Comparison

Notelane vs MD Cast

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

Head to head
About

Notelane

This app allows you to write and edit notes using markdown with live formatting. It stores your notes as standard .md files in any folder you choose, including cloud storage, and offers features like wikilinks, tags, revision history, and note statistics.

Highlights
  • Live markdown rendering
  • Supports local and cloud storage
  • Wikilinks for note connection
  • Tag-based organization
  • Revision history
  • PDF export
  • Note statistics
Features
Read full description

Write in markdown and see your formatting come to life as you type — headings, bold, italic, links, code blocks, checklists, and more — all rendered inline. Your files. Your folders. Your way. Notelane works directly with the files on your device. On first launch, pick any folder — local storage, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or any connected cloud provider visible in the Files app. Your notes stay as standard .md files, fully portable and never locked in. Write with clarity A distraction-free editor with live formatting that renders your markdown as you type. No toggle between "edit" and "preview" — just write. Store notes anywhere Pick any folder on your device or in the cloud. Notelane works with iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or any storage provider visible in the Files app. Connect your thinking Link notes together with [[wikilinks]] and organize with #tags to build your own personal knowledge base — no complex setup required. Stay in control Revision history lets you restore previous versions of any note. PDF export and sharing are built in. A trash bin keeps deleted notes recoverable. Organize your way Nested folders, pinning, and tag-based filtering keep everything tidy. A clean sidebar puts your entire library one tap away. Note statistics Word count, character count, paragraphs, and estimated reading time — always available at a glance. Your writing deserves a home that respects simplicity. Notelane is that home.

About

MD Cast

Create and export custom-styled Markdown documents to PDF. Apply your own themes with specific fonts, colors, and spacing, or use presets. Supports extended Markdown syntax and automatic font matching for multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Syntax-highlighted Markdown editor
  • Live preview with applied typography
  • Page-accurate PDF export
  • Customizable themes with fonts, colors, and spacing
  • Automatic font matching for Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese
  • Extended Markdown syntax support (tables, footnotes, KaTeX)
  • Live inspector for real-time formatting adjustments
  • Edit external Markdown folders directly
Features
Read full description

MD Cast is a focused Markdown editor for iPad and iPhone that lets you apply your own style and export to PDF. Customize fonts, colors, line spacing, table styles, and paper settings — then save the whole look as your own theme. Open another Markdown file later and apply the same theme with a single tap. ■ Your style, all the way to PDF - Edit: Syntax-highlighted Markdown editor. - Read: Live preview with your typography, margins, and table styles applied. - PDF: Page-accurate paginated preview, ready to share. Three modes in one screen. Write, preview, and export without leaving the flow. ■ Save your own theme + 5 business presets Save fonts, margins, tables, headers and footers — every formatting choice — as your own theme, then apply it to any future Markdown file with one tap. Need a starting point? Pick from 5 presets (Business Report · Academic Paper · Technical Doc · Casual Article · Minimal Memo) and customize from there. ■ Automatic Korean / English / Japanese / Chinese font matching The renderer detects the language of each glyph (via Unicode ranges) and picks the right font automatically. Korean mixed with English stays balanced; Japanese kanji uses a Japanese font; Chinese hanzi uses a Chinese font. ■ Seven bundled OFL fonts (no install required) - Pretendard, Noto Sans KR, Noto Serif KR, Source Han Sans KR - D2 Coding (monospace) - Inter (English body) - Nanum Gothic System fonts and user-imported fonts (.ttf, .otf) are also fully supported. ■ Full Markdown Extended Syntax - GFM tables (with alignment colons) - Task list checkboxes (- [x] / - [ ]) - Strikethrough (~~text~~) - Footnotes ([^label]) - Definition lists (Term :\\n Definition) - KaTeX math (inline $...$, display $$...$$, multi-line environments like \begin{aligned}) ■ Live inspector Adjust typography, font sizes, line height, colors, table headers and borders, paragraph alignment, indentation, quote styles, paper size, margins, headers and footers — every change reflects in under 0.3 seconds. ■ Edit external vault folders directly (NEW in v1.1) Register your Obsidian, iA Writer, or Files-app Markdown folders in the sidebar and edit them directly — no copies. Changes you save in MD Cast appear instantly at the external location and across other apps and devices. The vault stays in the sidebar after the app is restarted. ■ Localized UI in Korean / English / Japanese / Chinese (NEW in v1.1) All UI text follows your iOS system language automatically. Korean experience remains identical to v1.0. ■ Welcome file on first launch (NEW in v1.1) A welcome Markdown file with rich samples (tables, KaTeX math, task lists) appears on the first launch, letting you experience Markdown rendering immediately — no onboarding overhead. ■ Files app integration + iCloud Drive auto-sync Documents created in the app live in your iCloud Drive "MD Cast" folder, so they sync automatically across iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Use the "Export to External…" menu to send a copy from the MD Cast folder to other Markdown or text editors as-is. ■ Fully offline All fonts and the KaTeX math library are bundled inside the app. Every feature works without an internet connection. ■ No ads, no tracking One-time purchase. Your data never leaves your device. —————————— Markdown your way, all the way to PDF. Try MD Cast today.

Screenshots

Notelane4 screens
MD Cast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notelane at Free against MD Cast's $1.99. MD Cast's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Notelane is free to download; MD Cast costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notelane ships an update every 2 weeks, MD Cast weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notelane versus MD Cast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotelaneMD Cast
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAsterios Digital GmbHJaehyung Choi

In-app purchases

None

Notelane

No in-app purchases

None

MD Cast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notelane free?
Notelane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MD Cast free?
MD Cast costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Notelane or MD Cast have ads?
Neither Notelane nor MD Cast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notelane or MD Cast?
Notelane ships an update every 2 weeks, and MD Cast weekly. Most recently, Notelane was updated on September 14, 2026 and MD Cast on September 13, 2026.

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