Comparison

RC Markdown vs Marten

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

Head to head
About

RC Markdown

Features
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THE AI WORKFLOW COMPANION Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI assistants produce detailed reports. But when you open them on iPhone, LaTeX math breaks, Mermaid diagrams disappear, and code looks like a mess. RC Markdown handles all of it. A dedicated viewer built to read, render, and share AI-generated documents exactly as intended. DISTRACTION-FREE READING, BUILT FOR LONG DOCUMENTS No toolbars. No editing UI. Just your document, rendered beautifully, ready to read from start to finish. Open a file, read it comfortably, and forward it to your team. RENDERING Complex Math โ€” On-device KaTeX rendering for inline and block LaTeX equations. Technical Diagrams โ€” Mermaid support for flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, and more. Clean Code โ€” Syntax highlighting for 20+ languages including Python, Swift, Rust, and TypeScript. EXPORT AND SHARE Tap Export to convert your document and open the iOS Share Sheet instantly โ€” send via Mail, Messages, Slack, or save to Files. PDF โ€” Vector-based, text-selectable, always cleanly formatted. PNG โ€” Full-document image, ready to paste into any chat or deck. HTML โ€” Self-contained file with all styles and diagrams embedded. DESIGNED FOR iOS Table of Contents โ€” Auto-generated from headings. Tap to jump, drag the panel anywhere on screen. In-Document Search โ€” Real-time highlighting with match-by-match navigation. Dark Mode โ€” Light, Dark, or System. Optimized for OLED displays. Available in 10 languages โ€” English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese. iPhone and iPad โ€” Optimized for both. PRIVATE AND OFFLINE No accounts. No sign-in. No internet required. Every feature works completely offline. No data ever leaves your device.

About

Marten

Features
Read full description

Marten is a clean, distraction-free note app built for developers. Write in Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks, then turn any note into a project with just the tabs you need. Keep a plain note, or add API keys, secrets, passwords, social logins, links, references, and checklists. Each filled tab becomes an item, so one note holds everything about a project. FEATURES Markdown editor Fenced code blocks with an olive, editor-style highlight. Toggle a live preview anytime. Project tabs Note, List, API, Ref, Link, Secret, Password, and Social. Add only the tabs you want with a tap. Secrets vault Store API keys, passwords, and accounts with masked fields and a quick reveal. Checklists Reminders-style lists with tap-to-complete items. Tags and search Organize with #hashtags and find anything instantly with full-text search. Sync, your way Local-first storage that works offline, with optional cloud sync across your devices. Turn sync on or off whenever you want. Built for every screen A native app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with an adaptive three-column layout on iPad and Mac. Light and dark themes. Private by design Your notes are yours. No ads, no tracking, and you can delete your account and all data from inside the app at any time. Marketing URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com Privacy Policy URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com/privacy

Screenshots

RC Markdown4 screens
Marten4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Marten at none against RC Markdown's shown. RC Markdown's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RC Markdown ships an update daily, Marten every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
RC Markdown versus Marten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRC MarkdownMarten
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily โ€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size8 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJaehong Limjoseph hamawi

In-app purchases

None

RC Markdown

No in-app purchases

None

Marten

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RC Markdown free?
RC Markdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Marten free?
Marten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RC Markdown or Marten have ads?
RC Markdown shows ads; Marten does not.
Which is updated more often, RC Markdown or Marten?
RC Markdown ships an update daily, and Marten every 2 months. Most recently, RC Markdown was updated on September 26, 2026 and Marten on October 15, 2026.

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