Comparison

Raven vs em

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

em

A distraction-free Markdown editor for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that keeps your writing files private and accessible. Features smart search, automatic version history, and optional AI assistance for editing and content review.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free Markdown editor
  • Smart Search with filters and Smart Folders
  • Automatic version history stored in iCloud
  • Ghost site integration for publishing
  • On-device AI for editing and review
  • Offline editing capabilities
  • Customizable reader and editor
Features
Read full description

em is a Markdown writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, built on one idea: your writing files are yours, and you're the only one who should decide what to do with 'em. WRITE 'EM WITH MARKDOWN Capture your thoughts in a distraction-free Markdown editor tuned for each device. em counts your words and reading time, but only if you want it to. FIND 'EM WITH SMART SEARCH Smart Search lists every file holding your words, the ones holding all of them first. Use quotes, +, -, OR and * for precision, filter by library, tag, status or year, and save any search as a Smart Folder that stays current. Only remember what a piece was about? Ask em. PROTECT 'EM WITH VERSION HISTORY Every edit is automatically versioned and backed up to iCloud. Compare and restore versions from any device, so an accidental deletion never costs you your writing. PUBLISH 'EM WITH GHOST Connect em to your Ghost site to edit, back up, and publish natively in Markdown that maps to Ghost's cards. em supports 19 Ghost editorial cards, plus drafts, scheduling, and newsletters. EXPLORE 'EM WITH AI (BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO) Ask em questions and get answers grounded in your files, not the internet. On OS 27, Siri can search, add, or edit notes in the libraries you approve. Get an Editorial Review from a prompt you can read and edit — it's a document in your library. em doesn't write your drafts; it helps you edit 'em. ALL FEATURES - Smart Search: Search operators, filters, and Smart Folders - Version History: Automatic versioning, stored in iCloud - Ghost Sites: Sync, edit, publish, and send newsletters - AI on Your Terms: On-device Apple Intelligence by default; optionally Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your API key - Siri AI: Search, add, or edit notes in approved libraries (OS 27) - Ask em: Answers from your own archive - Editorial Review: AI feedback from a prompt you control - Apple Shortcuts: Start an AI conversation or publish to Ghost - Journaling Suggestions: Capture memories in Markdown (iOS) - Read Aloud: Hear your draft to catch what your eyes miss - Customization: Reader and Editor fonts and colors - Export: Save any Ghost post as a Markdown file - Offline Editing: Works without an iCloud or Ghost connection - Even More: Printing, word counts, and yes — em dash highlighting PRIVACY, PLAINLY em has no server. That's not a promise about what the developer does with your data — there's no backend, no account, and no company database where your writing could end up. Your writing syncs through your iCloud and nowhere else. AI features are off by default and, if turned on, run on-device with Apple Intelligence. Want a larger model? Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your own API key — your account, your billing, revocable anytime. em names the model answering, every time. Transparency Statement: AI was used in developing this app, but every feature idea, design call, and architectural decision was made by a human.

Screenshots

Raven4 screens
em4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Raven at $12.99 against em's $19.99. Raven also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). em's advantage is chart position (#110 vs unranked). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Raven costs $12.99 and em $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Raven against 5.0 for em. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Raven ships an update every 2 days, em every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Raven versus em: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRavenem
Price$12.99 — better$19.99
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#110 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas SivilayJustin Cox

Customer experience

Raven

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

em

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

In-app purchases

None

Raven

No in-app purchases

None

em

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Raven free?
Raven costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is em free?
em costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Raven or em?
Raven and em are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
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 2 days, and em every 9 days. Most recently, Raven was updated on October 14, 2026 and em on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons