# Pastor vs markdown notes

The clearest difference is price: markdown notes at Free against Pastor's $1.99. markdown notes also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 8 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Pastor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

markdown notes is free to download; Pastor costs $1.99 up front. markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Pastor asks for nothing beyond the download.

markdown notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

Pastor ships an update every 8 months, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastor | markdown notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastor/id547894536/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 30.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 1 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Markus Mehlau](https://appshunter.io/developer/1783144554) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### Pastor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastor/id547894536)

Securely store and manage your personal information with a digital wallet. Your data is protected by advanced encryption and biometric authentication. Requires a device passcode for enhanced security.

**Highlights:** Digital wallet for personal information, 256-bit AES encryption, Face ID support, Touch ID support, Secure data storage

**In-app purchases:** none


### markdown notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749)

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores all your notes as plain text files, accessible across your devices. It offers beautiful writing tools, seamless cloud sync, and powerful organization features without any bloat.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud Drive sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder and instant search organization, Menu bar app on Mac, Export to PDF, HTML, RTF (Pro)

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smolpad Pro | $1.49 | per month |
| Smolpad Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| Smolpad Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastor free?

Pastor costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is markdown notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pastor or markdown notes?

markdown notes is rated higher. Pastor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while markdown notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pastor or markdown notes have ads?

Neither Pastor nor markdown notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pastor or markdown notes?

Pastor ships an update every 8 months, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, Pastor was updated on October 4, 2026 and markdown notes on October 10, 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.*