Comparison

ListHappens 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

ListHappens

Features
Read full description

List Happens is your fast, flexible productivity sidekick — built for people who want clean lists, zero friction, and total control. Whether you're scanning a paper checklist, importing a WhatsApp dump, or capturing tasks on the fly, List Happens turns chaos into structured, actionable lists in seconds. Key Features -Sub-task functionality enabled through optional "advanced" mode. - Scan to checklist (OCR): Snap a photo of any list and instantly convert it into editable checklist items. - Regex-powered cleaning: Remove timestamps, emojis, prefixes, clutter, or any recurring noise with custom patterns. - Quick‑Add modal: Add tasks at lightning speed with smart defaults, date pickers, and keyboard‑first design. - Theme‑aware UI: Beautiful, accessible light/dark mode with bold contrast and clean typography. Privacy & Control - No account required - No ads - Your data stays on your device - Built with a privacy‑first philosophy Why List Happens? Because productivity should be fast, fun, and frictionless. List Happens is crafted by developers obsessed with clean UI, smart workflows, and theme consistency — so you can focus on what matters, not managing your tools.

About

markdown notes

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores all your notes as plain text files, accessible across your devices. It offers beautiful writing tools, seamless cloud sync, and powerful organization features without any bloat.

Highlights
  • Plain .md file storage
  • iCloud Drive sync
  • Markdown syntax highlighting
  • Task list checkboxes
  • Folder and instant search organization
  • Menu bar app on Mac
  • Export to PDF, HTML, RTF (Pro)
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, quotes, and tables, 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 • Find notes in Spotlight, and open them with Siri or Shortcuts • 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, pCloud, or Google Drive sync, in a folder that belongs to you • Export to PDF, HTML, or rich text, and print • Lock Screen widgets on iPhone, and Smolpad on Apple Watch • 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

ListHappens4 screens
markdown notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: markdown notes at every 10 days against ListHappens's every 3 months. markdown notes also leads on device support (4 vs 1). ListHappens's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. ListHappens sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ListHappens ships an update every 3 months, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ListHappens versus markdown notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterListHappensmarkdown notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKimon DemetriadesBaconWorks, LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ListHappens

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.00
  • Medium Tip$3.00
  • Large Tip$7.00
3 purchases

markdown notes

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

Questions

Is ListHappens free?
ListHappens is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is markdown notes free?
markdown notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ListHappens or markdown notes have ads?
Neither ListHappens nor markdown notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ListHappens or markdown notes?
ListHappens ships an update every 3 months, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, ListHappens was updated on October 2, 2026 and markdown notes on October 10, 2026.

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