Comparison

Ember vs Vanta

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

Vanta

Capture ideas and organize tasks with a clean, distraction-free notes app. Features include reminders, checklists, and dark mode for a focused experience. It's completely free and easy to use for all ages.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free interface
  • Reminders
  • Checklists
  • Dark mode
  • Simple organization
  • Formatting tools
Features
Read full description

Capture ideas, organize tasks, and stay focused with Vanta—a clean, distraction-free notes app with reminders, lists, dark mode, and no ads. Includes multiple features such as reminders, checklists, and various other formatting tools. It's easy to use and understand for users of all ages. Has zero micro transactions or ads being run making it a completely distraction free experience that is completely free to use. Has two different tabs for different types of notes being short term and long term. No overcomplex systems just simple minimalism in a dark mode.

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
Vanta4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vanta at none against Ember's 3. Vanta also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Ember's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Vanta asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ember against 5.0 for Vanta. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ember has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update every 2 weeks, Vanta every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ember versus Vanta: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberVanta
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRene DeAndaASTRID MARIE MINONDO WRIGHT-CROWE

Customer experience

Ember

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Vanta

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Vanta

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vanta free?
Vanta is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ember or Vanta?
Ember and Vanta are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Ember or Vanta have ads?
Neither Ember nor Vanta shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Vanta?
Ember ships an update every 2 weeks, and Vanta every 4 days. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 31, 2026 and Vanta on October 31, 2026.

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