Outerline vs em

Outerline gives you space to think and space to write. A fast, fluid Markdown editor with no server, no database, and no clutter. Truly native on macOS and iOS. It works offline, opens instantly, and stays out of your way so you can just write. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS Every note is an ordinary .md file in a folder you choose, on your iPhone, in iCloud Drive, or anywhere in Files. No proprietary format and no account required to write. Open the same folder in any other Markdown app whenever you like, and take your work with you if you ever leave. A WRITING SURFACE, NOT A DASHBOARD • Live syntax highlighting, with each heading level at its own size • A keyboard toolbar with the formatting you actually reach for • Smart lists that continue, indent, and break out the way you expect • Auto-pairing brackets, quotes, and backticks • In-document search, word count, and reading time • Editor and preview, a tap apart • Choose your typeface, size, line height, and preview theme • Autosave, so a draft is never waiting on you to remember FIND ANYTHING FAST Full-text search across your whole library. Nested folders, Starred and All Documents views, and colored #tags you write inline and filter by later. Swipe to star, move, or delete. CONNECT YOUR IDEAS Link notes with [[wiki links]] and an autocomplete palette. The inspector shows what points here, each with a line of context and the folder it came from, keeps every external link in one place, and jumps you to any heading in the document. ANNOTATE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE MARKDOWN Highlight passages in five colors, attach notes to them, and leave anchored comments on any selection. Annotations live beside your files, so your Markdown stays clean and portable. NEVER LOSE A DRAFT Automatic timestamped snapshots, a diff viewer, and one-tap restore. Deleted notes move to Recently Deleted, where you can bring them back. WORK WITH SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Ask Siri to create or find a note, and use Shortcuts to open or append to one. On iOS 27, Siri and Apple Intelligence can use the open document as context on supported devices. Availability depends on language, region, and system settings. No Outerline account or subscription required. EXPORT, DIAGRAM, AND BACK UP Export any note as Markdown, HTML, or PDF. Write Mermaid diagrams in fenced code blocks and see them render in preview and in exports, entirely offline. Zip your whole library, metadata included, whenever you want a backup. THE SAME NOTES ON YOUR MAC This is the whole app, not a companion. Outerline for macOS syncs the same library as iOS, while adding split view, Quick Look, and an optional local Model Context Protocol server for AI assistants. Buy Outerline once on either platform and use it on both. Your Outerline account and Publish subscription carry across seamlessly. OUTERLINE PUBLISH (OPTIONAL) Publish a note to a link anyone can open, then keep it current as you save. Publishing needs a free Outerline account and an Outerline Publish subscription. Everything else in Outerline works without either. Outerline Publish is an auto-renewing monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://outerline.so/support/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://outerline.so/support/privacy/

em is a privacy-first universal Markdown writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that takes advantage of Apple's Foundation Models to give you editorial feedback. It also connects to the Ghost API to publish and edit your website. Your files are yours, and you're the only one who should decide what to do with 'em. WRITE 'EM WITH MARKDOWN Capture your thoughts in a distraction-free Markdown editor tuned for each device, including the iPhone Duo. em counts your words and reading time, but only if you want it to. TRACK 'EM Set a word goal or a deadline for a file, or a daily, weekly, or monthly goal for everything you write. Want 500 words a day? 50,000 by the end of the month? em keeps track, shows your pace and your streak, and holds you to it. MAP 'EM em can remember where you started writing each file, including every place you worked on 'em. See all of them on a map and follow your writing journey in a whole new way. Location is off until you turn it on for a library, and it stays out of anything you share or send to AI. FIND 'EM WITH SMART SEARCH Smart Search lists every file holding your words. Use quotes, +, -, OR, and * for precision, filter by library, tag, status, or year, and save any search as a Smart Folder that stays current. Only remember what a piece was about? Ask em. PROTECT 'EM WITH VERSION HISTORY Every edit is automatically versioned and backed up to iCloud. Compare and restore versions from any device, so an accidental deletion never costs you your writing. PUBLISH 'EM WITH GHOST Connect em to your Ghost site to edit, back up, and publish natively in Markdown that maps to Ghost's cards. em supports 19 Ghost editorial cards, drafts, scheduling, newsletters, and Ghost pages. EXPLORE 'EM WITH AI (BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO) Ask em questions and get answers grounded in your files, not the internet. On OS 27, Siri can search, add, or edit notes in the libraries you approve. Get an Editorial Review from a prompt you can read and edit. em doesn't write your drafts; it helps you edit 'em. ALL FEATURES - GOALS: Word and deadline goals, daily, weekly, and monthly, with pace and streaks - CALENDAR: Every day you wrote, in one place - PLACES: Every place you've written, on a map - SMART SEARCH: Search operators, filters, and Smart Folders - VERSION HISTORY: Automatic versioning, stored in iCloud - GHOST SITES: Sync, edit, publish, and send newsletters, for posts and pages - AI ON YOUR TERMS: On-device Apple Intelligence by default; optionally Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your API key - SIRI AI: Search, add, or edit notes in approved libraries (OS 27) - ASK EM AND EDITORIAL REVIEW: Answers and feedback from your own writing - APPLE SHORTCUTS: Create files, add visits, or publish to Ghost - APPLE JOURNALING SUGGESTIONS: Capture memories in Markdown (iOS) - READ ALOUD: Hear your draft to catch what your eyes miss - CUSTOMIZATION: Reader and Editor fonts and colors - OFFLINE EDITING: Works without an iCloud or Ghost connection PRIVACY, PLAINLY em has no server. That's not a promise about what the developer does with your data. There's no backend, no account, and no company database where your writing could end up. Your writing syncs through your iCloud and nowhere else. AI features are off by default and, if turned on, run on-device with Apple Intelligence. Want a larger model? Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your own API key; your account, your billing, revocable anytime. em names the model answering, every time. Location data is never sent from em with your AI requests. Transparency Statement: AI was used in developing this app, but every feature idea, design call, and architectural decision was made by a human.