Comparison

basalt vs MarkScope

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

Head to head
About

basalt

Features
Read full description

Write notes with AI suggestions as you type. basalt is a private notebook for drafts, ideas and journal entries, powered by Apple Intelligence on your device. GET HELP WHILE YOU WRITE Suggestions and questions appear alongside your note. Change the assistant’s prompt to ask for the kind of response you want. FIND YOUR NOTES Search your writing and browse short automatic summaries in the note list. Your recently edited notes appear first. KEEP YOUR WRITING LOCAL Notes are stored on your device. No account is required, and your writing is not sent to a developer-run AI service. AI features require a compatible device with Apple Intelligence enabled and its on-device model available. Availability depends on your device, language and region. AI suggestions may be inaccurate. Create two notes for free. basalt Pro unlocks unlimited notes with a weekly or yearly subscription. Prices and any eligible introductory offers are shown before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel your subscription in App Store account settings. Introductory offers are available only to eligible subscribers. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hekec.notion.site/terms-privacy-policy-290a809cee65801882d9d13fc40c24b7

About

MarkScope

Features
Read full description

MarkScope is an AI-first Markdown app. Read Markdown files, preview formatting, make plain-text edits, and keep your notes and documents close at hand on iOS. MarkScope is built for local-first workflows, so you can work with your own files without creating an account or relying on a hosted MarkScope backend. Use MarkScope to: β€’ Open and read Markdown on iPhone and iPad β€’ Edit Markdown in plain text β€’ Preview rendered Markdown in the same workflow β€’ Organize files with an optional iCloud Workspace β€’ Ask AI about the current document using your own provider configuration β€’ Keep API keys stored locally on your device AI features are optional. If you enable them, MarkScope sends prompts and relevant document context directly to the AI provider you configure. MarkScope does not require a MarkScope account for core app use. MarkScope Pro is available as a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks export, premium themes, AI tools, and more.

Screenshots

basalt4 screens
MarkScope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: MarkScope at 3 against basalt's 1. MarkScope also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. basalt sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and MarkScope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

basalt ships an update every 10 days, MarkScope every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
basalt versus MarkScope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterbasaltMarkScope
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days β€” betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS26.015.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size11 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIgor Diachukζœζ—Ί 潘

In-app purchases

2 purchases

basalt

Subscriptions2
  • Basalt Weekly3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Basalt Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
1 purchases

MarkScope

One-time1
  • MarkScope Pro$4.99

Questions

Is basalt free?
basalt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MarkScope free?
MarkScope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do basalt or MarkScope have ads?
Neither basalt nor MarkScope shows ads.
Which is updated more often, basalt or MarkScope?
basalt ships an update every 10 days, and MarkScope every 11 days. Most recently, basalt was updated on October 16, 2026 and MarkScope on October 14, 2026.

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