Zen Slate vs Thread Mark
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Zen Slate
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Keep notes, voice memos and to-dos together. Zen Slate gives your writing room, with rich text, document scanning, reminders and a library you can organize your way. WRITE, RECORD AND SCAN Use headings, bold, italics, quotes, code blocks, highlights and checklists. Add photos, PDFs and files. Record a voice note with on-device transcription, or scan a document with the camera on supported devices. NOTES THAT TURN INTO ACTION A checklist inside a note is a real to-do. Add a date, reminder, priority or repeat, then see tasks together and plan them on a calendar. Optional Apple Reminders integration is off until you choose it. DRAW ON IPAD Sketch with Apple Pencil using pens, markers, a highlighter, eraser, lasso and ruler. Drawings remain editable after you save them. FIND YOUR WAY BACK Organize with nested categories, tags and smart folders. Search your writing, bookmark a note, and link related notes with double brackets. Backlinks show where a note is referenced. BRING YOUR NOTES WITH YOU Import Markdown folders with their structure, tags and dates. Import supported Evernote ENEX, RTF and HTML files. Export your library as JSON when you need it. YOUR DEVICE AND YOUR ICLOUD No Zen Slate account is required. Notes are stored on your device; sync uses your own iCloud account rather than our servers. Keep version history and restore an earlier draft. Supported devices can protect individual notes with biometric authentication. CAPTURE WITHOUT THE DETOUR Use widgets, the share sheet, Shortcuts and Spotlight to reach your notes. Features vary by platform; camera scanning and Apple Pencil drawing require supported iPhone or iPad hardware. FREE AND PRO Start with five slates for free. Pro removes the limit and adds sync, widgets, backup and export. Choose a yearly subscription or a one-time purchase. The one-time purchase does not renew. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account subscription settings. See current pricing in the app. Privacy Policy: https://www.zenproducts.ai/apps/zen-slate/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.zenproducts.ai/apps/zen-slate/terms Support: hello@zenproducts.ai
Thread Mark
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Welcome to ThreadMark, the ultimate local-first Markdown reader that transforms your personal notes, development logs, and reading materials into an immersive, thread-style reading experience! Whether you're organizing a massive "Second Brain" or simply jotting down grocery lists, ThreadMark makes reading long documents on mobile incredibly fast, casual, and stress-free. โ What is ThreadMark? ThreadMark is a unique Markdown viewer and editor that parses your local files into a message board/forum structure. Simply select your local folder (Vault), and the app automatically treats your folders as "Boards", your .md files as "Threads", and paragraphs divided by headings as numbered "Posts". โ Who is this for? - Heavy Markdown users looking for a lightweight, mobile-friendly way to browse their vast knowledge base. - Users of desktop-based PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) tools who want a seamless, local mobile companion. - Anyone who loves the scrollable, bite-sized reading experience of timelines and forum threads. - Privacy advocates who prefer 100% offline, local storage without cloud lock-in. โ Key Features - Innovative Thread-Style UI Documents are automatically split based on headings (e.g., ##) and displayed as numbered posts. Even a 10,000-word document becomes as easy to digest as scrolling through a social media feed. - Rich Markdown Compatibility Fully supports WikiLinks ([[Note Name]]) for bidirectional linking. Tap a dead link to instantly create a new thread. It also beautifully renders inline images, transclusions (embedding other .md files), and callouts (e.g., > [!info]). - Powerful "Quote Anchors" Navigate complex thoughts instantly. Type >>1, >>1-5, or >>1,3 to create interactive anchors. Tapping them opens a quick pop-up preview of the referenced sections without losing your scroll position. - 100% Local & Secure No accounts, no logins, and no forced cloud syncing. All data remains safely on your device's local storage, ensuring your private diaries and sensitive technical notes stay truly private. โ Rich Customization - Dual Viewing Modes Switch seamlessly between the immersive "BBS Mode" (Board/Thread/Post layout) and the traditional "Standard Mode" (Folder/Note layout) depending on your mood. - Beautiful Themes & Typography Choose from a variety of carefully crafted themes, including a classic Retro Beige, pure Dark Mode, Dracula, and Cyberpunk. Includes a precise font scaler to build your perfect reading environment. * Note: ThreadMark is free to use with optional ads. We offer a one-time lifetime purchase to remove ads completely, or you can temporarily hide ads for 6 hours by watching a short video. * Note: This app is a local file viewer/editor. It does not connect to or browse external internet forum services.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Zen Slate at none against Thread Mark's shown. Thread Mark's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Zen Slate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Thread Mark sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Zen Slate ships an update every 10 days, Thread Mark fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zen Slate | Thread Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days โ better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No โ better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ZenProducts Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Koya Kurauchi |
In-app purchases
Zen Slate
- Zen Slate Pro Annual$19.991 Year
- Zen Slate, bought once$49.99
Thread Mark
- Buy the Developer a Coffee$2.99
- ThreadMark Pro$9.99









