# Raven vs em

The clearest difference is rating: em at 5.0 against Raven's 4.0. Raven's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Raven costs $19.99 and em $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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

Raven ships an update every 3 days, em every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Raven | em |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raven-markdown-notes-and-editor/id6761693183/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 126 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Sivilay](https://appshunter.io/developer/936509766) | [Justin Cox](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797005005) |

## What reviewers say

### Raven

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raven-markdown-notes-and-editor/id6761693183)

Create, organize, and manage notes using Markdown on your Apple devices. Turn checkboxes into actionable tasks with local reminders. Your notes are stored locally, ensuring offline access and no vendor lock-in.

**Highlights:** Native Markdown editor, Create notes with tables, images, code blocks, Checkboxes to tasks with due dates, Local reminders for tasks, Offline access, iCloud Drive sync, Full-text search

**In-app purchases:** none


### em

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003)

A privacy-focused Markdown editor for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It offers distraction-free writing, goal tracking, location mapping, smart search, and version history. Seamlessly publish and edit content on Ghost sites, with optional AI-powered editorial feedback.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free Markdown editor, Word and deadline goal tracking, Location mapping of writing sessions, Smart search with advanced operators, Automatic version history with iCloud backup, Ghost API integration for publishing, On-device AI for editorial feedback

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Raven free?

Raven costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is em free?

em costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Raven or em?

em is rated higher. Raven averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while em averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Raven or em have ads?

Neither Raven nor em shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Raven or em?

Raven ships an update every 3 days, and em every 9 days. Most recently, Raven was updated on October 31, 2026 and em on November 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*