# A5 Journal vs MD Cast

The clearest difference is price: A5 Journal at Free against MD Cast's $1.99. A5 Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). MD Cast's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

A5 Journal is free to download; MD Cast costs $1.99 up front. A5 Journal sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MD Cast asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A5 Journal | MD Cast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 93 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ThinkFULL Holdings Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881115717) | [Jaehyung Choi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893254297) |

## What reviewers say

### A5 Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a5-journal/id6759840404)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A5 Journal Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| A5 Journal Members - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| A5 Journal Family Plan | $10.99 | per month |
| A5 Journal Business Plan Monthly | $25.99 | per month |
| A5 Journal Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| A5 Journal Members - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| A5 Journal Business+ Plan Monthly | $49.99 | per month |
| A5 Journal Family Plan Yearly | $109.99 | per year |
| A5 Journal Business Plan Yearly | $259.99 | per year |
| A5 Journal Business+ Plan Yearly | $499.99 | per year |


### MD Cast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/md-cast/id6764108330)

Create and export custom-styled Markdown documents to PDF. Apply your own themes with specific fonts, colors, and spacing, or use presets. Supports extended Markdown syntax and automatic font matching for multiple languages.

**Highlights:** Syntax-highlighted Markdown editor, Live preview with applied typography, Page-accurate PDF export, Customizable themes with fonts, colors, and spacing, Automatic font matching for Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Extended Markdown syntax support (tables, footnotes, KaTeX), Live inspector for real-time formatting adjustments, Edit external Markdown folders directly

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A5 Journal free?

A5 Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MD Cast free?

MD Cast costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do A5 Journal or MD Cast have ads?

Neither A5 Journal nor MD Cast shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, A5 Journal or MD Cast?

A5 Journal ships an update weekly, and MD Cast weekly. Most recently, A5 Journal was updated on October 10, 2026 and MD Cast on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*