Comparison

MDPaper vs Ariv

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

Head to head
About

MDPaper

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simple Markdown Editor on iOS - basic markdown supported - iCloud doc supported for GTD, BuJo - support TODO format "[ ] item" - support Dated TODO format "[@2023/12/31] item" icons by https://icons8.com/

About

Ariv

Features
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Ariv is a local-first second brain for notes, tasks, journaling, study, projects, and personal knowledge management. Capture ideas, organize work, search your vault, ask questions about your notes, and keep your thinking connected without building a complicated plugin setup. Everything is built in: - Markdown notes and daily writing - Smart dashboard for active work - Tasks and Kanban - Quick capture - Voice memos with transcription - Ask Brain, an AI assistant for your notes - Calendar-aware planning and meeting context - Graph view and visual maps - Templates and presentation mode - Unified search across files, tags, and content Ariv is designed around a simple idea: your notes have a life. New thoughts land in your inbox. Active notes stay visible while you are working on them. Older notes move out of the way but stay searchable, linkable, and ready to resurface when you need them. No manual filing system required. No weekend spent setting up plugins. Open the app and start thinking. Your files stay yours: - Notes are stored as plain Markdown - Works with existing Markdown folders and vaults - No proprietary format - No account required to use the local app - Optional end-to-end encrypted sync is available AI is optional and on your terms. Use your own API key, run supported local models, or use Ariv's managed AI add-on. Ask Brain can answer questions from your vault and point back to the notes it used. Whether you are a student, writer, researcher, developer, founder, or lifelong learner, Ariv gives you one place to capture, connect, and use what you know. Think freely. No setup required.

Screenshots

MDPaper1 screens
Ariv4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Ariv at none against MDPaper's shown. Ariv also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
MDPaper versus Ariv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMDPaperAriv
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksโ€”
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS18.615.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size7 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomoaki YagishitaAriv Studios

In-app purchases

None

MDPaper

No in-app purchases

None

Ariv

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MDPaper free?
MDPaper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ariv free?
Ariv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MDPaper or Ariv have ads?
MDPaper shows ads; Ariv does not.

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