Comparison

Inkiostro vs GrayCat Markdown

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

Head to head
About

Inkiostro

A distraction-free Markdown editor for Apple devices. Organize files with color labels and tags, and write efficiently with a comprehensive toolbar and live preview. Syncs automatically via iCloud Drive.

Highlights
  • Color Labels for files and folders
  • Custom tags for organization
  • Complete Markdown toolbar
  • Live preview with multiple themes
  • Focus and Typewriter modes
  • Native iCloud Drive sync
  • External folder support
Features
Read full description

Inkiostro is a Markdown editor for people who write — notes, documentation, theses, novels. Plain text files that stay yours, a preview that looks like a finished page, and exports ready to hand over. Write in Markdown, or in the visual editor and never see a symbol. Buy once, no subscription. No account, no tracking. WRITE, SEE, FINISH • Two ways to write: the Markdown editor shows the symbols, the visual editor formats as you type, like a word processor. Either way the file stays plain Markdown. (Visual editor: Pro, free for 7 days) • A complete Markdown toolbar: headings, lists, tables and code blocks, one tap away. • A side-by-side preview that comes back exactly where you left it. • LaTeX formulas typeset by KaTeX, and Mermaid diagrams drawn as you type. • 27 preview styles, 11 of them free: GitHub, Sepia, Nord, Solarized and more. With Pro, Manuscript, Book, Report, Academic and others set the page like print. • Focus and Typewriter modes, a live word count and a daily writing goal. FROM DRAFT TO BOOK • PDF with selectable text, formulas and diagrams included. Free, with a small credit line in the footer. • A professional ePub: real chapters, a cover, ISBN, series, footnotes that open over the page, and the accessibility declaration Europe requires. The export sheet tells you what a store would reject — before you send it. (Pro) • A book made of many files: one chapter per file, in a folder, in the order you choose. Arranging it is free; exporting it as a single ePub is Pro. • Self-contained HTML, and page setup for PDF: paper, margins, headers and page numbers. (Pro) NEVER LOSE A WORD • Version history: Inkiostro saves versions as you write. Search them, compare them line by line, and bring back a single word or a whole draft. (Pro) • Backups of your whole library: a dated zip archive with your version history inside, offered when one is due, while the app is open, in a folder you pick. Open it in the Files app and your Markdown files are right there. (Pro) YOUR FILES, YOUR RULES • Unlimited documents, as plain .md files you can open anywhere. • Folders, color labels and tags, with search that filters by tag. • iCloud Drive sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no setup. • External folders: work directly inside any folder on your device or in iCloud Drive. (Pro) INKIOSTRO PRO — ONE PURCHASE, EVERY DEVICE One purchase unlocks Pro on iPhone, iPad and Mac, forever. Try it free for 7 days. • The visual editor • Version history with search, comparison and a year of versions • Backups of your library • Professional ePub, HTML, and books made of many files • PDF page setup • Focus and Typewriter modes • External folders • 24 app themes, the Pro preview styles and any font installed on your device MADE FOR • Writers: novels and essays in plain text, out as a real ebook • Students and researchers: notes and theses with proper formulas • Developers: READMEs, documentation and technical notes with diagrams • Anyone tired of paying every month for a text editor • Anyone new to Markdown: the visual editor works like a word processor PRIVACY Your documents stay in your iCloud Drive or on your device. No servers of ours, ever. Inkiostro collects only anonymous, aggregated usage statistics — never personal data, never the content of your documents — and you can turn them off in Settings.

About

GrayCat Markdown

Features
Read full description

GrayCat Markdown is now available on iPhone and iPad. Bring the Markdown files you saved from the Mac app into iCloud, then open, edit, preview, and prepare them for publishing on the go. Core features • Open iCloud documents: shares the same iCloud.com.graycat.stickymd Documents container with the Mac app. • Choose a writing folder: authorize your own iCloud Drive folder in Files, such as a personal writing folder. • Mobile Markdown toolbar: headings, bold, italic, quotes, lists, links, and images are easy to insert. • Preview four output forms directly: Standard, Zhihu, Toutiao, and WeChat Official Account styles live inside Preview. • Keep image assets beside the document: inserted photos or image files are saved into the matching .assets folder and referenced with relative Markdown paths. • Search titles, paths, and document body text. • Publish readiness checks: review word count, headings, images, links, and code fences before copying. • Recent documents for quick return. Sync model GrayCat Markdown uses iCloud Documents and local Markdown files. It does not use a third-party cloud service or upload your content to the developer. After saving from the Mac app to iCloud, refresh the iOS document list or reload the active document to read the latest content. For a custom folder, select and authorize that folder on iOS first. Privacy • No app account required • No analytics collection • No ads or tracking SDKs • Documents stay in the local or iCloud location you choose

Screenshots

Inkiostro4 screens
GrayCat Markdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GrayCat Markdown at none against Inkiostro's 1. Inkiostro's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Inkiostro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GrayCat Markdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Inkiostro ships an update weekly, GrayCat Markdown every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Inkiostro versus GrayCat Markdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInkiostroGrayCat Markdown
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlo Di Giuseppe泳涛 茅

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Inkiostro

One-time1
  • Inkiostro Pro$19.99
None

GrayCat Markdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Inkiostro free?
Inkiostro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GrayCat Markdown free?
GrayCat Markdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Inkiostro or GrayCat Markdown have ads?
Neither Inkiostro nor GrayCat Markdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Inkiostro or GrayCat Markdown?
Inkiostro ships an update weekly, and GrayCat Markdown every 5 weeks. Most recently, Inkiostro was updated on October 13, 2026 and GrayCat Markdown on October 11, 2026.

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