Comparison

Markdown Reader & Editor vs markdown notes

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

Head to head
About

Markdown Reader & Editor

Features
Read full description

Markdown, beautifully rendered — on iPhone, iPad and Mac. MD Reader turns plain .md files into clean, readable documents with real LaTeX mathematics, colored code blocks and elegant tables. Native, fast, and built around one idea: your words stay yours. ON iPHONE A calm, focused, read-only reader. Open, read, search and navigate — with no risk of changing your file by accident. With Pro you can also export to PDF and HTML. WRITE, NOT JUST READ (iPad) • An editor with a live side-by-side preview that updates as you type • New, Open and Save • Your edits go back to your own .md files BEAUTIFUL RENDERING • Full Markdown: headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, nested lists, tables, block quotes, links and images • LaTeX mathematics typeset with KaTeX — inline formulas and centered display equations • Colored code blocks with a one-tap Copy button • Smart typography: curly quotes, em dashes and ellipses applied automatically FIND YOUR WAY • Instant search that highlights every match, with a counter and next/previous • Table of contents built from your headings — a sheet on iPhone, a sidebar on Mac • In-document links jump straight to any section • Recent files always one tap away MAKE IT COMFORTABLE • Four themes — GitHub, Aurora, Dark and Apple — each adapting to light and dark mode • Adjustable text size AND ON YOUR MAC The same purchase includes the full Mac app: • AI Markdown — describe what you need and Apple's on-device model writes the Markdown. Nothing leaves your Mac. • Live Studio — seven ready-made building blocks: section, table, checklist, code, quote, storyboard and action plan • Several documents open at once, in tabs, with synced scrolling • Live statistics, a choice of reading fonts, and a full menu bar with keyboard shortcuts for everything FREE AND PRO Reading and writing are both free. Open any Markdown file, use all four themes, LaTeX, colored code, tables, search, contents and the bundled samples — and on iPad and Mac, write in the editor with its live side-by-side preview, create new documents and save them. Pro is a single one-time purchase — no subscription — and it covers taking the document back out of the app: export to PDF and HTML on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and on iPhone and Mac also printing, exporting a single section, sharing as an image and copying with formatting. On Mac it adds Live Studio, AI Markdown and several documents open at once. One purchase covers all three. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS Ordinary .md text files. No proprietary format, no account, no sign-up, no analytics, no tracking and no subscription — one purchase, that's all. The only time the app uses the network is to load images your own document links to. Opens .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd and .mkdn — from the Files app, iCloud Drive or a share sheet. Available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.natural-apps.com/MDReader/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.natural-apps.com/MDReader/privacy.html

About

markdown notes

Features
Read full description

Smolpad is a smol Markdown editor with respect for your files. Every note is a plain .md file you can open with any app, on any device, forever. Your files are your own. No database. No lock-in. No bloat. Just a tiny, fast home for your notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. WRITE IN MARKDOWN, BEAUTIFULLY • Syntax dims as you type, or hides away entirely with one tap • Task lists become real checkboxes. Checkboxes that check. • Headings, bold, italic, code, and quotes, styled as you write • A formatting bar for common touches, plus full keyboard shortcuts • Pictures too: drag or paste one in, resize it by its corner, and it lives as a plain file beside the note YOUR FILES, ANYWHERE • Notes sync through your own iCloud Drive, included free • Open your notes folder in Finder or Files any time • Organize with folders, pins, and instant search • Nothing ever leaves your devices except to your own cloud SMOL ON PURPOSE • On the Mac, Smolpad lives in your menu bar, one hotkey away • Tear off a note into its own window when you want to stay a while • On iPhone and iPad, it opens fast and stays out of your way • Seven hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO • Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) • Dropbox sync, in an app folder that belongs to you • Twenty-nine editor themes, from Tokyo Night to Catppuccin • Seventeen app icons and the full menu bar icon set Smolpad Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The free tier is a real notes app, not a trial. Made by a smol team that believes plain text outlives everything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://smolpad.com/privacy

Screenshots

Markdown Reader & Editor4 screens
markdown notes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Markdown Reader & Editor at none against markdown notes's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Markdown Reader & Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Markdown Reader & Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Markdown Reader & Editor versus markdown notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkdown Reader & Editormarkdown notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVictoria Rodriguez DiazBaconWorks, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Markdown Reader & Editor

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

markdown notes

Subscriptions2
  • Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
  • Smolpad Pro$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Markdown Reader & Editor free?
Markdown Reader & Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is markdown notes free?
markdown notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Markdown Reader & Editor or markdown notes have ads?
Neither Markdown Reader & Editor nor markdown notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Markdown Reader & Editor or markdown notes?
Markdown Reader & Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, Markdown Reader & Editor was updated on September 27, 2026 and markdown notes on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons