Comparison

Metanote vs Stairstep

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

Head to head
About

Metanote

A privacy-focused offline editor that supports Org mode for writing, task management, and knowledge wikis. It offers real-time editing of rich content and seamless synchronization across devices.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first offline editor
  • Full Org mode support
  • Real-time rich content editing
  • Seamless synchronization
  • Integrated task management
  • Full-text search
Read full description

Metanote is a privacy-first offline editor that supports org mode. In Metanote, everything is text, everything is editable. Supports real-time editing and rendering of images, hyperlinks, tables, Latex mathematical formulas, source code blocks, attachments and other rich content with the text markup language 'org mode'. Literary creation, academic papers, literary programming, task management, knowledge wiki and other usage scenarios can be easily handled. *** Freedom & Private 100% work offline, no account required, no network required, no private document formats, no data collection, your data and privacy are completely under your control. *** Writing every where Whether on the go or in your bedroom, you can create, view and edit your documents anytime, anywhere, and with built-in synchronization, everything will be there when you return to your desk. *** A silky-smooth editing experience Pure native development, lightweight and smooth, rejecting any lag, even for large files! *** Thinking better Through the structured editing function, ideas come to life on screen. It is not only a beautiful outline, but also efficient thinking. *** Never miss a thing There is no more free task management system than this. Notes are to-dos, and to-dos are notes. Everything is plain-text and everything can be edited. Capture inspiration on the go with 'capture' and keep everything in sight with 'agenda view's. *** Org mode Metanote fully supports org mode 9.3.6 syntax, including features like Capture and Agenda View, allowing for a perfect and even enhanced org mode experience on smartphones. - An incredibly smooth editing experience. - Sync using WebDAV(Apache WebDAV Server, ownCloud, Yandex.disk, etc.), Dropbox, OneDrive, Git, iCloud. - Support for adding Obsidian and Logseq working directories, integrating and managing them in a unified manner - Supports full-text search. - Support images, tables and LaTeX. - Support hyperlinks and attachments. 1. Supports internal links and external links. 2. Click on the attachment link to preview and edit, the following types are supported: 1. iWork and Microsoft Office documents 2. Images 3. Live Photos 4. Text files 5. PDFs 6. Audio and video files - Supports multi-window editing. - Customizable startup page - Supports mini buffer. - Compatible with org mode version 9.3.6 - Todo notifications support - View agenda views by year, month, and day - Customizable workflows - Support for custom capture, custom agenda view, refile, log note, and other features. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Stairstep

View and inspect 3D models in STEP file format. Explore models with intuitive orbit, pan, and zoom controls, aided by a reference grid and scale bar. Access detailed geometry information including vertices, triangles, and dimensions.

Highlights
  • 3D model viewing
  • Orbit, pan, and zoom controls
  • Reference grid
  • Scale bar for size tracking
  • Geometry inspector
  • Dimension reporting
Features
Read full description

Stairs views STEP files. Open a model and inspect it in 3D — orbit, pan, and zoom, with a reference grid and a scale bar to keep track of size. Drag to orbit the model and scroll or pinch to zoom; the scale bar updates to match. The toolbar fits the model back into view and reveals an inspector that reports the geometry — vertices, triangles, materials, and overall dimensions.

Screenshots

Metanote4 screens
Stairstep1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stairstep at 5.0 against Metanote's 4.3. Stairstep also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Metanote's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and ratings volume (15 vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Metanote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. Stairstep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stairstep holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Metanote has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Metanote ships an update every 2 weeks, Stairstep monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Metanote versus Stairstep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetanoteStairstep
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (15 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer雪双 陈Twarge LLC

Customer experience

Metanote

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

Stairstep

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Metanote

Subscriptions1
  • Metanote Premium$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-time purchase$19.99
None

Stairstep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Metanote free?
Metanote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stairstep free?
Stairstep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Metanote or Stairstep?
Stairstep is rated higher. Metanote averages 4.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Stairstep averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Metanote or Stairstep have ads?
Neither Metanote nor Stairstep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Metanote or Stairstep?
Metanote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Stairstep monthly. Most recently, Metanote was updated on November 3, 2026 and Stairstep on October 24, 2026.

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