Comparison

Raven vs markdown notes

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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.

About

markdown notes

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores all your notes as plain text files, accessible across your devices. It offers beautiful writing tools, seamless cloud sync, and powerful organization features without any bloat.

Highlights
  • Plain .md file storage
  • iCloud Drive sync
  • Markdown syntax highlighting
  • Task list checkboxes
  • Folder and instant search organization
  • Menu bar app on Mac
  • Export to PDF, HTML, RTF (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Smolpad is a smol Markdown editor with respect for your files. Every note is a plain .md file you can open with any app, on any device, forever. Your files are your own. No database. No lock-in. No bloat. Just a tiny, fast home for your notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. WRITE IN MARKDOWN, BEAUTIFULLY • Syntax dims as you type, or hides away entirely with one tap • Task lists become real checkboxes. Checkboxes that check. • Headings, bold, italic, code, quotes, and tables, styled as you write • A formatting bar for common touches, plus full keyboard shortcuts • Pictures too: drag or paste one in, resize it by its corner, and it lives as a plain file beside the note YOUR FILES, ANYWHERE • Notes sync through your own iCloud Drive, included free • Open your notes folder in Finder or Files any time • Organize with folders, pins, and instant search • A Trash for deleted notes, and a history of every note's earlier versions • Find notes in Spotlight, and open them with Siri or Shortcuts • Your notes never leave your devices except to your own cloud SMOL ON PURPOSE • On the Mac, Smolpad lives in your menu bar, one hotkey away • Tear off a note into its own window when you want to stay a while • On iPhone and iPad, it opens fast and stays out of your way • Eight hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO • Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) • Dropbox, pCloud, or Google Drive sync, in a folder that belongs to you • Export to PDF, HTML, or rich text, and print • Home Screen widgets on iPhone and iPad, Lock Screen widgets on iPhone, and Smolpad on Apple Watch • Twenty-nine editor themes, from Tokyo Night to Catppuccin • Seventeen app icons and the full menu bar icon set Smolpad Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The free tier is a real notes app, not a trial. Made by a smol team that believes plain text outlives everything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://smolpad.com/privacy

Screenshots

Raven4 screens
markdown notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: markdown notes at Free against Raven's $19.99. markdown notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Raven's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

markdown notes is free to download; Raven costs $19.99 up front. markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Raven asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

markdown notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Raven ships an update every 3 days, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Raven versus markdown notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRavenmarkdown notes
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas SivilayBaconWorks, LLC

Customer experience

Raven

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

markdown notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Raven

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

markdown notes

Subscriptions2
  • Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
  • Smolpad Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Raven free?
Raven costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is markdown notes free?
markdown notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Raven or markdown notes?
markdown notes is rated higher. Raven averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while markdown notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Raven or markdown notes have ads?
Neither Raven nor markdown notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Raven or markdown notes?
Raven ships an update every 3 days, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, Raven was updated on October 28, 2026 and markdown notes on October 24, 2026.

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