Comparison

MarkScope vs Beaver Notes

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

Head to head
About

MarkScope

Features
Read full description

MarkScope is an AI-first Markdown app. Read Markdown files, preview formatting, make plain-text edits, and keep your notes and documents close at hand on iOS. MarkScope is built for local-first workflows, so you can work with your own files without creating an account or relying on a hosted MarkScope backend. Use MarkScope to: • Open and read Markdown on iPhone and iPad • Edit Markdown in plain text • Preview rendered Markdown in the same workflow • Organize files with an optional iCloud Workspace • Ask AI about the current document using your own provider configuration • Keep API keys stored locally on your device AI features are optional. If you enable them, MarkScope sends prompts and relevant document context directly to the AI provider you configure. MarkScope does not require a MarkScope account for core app use. MarkScope Pro is available as a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks export, premium themes, AI tools, and more.

About

Beaver Notes

Features
Read full description

Beaver Notes is a fast, native client for the open-source Beaver Notes server — a self-hosted note wall you run on your own infrastructure. Write markdown notes. Drop in photos, videos and files. Everything lands on your server, nowhere else. No accounts to sign up for, no third-party services, no analytics, no telemetry. FEATURES • Multi-server — connect to as many self-hosted Beaver Notes servers as you need and switch between them from the sidebar. • Local-first sync — an outbox queue keeps everything working offline and catches up the moment the server comes back. • Markdown editor — bold, italic, code, lists, links, headings, with live preview. • Attachments — photos, videos, and arbitrary files. Images appear in an adaptive grid with a fullscreen viewer. Inline video playback. • Upload progress — per-file and per-message progress overlays, including retry on failure. • Image editor — crop, draw, filters, and optional optimization before upload. • Video trim & optimize — HEIC and H.265 encoding to keep uploads small. • Quick input — a compact composer at the bottom of the wall for fast capture. • Search — local full-text search with type, tag, pinned and date filters. • Spotlight — your notes are findable from the system search. • Privacy — biometric lock with Face ID / Touch ID, auto-lock timeout, and the option to hide previews in the App Switcher. • Storage controls — per-server cache size limit and one-tap erase. • Multi-platform — adapted layouts for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with native sidebar, context menus, swipe actions, and keyboard shortcuts. PRIVACY The app talks only to the self-hosted server you configure. No analytics SDKs. No third-party services. No developer-side backend. Read the full privacy policy at https://eduard256.github.io/beaver-notes-apple/PRIVACY.md REQUIREMENTS You need a running Beaver Notes server. The server is open source — see https://github.com/eduard256/beaver-notes

Screenshots

MarkScope4 screens
Beaver Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Beaver Notes at none against MarkScope's 1. MarkScope's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. MarkScope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Beaver Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
MarkScope versus Beaver Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkScopeBeaver Notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeręœę—ŗ 潘Artur Jeremicz

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MarkScope

One-time1
  • MarkScope Pro$4.99
None

Beaver Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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