Comparison

Ember vs CleanMD

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

Head to head
About

Ember

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

Highlights
  • Rich Markdown editor
  • Inline PDF and image support
  • Reusable prompt vault
  • Daily notes, folders, and tags
  • Instant search functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Share Extension
Features
Read full description

Your notes should feel like home. Ember is a warm, fast place to think — Markdown notes, PDFs, diagrams, voice memos, and a vault of reusable prompts, all in one calm workspace that syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. WRITE IN RICH MARKDOWN A live editor with real formatting: headings, tables, task lists, links, highlights, footnotes, and code — rendered as you type, never in your way. Bullets, numbers, and checkboxes feel native and effortless. MORE THAN TEXT Drop PDFs, images, diagrams, and voice notes right inline. Your references live beside your writing, so everything about a thought stays in one place. A VAULT FOR YOUR PROMPTS Keep the prompts you reuse for writing, research, and planning in a dedicated Prompt Vault — organized, searchable, and a tap away when you need them. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY FAST Daily notes, folders, tags, smart filters, and pinned notes keep things tidy, and instant search finds anything the moment you look for it. YOURS EVERYWHERE Ember runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional private iCloud sync, widgets, and a Share Extension for capturing from anywhere. FREE TO START Capture notes, PDFs, prompts, and attachments with the full editor — free, no account required. EMBER PRO Unlock advanced themes and alternate icons, premium writing and organization workflows, and deeper Prompt Vault tools, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No selling your words. Your notes stay on your device and your own iCloud. Make a home for your thinking. Download Ember Notes. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://embernotes.app/privacy

About

CleanMD

Features
Read full description

CleanMD turns PDFs, scans, screenshots, and document images into clean Markdown you can copy, save, or share. Built for people who collect knowledge on iPhone and iPad, CleanMD helps you move source material into note apps and AI tools without turning the workflow into a platform. What you can do: - Import PDFs or images from Files or Photos - Choose Obsidian-ready, AI-ready, or Plain Markdown output - Preview the converted Markdown before exporting - Copy, save, or share Markdown files - Keep recent results locally on your device Privacy-conscious by design: - No account required - No ads - Optional analytics only after your consent - Files are uploaded only when you choose to convert - Converted results stay on this device unless you export them To convert a file, CleanMD uploads it to a secure third-party parsing service. Please do not upload sensitive personal, legal, medical, financial, or confidential documents unless you accept third-party processing. CleanMD is a focused utility for turning static documents into portable Markdown for study, research, writing, and personal knowledge workflows. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
CleanMD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CleanMD at none against Ember's 3. CleanMD also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Ember's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CleanMD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update every 10 days, CleanMD monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Ember versus CleanMD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberCleanMD
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRene DeAnda袁凯 张

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ember Pro Lifetime$99.99
None

CleanMD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CleanMD free?
CleanMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ember or CleanMD have ads?
Neither Ember nor CleanMD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or CleanMD?
Ember ships an update every 10 days, and CleanMD monthly. Most recently, Ember was updated on September 23, 2026 and CleanMD on September 19, 2026.

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