more free task management system than this. Notes are to-dos, and to-dos are notes. Everything is plain-text and everything can be edited. Capture inspiration on the go with 'capture' and keep everything in sight with 'agenda view's. *** Org mode Metanote fully supports org mode 9.3.6 syntax, including features like Capture and Agenda View, allowing for a perfect and even enhanced org mode experience on smartphones. - An incredibly smooth editing experience. - Sync using WebDAV(Apache WebDAV Server, ownCloud, Yandex.disk, etc.), Dropbox, OneDrive, Git, iCloud. - Support for adding Obsidian and Logseq working directories, integrating and managing them in a unified manner - Supports full-text search. - Support images, tables and LaTeX. - Support hyperlinks and attachments. 1. Supports internal links and external links. 2. Click on the attachment link to preview and edit, the following types are supported: 1. iWork and Microsoft Office documents 2. Images 3. Live Photos 4. Text files 5. PDFs 6. Audio and video files - Supports multi-window editing. - Customizable startup page - Supports mini buffer. - Compatible with org mode version 9.3.6 - Todo notifications support - View agenda views by year, month, and day - Customizable workflows - Support for custom capture, custom agenda view, refile, log note, and other features. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Plain Org4 screens
Metanote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Metanote at Free against Plain Org's $14.99. Metanote also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Plain Org's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Metanote is free to download; Plain Org costs $14.99 up front. Metanote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Plain Org asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plain Org holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Org has 156 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Plain Org's written reviews are positive against 73% of Metanote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plain Org ships an update every 2 months, Metanote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Plain Org versus Metanote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlain OrgMetanote
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (156 ratings) — better4.5 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings156 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXenodium Ltd.雪双 陈

Customer experience

Plain Org

All ratings156 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative7.6%

Metanote

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

Bugs and requests

Plain Org

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • 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
Show 6 more
  • Sync hiccups requiring app restart
  • File editing impossible on recent iOS versions
  • Keyboard features missing in raw text editing mode
  • Headings always start collapsed
  • App automatically adds logbook entries to todos
  • App auto-inserts 'Plain Org' text in new files

Requested features

17 requests
  • Widget support for home screen
  • Agenda view across multiple files
  • Apple Watch support
  • Tag filtering and display
  • Schedule/deadline date picker button
Show 12 more
  • Clock-in/clock-out time tracking
  • Template system for new files
  • Keyboard shortcuts for iPad
  • Refile functionality
  • Todo state support
  • Color support for text and headers
  • Dropbox sync integration
  • Animations when opening subheadings
  • Settings screen (instead of context menus)
  • Fullscreen mode for iPhone
  • Table formulas and calculations
  • Attached files viewer

Metanote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Plain Org

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Metanote

Subscriptions2
  • Metanote Premium$1.991 Month
  • Metanote Premium$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-time purchase$19.99

Questions

Is Plain Org free?
Plain Org costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Metanote free?
Metanote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Plain Org or Metanote?
Plain Org is rated higher. Plain Org averages 4.7 out of 5 from 156 ratings, while Metanote averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Plain Org or Metanote have ads?
Neither Plain Org nor Metanote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plain Org or Metanote?
Plain Org ships an update every 2 months, and Metanote every 2 weeks. Most recently, Plain Org was updated on September 21, 2026 and Metanote on September 3, 2026.

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