Comparison

Nocturnum vs Ember

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

Head to head
About

Nocturnum

Capture ideas quickly and organize them with Markdown formatting. This app provides a focused writing environment that remains fast and efficient as your note collection grows. Easily sort, search, and access your thoughts for seamless productivity.

Highlights
  • Quick idea capture
  • Markdown formatting
  • Workspace and notebook organization
  • Fast search functionality
  • JSON and Markdown export
  • Inbox for temporary notes
Features
Read full description

Nocturnum helps you capture ideas quickly, shape them with Markdown, and keep your notes easy to find. It gives you a calm writing space that stays fast as your library grows. From quick thoughts to deep project docs, everything stays clear and organized. Use Nocturnum as your daily note workspace on iPhone and iPad. You can write, sort, search, and return to the right context without losing momentum. **Capture Without Friction** Create notes from anywhere in the app and start writing immediately. Inbox keeps fast captures safe until you are ready to organize them. **Organize by Context** Group notes into workspaces, notebooks, and sub-notebooks that match how you think. Reorder key lists so active projects stay at the top. **Write Clearly in Markdown** Use headings, lists, checklists, links, and code blocks to keep ideas structured. Rich formatting stays readable while editing and reviewing. **Find What Matters Fast** Search across titles and note content to jump directly to the detail you need. Built-in views like Recent and Favorites help you resume work in seconds. **Keep Ownership of Your Data** Export full JSON backups when you need a complete snapshot of your library. Export markdown files for portable archives and import backups when restoring. Download Nocturnum today and build a notes system you can trust every day.

About

Ember

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

Highlights
  • Rich Markdown editor
  • Inline PDF and image support
  • Reusable prompt vault
  • Daily notes, folders, and tags
  • Instant search functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Share Extension
Features
Read full description

Your notes should feel like home. Ember is a warm, fast place to think — Markdown notes, PDFs, diagrams, voice memos, and a vault of reusable prompts, all in one calm workspace that syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. WRITE IN RICH MARKDOWN A live editor with real formatting: headings, tables, task lists, links, highlights, footnotes, and code — rendered as you type, never in your way. Bullets, numbers, and checkboxes feel native and effortless. MORE THAN TEXT Drop PDFs, images, diagrams, and voice notes right inline. Your references live beside your writing, so everything about a thought stays in one place. A VAULT FOR YOUR PROMPTS Keep the prompts you reuse for writing, research, and planning in a dedicated Prompt Vault — organized, searchable, and a tap away when you need them. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY FAST Daily notes, folders, tags, smart filters, and pinned notes keep things tidy, and instant search finds anything the moment you look for it. YOURS EVERYWHERE Ember runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional private iCloud sync, widgets, and a Share Extension for capturing from anywhere. FREE TO START Capture notes, PDFs, prompts, and attachments with the full editor — free, no account required. EMBER PRO Unlock advanced themes and alternate icons, premium writing and organization workflows, and deeper Prompt Vault tools, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No selling your words. Your notes stay on your device and your own iCloud. Make a home for your thinking. Download Ember Notes. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://embernotes.app/privacy

Screenshots

Nocturnum4 screens
Ember4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Nocturnum at free against Ember's freemium. Ember's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Nocturnum sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Nocturnum against 5.0 for Ember. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nocturnum ships an update every 4 weeks, Ember every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Nocturnum versus Ember: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNocturnumEmber
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFishington StudiosRene DeAnda

Customer experience

Nocturnum

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ember

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Nocturnum

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Pro$4.99
3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ember Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Nocturnum free?
Nocturnum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nocturnum or Ember?
Nocturnum and Ember are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Nocturnum or Ember have ads?
Neither Nocturnum nor Ember shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nocturnum or Ember?
Nocturnum ships an update every 4 weeks, and Ember every 10 days. Most recently, Nocturnum was updated on October 2, 2026 and Ember on September 23, 2026.

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