Raven vs Marten
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Raven
This app allows you to quickly open and write markdown notes as plain .md files. It offers fast launch times, native performance on iPhone and Mac, and seamless syncing between devices. Your notes are stored directly in your file system for easy access and integration with other tools.
- Plain .md file storage
- Under a second launch time
- Native iPhone and Mac app
- Full-text search
- Nested folders and pinned notes
- Syncs between Mac and iPhone
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Beautiful notes. Never locked in. Raven is a native Markdown notes app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Write, journal, capture articles, and turn checkboxes into reminders—without putting your work in a proprietary note format. WRITE WITH CONTEXT Create notes with tables, images, checklists, code blocks, wiki links, and backlinks. Organize them with folders and tags, pin what matters, and find anything with full-text search. TURN NOTES INTO ACTION A checkbox can become a task with a due date and time. Raven gathers open tasks from across your notes, keeps each one linked to its source, and can send a local reminder when it is due. Complete or snooze it from the notification. JOURNAL WITHOUT ANOTHER SILO Daily and weekly journals live beside the rest of your writing. Save articles to Read Later, or capture a thought from widgets, Shortcuts, and the share sheet. MARKDOWN YOU CAN KEEP Raven works offline without an account. Keep notes on this device, choose a folder on Mac, or use iCloud Drive to keep the same Markdown files available in Files and Finder across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. No proprietary note format. No forced account. One purchase, with no subscription.
Marten
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Marten at Free against Raven's $12.99. Marten also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Raven's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Marten is free to download; Raven costs $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Raven ships an update every 2 days, Marten weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Raven | Marten |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Sivilay | joseph hamawi |
In-app purchases
Raven
No in-app purchases
Marten
No in-app purchases





