Comparison

Maho Notes vs Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor

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

Head to head
About

Maho Notes

Features
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Maho Notes is a markdown-based note-taking app for people who care about their words β€” 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 β€” your choice. A NOTES APP THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE Full multilingual support, including search across English, δΈ­ζ–‡ (Traditional Chinese), ζ—₯本θͺž (Japanese), and ν•œκ΅­μ–΄ (Korean) β€” powered by a CJK-aware tokenizer that actually understands word boundaries in each language. Add furigana to Japanese kanji, Zhuyin to Mandarin, TΓ’i-lΓ΄ to Taiwanese, or readings to Korean β€” all with one simple syntax: {ζΌ’ε­—|γ΅γ‚ŠγŒγͺ}. THREE WAYS TO SEARCH β€’ Keyword search β€” fast SQLite FTS5 across every note β€’ Semantic search β€” on-device vector embeddings find ideas, not just words β€’ Hybrid β€” both, fused into one ranked list Models run entirely on-device. Nothing about your notes leaves your hardware. WRITTEN IN MARKDOWN, RENDERED BEAUTIFULLY β€’ Full CommonMark + GitHub Flavored Markdown β€’ KaTeX math equations β€’ Mermaid diagrams β€’ Syntax-highlighted code blocks β€’ Ruby annotations for any language β€’ Image and asset embedding β€’ 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 β€” all stored in plain YAML you can read. SYNC THAT RESPECTS YOU β€’ iCloud β€” seamless across your Apple devices β€’ GitHub β€” 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) β€’ Device-only β€” 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

Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor

Features
Read full description

Quirely is two full editors in one native app: real Markdown and real LaTeX. Neither is a bolt-on. If you only ever write Markdown, you get a complete, beautiful Markdown app β€” nothing hidden behind TeX. If you live in LaTeX, you get a genuine editor that compiles your projects β€” not a Markdown app with math sprinkled in. A CALMER READER Open a file and just read. Quirely renders clean, typographic Markdown β€” never forcing a split screen or a cramped editor when all you want is the page. Switch to Code, Edit, or Split only when you choose. Quick Look previews .md and .tex straight from Finder. MARKDOWN, RENDERED RIGHT - Mermaid diagrams: flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more β€” live, and styled to your theme. - LaTeX math: inline and block equations, typeset beautifully. - Code blocks with syntax highlighting for dozens of languages. - Tables, task lists, footnotes, callouts, full GitHub-flavored Markdown. EDIT LIKE A PRO - Four modes: View, Code, Edit (block editor), and Split. - Word-processor formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, highlight, links, super/subscript β€” with theme-aware colors. - Drag-and-drop block editing: reorder paragraphs, lists, tables, and diagrams by hand. - Visual Mermaid editing: drag nodes, add edges, recolor β€” no syntax required. - Spreadsheet functions in tables: =SUM(A1:A3), =AVERAGE, =IF and more, with a full function keypad on Mac. - Collaborate over bonjour. Share a workspace or document and each collaborator can edit with their own cursor and view. Entirely private; no external servers A REAL LATEX EDITOR - Open and compile .tex β€” single files or full projects with a root document, chapters, and BibTeX. - The same four modes: read the typeset PDF, edit raw source with themed syntax highlighting, or use structured Edit mode β€” rendered paragraphs, equations, and tables you double-click to edit. - Chapters open inline in the root document and save back to their own files. - Tabular grid editor with the same spreadsheet formulas as Markdown tables. - SyncTeX jump between source and PDF; rendered diffs between versions (latexdiff). - Export LaTeX to PDF, HTML, or clean Markdown β€” cite/ref/figure numbering intact. - LaTeX stays classic black-and-white by default; apply your theme with one toggle. FEYNMAN DIAGRAMS Build QED/QCD diagrams visually β€” vertices, propagators, gauge bosons, loops β€” or paste tikz-feynman. Quirely renders them natively and derives the amplitude iβ„³ from the Feynman rules; edit the equation and get the diagram back. Free on every tier. MAKE IT YOURS Ten hand-tuned themes recolor every token β€” headings, code, links, tables, diagrams. Duplicate any theme and edit every color, font, and size. Switch live. A REAL WORKSPACE - Open a folder with file navigation, backlinks, and tabs. - Semantic search and exact full-text search. - Version history with rendered diffs. - Mark positions to insert text across documents. ON-DEVICE AI (Pro) Draft, rewrite, and synthesize across your notes with Apple Intelligence β€” on-device, no API fees, no account. EXPORT & SHARE Polished HTML or paginated PDF with your theme, math, and diagrams intact. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your device. Your files stay plain Markdown and LaTeX you own β€” no account, no lock-in. ONE APP, EVERY DEVICE Universal for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. One-time purchases β€” never a subscription. Write in Markdown or LaTeX. Read either beautifully.

Screenshots

Maho Notes3 screens
Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Maho Notes at 18.0 against Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor's 26.2. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Maho Notes sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Maho Notes versus Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaho NotesQuirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.0 β€” better26.2
Further details β€” not scored
Size17 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKuo-Chuan PanReggie Fisher

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Maho Notes

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
2 purchases

Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor

One-time2
  • Quirely Markdowns Vault$3.99
  • Quirely Markdowns Editor$14.99

Questions

Is Maho Notes free?
Maho Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor free?
Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Maho Notes or Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor have ads?
Neither Maho Notes nor Quirely Markdown+LaTeX Editor shows ads.

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