Comparison

Maho Notes vs Tertiary Markdown

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

Head to head
About

Maho Notes

A beautiful Markdown note-taking app that keeps your words secure. Notes are stored as plain .md files, with options for local storage or syncing via iCloud or GitHub. It offers advanced search capabilities and supports various Markdown features.

Highlights
  • Plain .md file storage
  • iCloud and GitHub sync options
  • On-device semantic search
  • Full CommonMark + GFM support
  • KaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams
  • Hierarchical collections and vaults
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. FREE, NO STRINGS Maho Notes is completely free. Every feature is included — no subscription, no paywall, no ads, no account to create. If the app earns a place in your workflow, there's an optional tip jar in Settings. Tipping unlocks nothing; it just says thanks. 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. • 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 free download 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

Tertiary Markdown

A native Markdown notes app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that manages local files and folders like Obsidian. Your notes are plain .md files, ensuring full ownership and future-proofing.

Highlights
  • Open any folder as a vault
  • Plain Markdown files
  • File & folder management
  • Live preview editor
  • Image embedding
  • Notion-style tables
  • Native experience on all devices
Features
Read full description

Tertiary Markdown is a fast, native Markdown notes app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It manages your files and folders the way Obsidian does — open any local folder as a vault and your notes stay as plain .md files you fully own. KEY FEATURES • Open any folder as a vault — fully compatible with your existing Obsidian vault. Your notes are plain Markdown files, never locked into a proprietary format. • File & folder management — browse, create, rename, and delete notes and folders from a clean sidebar. • Live preview editor — switch instantly between Edit, Split, and Preview. Your work autosaves as you type. • Images, Bear-style — embed pictures with standard Markdown ![](image.png) or Obsidian ![[image.png]] embeds, rendered inline. • Tables, Notion-style — GitHub-flavoured tables render as clean, bordered grids. • Everyday Markdown — headings, bold and italic, links, checklists, bullet and numbered lists, block quotes, and code blocks. • One app, every device — a true native experience on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. Your notes never leave your device. Everything is stored as simple text files on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone, so you stay in control and your library is future-proof. Whether you keep a personal knowledge base, take meeting notes, or write long-form drafts, Tertiary Markdown gives you a distraction-free, Markdown-first workspace that travels with you.

Screenshots

Maho Notes3 screens
Tertiary Markdown2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Maho Notes at 5.0 against Tertiary Markdown's 1.0. Tertiary Markdown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. Tertiary Markdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Maho Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Maho Notes versus Tertiary Markdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaho NotesTertiary Markdown
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKuo-Chuan PanAlfred Ang

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Maho Notes

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

Tertiary Markdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Maho Notes free?
Maho Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tertiary Markdown free?
Tertiary Markdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Maho Notes or Tertiary Markdown?
Maho Notes is rated higher. Maho Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Tertiary Markdown averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Maho Notes or Tertiary Markdown have ads?
Neither Maho Notes nor Tertiary Markdown shows ads.

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