PureMarkdown vs SoloMD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PureMarkdown
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Features: 1.Cross-device Sync Sync across iPhone / iPad / Mac with no device limits and real-time updates 2.Privacy & Security Notes are stored only in your iCloud. No external servers or background data collection 3.Efficient Writing Support for note templates and custom templates for quick creation; keyboard shortcuts available on Mac 4.Multiple Export Formats Export notes as images, PDFs, or mind maps for easy sharing, archiving, and structuring 5.Data Migration Batch import and export of Markdown notes for easy backup and migration 6.Organization Manage notes with notebooks and tags to keep your content well-structured If you are looking for a simple, privacy-focused note-taking app that works seamlessly across devices, PureMarkdown is a great choice. This app does not collect user data. All content is stored only in the user’s iCloud account.
SoloMD
A distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad, focusing on writing with live preview, rich syntax, and export options. Your notes are stored locally as plain text files.
- Distraction-free writing environment
- Live Markdown preview
- KaTeX math and Mermaid diagram support
- Multiple export formats (HTML, PDF, DOCX)
- File tree and outline view
- Focus and typewriter modes
- Split-view and multitasking support
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SoloMD is a lightweight, distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad. One file. One window. Just write. Built from the ground up as a focused writing tool - no account, no cloud, no telemetry, no subscription. Your notes stay in plain .md and .txt files on your iPad, readable by any editor on any platform, today and in ten years. CORE EDITING - Live preview - Markdown symbols fade out after the cursor leaves the line. - Rich syntax styling - real big headings, real bold, real monospace for code. - Light and Dark themes that follow iPad system appearance. - Multi-encoding - auto-detects UTF-8, UTF-16, GBK, Big5. - Tabs with dirty indicators. - File tree sidebar, outline view, and global search. MARKDOWN POWER - KaTeX math - inline and block math render instantly. - Mermaid diagrams - flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts. - Task lists with clickable checkboxes. - Footnotes, YAML front-matter, text highlighting. - Syntax highlighting for 13 plus languages. - Synced split-pane scroll. - Tap an image or Mermaid diagram to open a pinch-zoomable overlay. BUILT FOR IPAD - 44 pt touch targets across toolbar, outline, and file tree. - Larger default font sizes tuned for iPad screen distance. - Split-view and multitasking friendly. - Works with hardware keyboards. - Portrait and landscape, every orientation. WRITER TOOLS - Focus mode - non-current paragraphs dim for deep work. - Typewriter mode. - Session restore - auto-saves so you never lose a line. - Chinese power tools - simplified/traditional conversion, pinyin, CJK word counts. - Spell check. - Custom CSS. EXPORT - HTML (newsletter quality) - PDF with KaTeX and Mermaid baked in - Word (.docx) with tables preserved - Copy as HTML, plain text, or Markdown PRIVACY FIRST SoloMD collects no personal data. No account. No analytics. No ads. No tracking. All your notes live locally in files you own. SoloMD is open source (MIT). Source: github.com/zhitongblog/solomd
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SoloMD at 15.0 against PureMarkdown's 17.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PureMarkdown ships an update every 2 weeks, SoloMD every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PureMarkdown | SoloMD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | zeyang huang | 向东 李 |
In-app purchases
PureMarkdown
No in-app purchases
SoloMD
No in-app purchases









