Comparison

SoloMD vs MD Slide

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

MD Slide

Features
Read full description

MD Slide is a Markdown slide editor built for quickly polishing Marp decks on your iPhone or iPad. Work on slides during your commute, between meetings, or anywhere you do not want to open a laptop. It is also great for pasting Marp Markdown generated from AI chats, previewing it instantly, and refining it into presentation-ready PDF slides. Ideal for: • Drafting or fixing slides on the go • Polishing AI-generated Marp Markdown on iPhone or iPad • Turning technical notes with Mermaid diagrams into slides quickly Features: • Real-time Marp Markdown preview • Mermaid diagram rendering support • PDF export (16:9 slide layout) • Markdown input assist templates • Open and save files • Image insertion All editing data is stored only on your device and is never sent to external servers. Works without an internet connection. The app does not include its own sharing feature, but saving files to iCloud Drive makes them easier to access from your other Apple devices.

Screenshots

SoloMD4 screens
MD Slide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SoloMD at none against MD Slide's shown. SoloMD also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.1). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SoloMD versus MD Slide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoloMDMD Slide
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer向东 李Kentaro Yamada

In-app purchases

None

SoloMD

No in-app purchases

None

MD Slide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SoloMD free?
SoloMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MD Slide free?
MD Slide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SoloMD or MD Slide have ads?
MD Slide shows ads; SoloMD does not.
Which is updated more often, SoloMD or MD Slide?
SoloMD ships an update every 3 weeks, and MD Slide every 3 weeks. Most recently, SoloMD was updated on September 17, 2026 and MD Slide on September 10, 2026.

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