Comparison

Attendance2 vs ghostWriter Markdown

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

Head to head
About

Attendance2

Easily track attendance for classes or events with customizable statuses and photo displays. Import contacts, scan QR codes, and generate detailed reports for at-risk individuals. Share data files for collaborative tracking.

Highlights
  • Flexible name importing (CSV, Contacts)
  • Display photos next to names
  • Customizable attendance statuses
  • QR/barcode scanning for status recording
  • Course meeting time options
  • Multiple report formats (CSV)
  • Data file sharing and backup
Read full description

See two-minute introductory video at www.dave256apps.com/attendance2 Attendance2 is a new app from the developer of the original iOS Attendance app. It is a complete rewrite of the app with a new data format to make it more flexible and easier to use. * Main Features * Easy to get started with and powerful features you can learn if you need them. Flexible importing of names from CSV file or your Contacts (videos on website show how to create an import CSV files) Display photos next to names while taking attendance. Photos can be taken with the device, imported from Dropbox, or from your Photo library. Statuses (i.e., Absent, Present, etc.) are customizable so you can add your own statuses. Each day includes a status, a second status, and a generic note field. Use the second status to track participation points or for dropoff/pickup (more information on website for how to do this). Manually select status for each person or scan QR or barcode to record a person's attendance status (Attendance2 will create QR codes for you). Optionally enter course meetings times (i.e., MWF 9AM) so you add your next class time with one tap or manually select meeting time if course does not meet at regular times. Standard fields for first, middle, last, email, etc. for each person plus 5 custom fields you can optionally use. Customize which person fields are visible while taking attendance in the Take settings. Multiple report options (spreadsheet, summary, detailed report) that can be emailed or saved to Dropbox in CSV format. Reports of students who have missed a specified number of classes to help identify at risk students. Customize what fields are included in the reports in the Report Settings. Each course is a separate data file and you can share your data file with teaching assistants or administrators by sending it to them in an email. Easily backup your data file to Dropbox or via email. Supports TextExpander touch snippet expansion in various note fields. * Gestures while taking attendance * Tap photo to view larger photo or to change the photo. Tap name to enter the note for that day for the person. Tap and hold name to view/edit details for a person. Double tap a name to view summary report of attendance. Tap and hold status to select status from a list. Swipe right/left all the way across screen to switch to previous/next date. * Sharing data between multiple devices or people * Data cannot be synced between multiple users, but as long as you send the data file back and forth between multiple people and the person using it has the latest copy, mutliple people can take attendance at different times. For example, an instructor could take attendance on MWF, email the data file to his/her TA after class Wednesday and the TA could then take attendance at a recitation section on Thursday and email the updated data file back to the instructor afterwards so the instructor could use it again on Wednesday. The same instructions apply for using it on multiple devices - just share the data (via email or Dropbox) with your other device and make certain the device you're using at the momemnt has the latest copy of the data before you modify the data. As of version 2.0 of Attendance2, it includes all the major features of the original Attendance app (version 2.0 adds importing from your Contacts). I have a list of requested features and will continue to update the app regularly as I have time to work on it. While I can't promise to add every feature request, if you have a specific request, feel free to email it to me (dave256apps@me.com). See http://www.dave256apps.com for more information about the app. There are a few videos there showing more information about the app and how to use it.

About

ghostWriter Markdown

A plain-text writing app designed with accessibility in mind. It allows users to create, organize, and export documents in various formats, with features like voice control and outline navigation.

Highlights
  • Accessibility-first plain-text editor
  • Organize documents and chapters
  • Compile work into finished exports
  • Supports multiple export formats (HTML, EPUB, PDF, Word)
  • VoiceOver integration
  • Native Find and Replace
  • Outline navigation for headings
Read full description

ghostWriter Markdown is an accessibility-first, plain-text writing app for notes, articles, documentation, and full manuscripts. Write individual documents, organize chapters, and compile your work into a finished export. VoiceOver was at the center of the design from the first line of code. Created by a blind developer, ghostWriter gives screen reader users and anyone who loves plain text a clean, native place to write. So what's Markdown? Markdown adds structure using ordinary punctuation. A number sign makes a heading. A dash makes a list item. Your document stays readable as plain text, and you can render it to see the finished formatting. You don't have to know Markdown to start. Insert Actions adds common elements, the Markdown Reference provides examples, and the included ghostWriter Help Manual explains writing, organizing, and exporting your work. Writing Made Easy: • A native editor that keeps Markdown punctuation visible and you in control of the source • Insert links, images, headings, quotes, code, lists, tasks, tables, and rules • Automatic continuation for bullets, numbered lists, and tasks • Indent and outdent with tabs or spaces • Native Find and Replace, dictation, braille input, and text selection • A configurable Status Bar with line and column position, word, sentence, and character counts, heading level, and selection counts • Automatic saving, plus collision detection if the same document is open on separate devices • Start in the Library, a new document, or your last document Useful Navigation: • Use Outline to jump to document headings • Move through headings with a three-finger horizontal VoiceOver swipe while editing • Jump to Line in long documents • Search document names and contents • Return to your remembered editing position in each file Keep Files Organized: • Create, rename, and move nested folders • Pin documents you keep coming back to • Sort by name, created, modified, or last opened, or arrange files and folders manually • Restore removed files from Recently Deleted • Import Markdown, plain text, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations into Markdown Build Your Manuscript: • Compile documents from nested folders into a single export • Choose which files to include and arrange chapters for each compilation • Keep research and notes nearby while excluding them from compilations • Track word, sentence, and character totals for individual files or whole folders • Control heading structure when combining documents Render and Share: • Render Markdown as structured HTML with semantic headings, lists, tables, and links • Export individual documents or compilations as Markdown, plain text, HTML, EPUB, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, eBraille, or BRF • Customize Word exports with your own JSON stylesheets, optional title and subtitle styles, and a supplied Large Print stylesheet Your Files, Your Devices: • Ordinary Markdown files, visible in the Files app • On-device storage or iCloud Drive syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Open and edit your files in other apps that read text • No proprietary format and no dependence on ghostWriter to keep your work Accessibility: Developed toward WCAG 2.2 Level AA and tested with VoiceOver as a primary interaction method. • Native controls with familiar roles and behaviors • Dynamic Type, including accessibility text sizes • System, monospaced, rounded, and serif editor typefaces • Light, dark, and system appearance • Voice Control, Switch Control, and hardware keyboard support • Optional keyboard shortcuts for common actions • Reduced-motion support Privacy: No accounts. No sign-in. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. No data collection. No AI tools. There is no server behind this app. Your documents stay on your device or in your own iCloud, and they never travel anywhere you don't send them. Made by a blind developer who got tired of tools that treated screen reader support as an afterthought.

Screenshots

Attendance24 screens
ghostWriter Markdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ghostWriter Markdown at Free against Attendance2's $4.99. ghostWriter Markdown also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Attendance2's advantage is ratings volume (22 vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ghostWriter Markdown is free to download; Attendance2 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Attendance2 against 4.0 for ghostWriter Markdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Attendance2 has 22 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Attendance2's written reviews are positive against 100% of ghostWriter Markdown's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Attendance2 ships an update every 6 weeks, ghostWriter Markdown every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Attendance2 versus ghostWriter Markdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAttendance2ghostWriter Markdown
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (22 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews84.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid M. Reed SoftwareMarco Salsiccia

Customer experience

Attendance2

All ratings22 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral13.6%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral6.0%
Negative9.6%

ghostWriter Markdown

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Attendance2

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 🐛 Crashing on launch (iOS 7)
  • 🐛 Touch responsiveness issues
  • 🐛 Buttons not responsive
  • 🐛 App crashes on launch (iOS 8 issue)
  • 🐛 Login screen freezes (implied by 'Doesn't even open')
Show 1 more
  • 🐛 Incompatible with older devices (implied by iOS 7/8 issues)

Requested features

12 requests
  • Live sync between multiple devices
  • One-click solution for emailing photos
  • Generate daily roster of attendance
  • Customizable spreadsheet output
  • One-button sync to Dropbox
Show 7 more
  • Ability to add students from contacts (older reviews)
  • Return of select random students/groups feature
  • View student notes in 'Take Attendance' mode
  • iCloud integration for sync across devices
  • Ability to put grades in as well
  • More intuitive UI/navigation
  • Sync student database from Dropbox/Google Drive

ghostWriter Markdown

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Attendance2

No in-app purchases

None

ghostWriter Markdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Attendance2 free?
Attendance2 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ghostWriter Markdown free?
ghostWriter Markdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Attendance2 or ghostWriter Markdown?
Attendance2 is rated higher. Attendance2 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while ghostWriter Markdown averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Attendance2 or ghostWriter Markdown have ads?
Neither Attendance2 nor ghostWriter Markdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Attendance2 or ghostWriter Markdown?
Attendance2 ships an update every 6 weeks, and ghostWriter Markdown every 2 days. Most recently, Attendance2 was updated on September 30, 2026 and ghostWriter Markdown on September 27, 2026.

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