Desk vs Etched
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Desk
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.
- Simple data management
- Secure data storage
- Future feature development
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Welcome to Desk! Our goal is to build a simple and secure home for your data. Stay tuned for many more new features coming soon.
Etched
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Stop losing your own notes. Etched finds what you wrote by meaning — not just by keyword. Ask for "the note about slowing down to think" and it surfaces, even if those exact words were never written. Everything runs on your device. Write in plain markdown and watch it render as you type — no symbols, no preview pane, no modes. What you see is the file. Your notes stay portable .md, yours forever. FREE, and complete: • On-device semantic search — find notes by meaning • Live WYSIWYG markdown — bold, headings, lists, quotes, code • Tables, callouts, code blocks, footnotes, highlights, links • iCloud sync across your devices • Export to .md (raw or with rendered images), PDF, plain text ETCHED PRO — one-time purchase, yours forever: • Flashcards + spaced repetition — turn notes into memory • Diagrams from plain text (flowcharts, sequences, mind maps) • Typeset math and chemistry (LaTeX) • Charts from a few rows of data • Sheet music from ABC notation • Handwriting / sketches • Present mode — turn a note into full-screen slides • Per-note themes Reading every format is always free — Pro unlocks creating them. No subscription, ever. Pay once and keep it. Coming from Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Bear? Your markdown imports as plain .md, and you finally get search that finds notes by meaning — privately, with no account. Private by design: your notes never leave your devices except through your own iCloud. No account, no tracking, no ads. Your notes, etched in memory. — Made by Hyojin Mo. Support: support@vibeland.app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Desk at none against Etched's 1. Desk also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Etched's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 28 months). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Etched sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Desk asks for nothing beyond the download.
Desk ships an update every 28 months, Etched every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Desk | Etched |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chris Parcel | Soyeon Noh |
In-app purchases
Desk
No in-app purchases
Etched
- Etched Pro$14.99
