Comparison

Maho Notes vs Parallax

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

Head to head
About

Maho Notes

Features
Read full description

Maho Notes is a markdown-based note-taking app for people who care about their words — and want to keep them. Every note is a plain .md file on your device. No proprietary format, no vendor lock-in, no servers you don't control. Sync through your own iCloud, your own GitHub repo, or keep notes purely local — your choice. A NOTES APP THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE Full multilingual support, including search across English, 中文 (Traditional Chinese), 日本語 (Japanese), and 한국어 (Korean) — powered by a CJK-aware tokenizer that actually understands word boundaries in each language. Add furigana to Japanese kanji, Zhuyin to Mandarin, Tâi-lô to Taiwanese, or readings to Korean — all with one simple syntax: {漢字|ふりがな}. THREE WAYS TO SEARCH • Keyword search — fast SQLite FTS5 across every note • Semantic search — on-device vector embeddings find ideas, not just words • Hybrid — both, fused into one ranked list Models run entirely on-device. Nothing about your notes leaves your hardware. WRITTEN IN MARKDOWN, RENDERED BEAUTIFULLY • Full CommonMark + GitHub Flavored Markdown • KaTeX math equations • Mermaid diagrams • Syntax-highlighted code blocks • Ruby annotations for any language • Image and asset embedding • Tables, task lists, footnotes ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Vaults hold collections. Collections hold notes. Drag-and-drop reordering, custom icons and colors, hierarchical sub-collections, and per-collection ordering — all stored in plain YAML you can read. SYNC THAT RESPECTS YOU • iCloud — seamless across your Apple devices • GitHub — version your notes as a private repo, sync through your own account using GitHub's official Device Flow login (no third-party server in the middle) • Device-only — keep everything offline Conflicts get clearly-named files (note.conflict-DeviceName.md), never silent overwrites. UNIVERSAL APP One purchase covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Optimized layouts for each: a focus-friendly stack on iPhone, a three-column workspace on iPad and Mac, with the same vault wherever you are.

About

Parallax

This AI companion offers private, on-device assistance or connects to various cloud AI providers. It allows side-by-side response comparison, live web context retrieval, and generates charts directly in conversations. Features include voice input, file analysis, image generation, and cross-device continuity.

Highlights
  • On-device and cloud AI integration
  • Side-by-side response comparison
  • Live web context retrieval
  • In-chat chart generation
  • Cross-device conversation continuity
  • Voice input and spoken responses
  • File and photo analysis
Features
Read full description

Parallax AI is your private, flexible AI companion—available across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. PERSPECTIVES Ask once, hear more. Perspectives brings together your private on-device AI and configured cloud providers in one response. See each labeled viewpoint, spot the differences, and get a balanced synthesis to help you decide with confidence. YOUR AI, YOUR CHOICE Use On-Device AI for private help on supported devices, or connect your own API keys for OpenAI, Google Gemini, xAI/Grok, Groq, Mistral, Together, Perplexity, Anthropic, or Cursor. Switch providers instantly, save your favorites, and choose the right model for everyday help, research, coding, creative work, or deep reasoning. PICK UP ANYWHERE Start a conversation on one Apple device and continue on another. Parallax keeps your recent conversations and cloud setup in sync through iCloud, so your work stays within reach—from iPhone to Apple Vision Pro. LIVE, CAPABLE, AND READY Get live web context for current questions, weather details, native charts, voice input and spoken replies, file and photo analysis, image generation, URL fetching, long-term memory, templates, and agent tools. PRIVACY FIRST On-Device AI stays on your device. Cloud requests go directly to the providers you choose using your own API keys. Incognito Mode keeps conversations out of history and memory. Free to use. No ads. No required account.

Screenshots

Maho Notes3 screens
Parallax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Parallax at none against Maho Notes's 3. Parallax also leads on device support (6 vs 3). Maho Notes's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads 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. Maho Notes sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Parallax asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Maho Notes versus Parallax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaho NotesParallax
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB7 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKuo-Chuan PanChris Nicolaidis

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Maho Notes

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
None

Parallax

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Maho Notes free?
Maho Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Parallax free?
Parallax is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Maho Notes or Parallax have ads?
Neither Maho Notes nor Parallax shows ads.

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