Comparison

Byword vs Inkdrop

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

Head to head
About

Byword

This app simplifies writing on mobile devices with robust Markdown support. It offers cross-device syncing, offline access, and seamless publishing to popular blogging platforms. Enjoy features like dark mode, word counts, and accessibility options.

Highlights
  • Markdown writing and editing
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Offline document access
  • Publish to blogs (Medium, WordPress, etc.)
  • Dark mode support
  • Word and character counters
  • Export to PDF and HTML
Features
Read full description

Byword makes writing easier on your iPhone and iPad. # Key features of Byword - Designed to make writing with Markdown easier - Sync text documents across all your Mac, iPhone, iPad devices - Take all documents offline to access them anytime - Filter documents by searching all text (Find & Replace inside documents coming soon) - Alternate dark theme for extra comfort in low-light situations - The most complete Markdown support including footnotes, tables and cross-references - Export Markdown documents to PDF and HTML documents - Publish to Medium, WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger and Evernote # Optimized for iOS 13 - Dark mode support to match iOS preference; - Search documents directly from iOS Spotlight; - Multitasking and split screen on iPad; - Shortcuts to create new document and access most recent documents right from application icon. # Blog publishing Publish to Medium, WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger and Evernote from Byword. Publishing your story with Byword is as simple as: 1. Write in Byword 2. Open Tools and select Publish 3. Confirm metadata 4. Publish # More features - List continuations - TextExpander snippet expansion - Word and character counters with live update - Extensive VoiceOver support for visual impaired users - Spell and Grammar checking and Dictionary lookup - Keyboard shortcuts for formatting and navigating between screens Here are some ways to use Byword in your life: - For posting to your blog without using clunky web interfaces and risking losing your work - For research, meeting and class notes - To write that important email without being distracted - To capture ideas and notes and have them available in all devices # Rich text warning Byword for iOS only works with plain text formats. Supported file extensions are: txt, text, md, mmd, rmd, markdown, markdn, mdown, mkdn, markd and fountain. # Support We are proud to provide a super friendly customer support. If you need help and/or have suggestions, please contact us using the mediums below. Twitter: http://twitter.com/bywordapp Email: byword@metaclassy.com Web: http://bywordapp.com

About

Inkdrop

This app allows you to write and organize notes using GitHub-flavored Markdown with syntax highlighting. It offers a streamlined workflow for boosting productivity and ensures your notes are accessible across devices with end-to-end encryption, even offline.

Highlights
  • GitHub-flavored Markdown support
  • Inline code syntax highlighting
  • Seamless note-taking workflow
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Offline access
Read full description

NOTE: To use this app, make sure you have an account registered on the Inkdrop website. ## Effortlessly Organize and Simplify Your Markdown Notes Inkdrop enables you to write in user-friendly, GitHub-flavored Markdown, complete with inline code syntax highlighting support. Unleash your creativity and transform your ideas into beautifully formatted notes! ## Streamline Your Thoughts & Boost Productivity Experience a seamless, low-friction note-taking workflow, empowering you to accomplish more in less time. With Inkdrop's effortless organization, you can focus on what truly matters: creating your best work. ## Access Your Notes Anytime, Anywhere, Securely Inkdrop quickly synchronizes your notes across multiple devices, ensuring you always have access to your most important thoughts. With end-to-end encryption, your notes remain secure and confidential. Plus, you can read and write even while offline, thanks to local data storage within the app. Terms of use: https://docs.inkdrop.app/terms

Screenshots

Byword4 screens
Inkdrop3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Inkdrop at Free against Byword's $5.99. Byword's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (179 vs 44). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Inkdrop is free to download; Byword costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Byword holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 179 and 44 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Byword's written reviews are positive against 63% of Inkdrop's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Byword ships an update every 2 months, Inkdrop every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Byword versus Inkdrop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBywordInkdrop
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (179 ratings) — better3.9 (44 ratings)
Positive reviews60.1% of reviews62.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings179 — better44
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.3 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetaclassy, Lda.Takuya Matsuyama

Customer experience

Byword

All ratings179 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews328 reviews
Positive60.1%
Neutral13.7%
Negative26.2%

Inkdrop

All ratings43 ratings
Positive74.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative20.9%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive62.7%
Neutral11.8%
Negative25.5%

Bugs and requests

Byword

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Dropbox sync not working, files not syncing or disappearing
  • Crashes on launch or when opening certain files
  • Issues with file organization, renaming, and folder management

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for rich text formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Improve Markdown preview and rendering
  • Implement more keyboard shortcuts and customization options
  • Integrate with more cloud storage services beyond Dropbox and iCloud
  • Add search and replace functionality

Inkdrop

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Byword

No in-app purchases

None

Inkdrop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Byword free?
Byword costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Inkdrop free?
Inkdrop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Byword or Inkdrop?
Byword is rated higher. Byword averages 4.4 out of 5 from 179 ratings, while Inkdrop averages 3.9 from 44 ratings.
Do Byword or Inkdrop have ads?
Neither Byword nor Inkdrop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Byword or Inkdrop?
Byword ships an update every 2 months, and Inkdrop every 6 weeks. Most recently, Byword was updated on October 13, 2026 and Inkdrop on October 12, 2026.

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