Comparison

#Sparks vs SoloMD

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

Head to head
About

#Sparks

Features
Read full description

Transform your thoughts into organized conversations with Sparks - the note-taking app that thinks like you do. Sparks revolutionizes how you capture and organize ideas by combining the familiar chat interface you love with powerful hashtag organization. Simply talk to your hashtags and get your chaotic sparks of inspiration automatically organised into usable notes! HASHTAG MAGIC Add #tags anywhere in your notes Talk to your tags. Notes automatically organize by topics Multiple tags per note for flexible organization No rigid folder structures - just natural tagging CONVERSATION-STYLE INTERFACE Notes appear as chat bubbles - familiar and intuitive Capture thoughts as quickly as sending a message Chronological timeline keeps your thinking process clear Add images just like in your favorite messaging apps SMART SEARCH & DISCOVERY Search both content and hashtags instantly Related tag suggestions help you discover connections Filter by multiple tags to find exactly what you need Quick access to all your organized conversations MOBILE-FIRST DESIGN Optimized for quick note capture on-the-go Swipe actions for easy editing and deletion Long-press to select multiple notes Responsive design that works on any device EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION No manual filing or complex folder structures Tags automatically create topic-based conversations View all notes in #all or filter by specific interests Recent and frequently used tags for quick access Perfect for: Students organizing study notes by subject Professionals capturing meeting insights Creatives collecting inspiration and ideas Anyone who wants structured notes without the hassle Why Sparks? Traditional note apps force you to think about organization before you capture your thoughts. Sparks lets you focus on your ideas first - the organization happens naturally through hashtags. It's like having a personal assistant who knows exactly where everything belongs. Download Sparks today and experience note-taking that adapts to how you actually think.

About

SoloMD

A distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad, focusing on writing with live preview, rich syntax, and export options. Your notes are stored locally as plain text files.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free writing environment
  • Live Markdown preview
  • KaTeX math and Mermaid diagram support
  • Multiple export formats (HTML, PDF, DOCX)
  • File tree and outline view
  • Focus and typewriter modes
  • Split-view and multitasking support
Features
Read full description

SoloMD is a lightweight, distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad. One file. One window. Just write. Built from the ground up as a focused writing tool - no account, no cloud, no telemetry, no subscription. Your notes stay in plain .md and .txt files on your iPad, readable by any editor on any platform, today and in ten years. CORE EDITING - Live preview - Markdown symbols fade out after the cursor leaves the line. - Rich syntax styling - real big headings, real bold, real monospace for code. - Light and Dark themes that follow iPad system appearance. - Multi-encoding - auto-detects UTF-8, UTF-16, GBK, Big5. - Tabs with dirty indicators. - File tree sidebar, outline view, and global search. MARKDOWN POWER - KaTeX math - inline and block math render instantly. - Mermaid diagrams - flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts. - Task lists with clickable checkboxes. - Footnotes, YAML front-matter, text highlighting. - Syntax highlighting for 13 plus languages. - Synced split-pane scroll. - Tap an image or Mermaid diagram to open a pinch-zoomable overlay. BUILT FOR IPAD - 44 pt touch targets across toolbar, outline, and file tree. - Larger default font sizes tuned for iPad screen distance. - Split-view and multitasking friendly. - Works with hardware keyboards. - Portrait and landscape, every orientation. WRITER TOOLS - Focus mode - non-current paragraphs dim for deep work. - Typewriter mode. - Session restore - auto-saves so you never lose a line. - Chinese power tools - simplified/traditional conversion, pinyin, CJK word counts. - Spell check. - Custom CSS. EXPORT - HTML (newsletter quality) - PDF with KaTeX and Mermaid baked in - Word (.docx) with tables preserved - Copy as HTML, plain text, or Markdown PRIVACY FIRST SoloMD collects no personal data. No account. No analytics. No ads. No tracking. All your notes live locally in files you own. SoloMD is open source (MIT). Source: github.com/zhitongblog/solomd

Screenshots

#Sparks2 screens
SoloMD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: #Sparks at every 3 days against SoloMD's weekly. #Sparks also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

#Sparks ships an update every 3 days, SoloMD weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
#Sparks versus SoloMD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter#SparksSoloMD
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJAKUB ZAJĄC DORADCA PODATKOWY向东 李

In-app purchases

None

#Sparks

No in-app purchases

None

SoloMD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is #Sparks free?
#Sparks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SoloMD free?
SoloMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do #Sparks or SoloMD have ads?
Neither #Sparks nor SoloMD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, #Sparks or SoloMD?
#Sparks ships an update every 3 days, and SoloMD weekly. Most recently, #Sparks was updated on October 7, 2026 and SoloMD on October 5, 2026.

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