# Desk vs Ember

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Desk at none against Ember's 3. Desk also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). Ember's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 28 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Desk asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Desk against 5.0 for Ember. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ember has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Desk ships an update every 28 months, Ember every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Desk | Ember |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desk-notes-to-dos-and-more/id1595424119/reviews) | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-markdown-notes/id6761983097/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 40 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chris Parcel](https://appshunter.io/developer/867322067) | [Rene DeAnda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1414957609) |

## What reviewers say

### Desk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desk-notes-to-dos-and-more/id1595424119)

A secure and straightforward application designed to be a central hub for your personal data. It focuses on simplicity and safety, with more features planned for future updates.

**Highlights:** Simple data management, Secure data storage, Future feature development

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ember

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-markdown-notes/id6761983097)

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

**Highlights:** Rich Markdown editor, Inline PDF and image support, Reusable prompt vault, Daily notes, folders, and tags, Instant search functionality, Private iCloud sync, Share Extension

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ember Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Ember Pro Annual | $34.99 | per year |
| Ember Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Desk free?

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

### Is Ember free?

Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Desk or Ember?

Desk and Ember are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 6 ratings respectively.

### Do Desk or Ember have ads?

Neither Desk nor Ember shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Desk or Ember?

Desk ships an update every 28 months, and Ember every 2 weeks. Most recently, Desk was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ember on October 31, 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.*