Comparison

SoloMD vs Markdown Lite

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

Head to head
About

SoloMD

A fast, distraction-free Markdown editor for creating and managing plain text notes. Offers live editing, advanced formatting, and export options for various document types. Designed for privacy with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Live Markdown editing
  • Focus and typewriter modes
  • KaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams
  • Export to PDF, Word, HTML
  • Syntax highlighting for 13+ languages
  • Split view and keyboard shortcuts
Features
Read full description

SoloMD is a calm, fast Markdown editor for iPhone and iPad. Open the app and you are writing — no account, no sign-up, no subscription. Your notes are plain .md and .txt files. Keep them in SoloMD's folder in the Files app, or open a folder you already use, and edit the files right where they are. Any editor on any device can read them, today and in ten years. WRITING FIRST - Live editing: Markdown marks step aside once the cursor leaves the line, so you see the document, not the syntax. - Real typography: big headings, true bold, monospaced code, comfortable line length. - Focus mode dims everything but the paragraph you are in; typewriter mode keeps your line at eye level. - A formatting bubble appears over selected text; a keyboard bar puts headings, lists, links and code one tap away. - Find and replace with match case, whole word and regular expressions. - Light and dark themes that follow the system. ON IPHONE - A notes home screen, search and a new-note button within thumb's reach. - Full-screen editor with a simple navigation bar. ON IPAD - Sidebar with your folders and notes, tabs, and an outline of the current document. - Split view and Slide Over friendly; works with hardware keyboards and ⌘ shortcuts. MARKDOWN THAT GOES FURTHER - KaTeX math, inline and display. - Mermaid flowcharts, sequence diagrams and Gantt charts. - Tables, task lists with tappable checkboxes, footnotes, front matter, highlights. - Syntax highlighting for 13+ languages. - Tap an image or diagram to view it full screen with pinch-zoom. - Fold headings to see the shape of a long document. FOR CHINESE WRITERS - Simplified ↔ Traditional conversion, pinyin, and CJK-aware word counts. - Chinese proofreading for half-width punctuation and common slips. - Opens UTF-8, UTF-16, GBK and Big5 files correctly. EXPORT AND SHARE - PDF with math and diagrams rendered. - Word (.docx) with tables kept. - HTML, or copy as HTML, plain text or Markdown. PRIVATE BY DESIGN SoloMD collects no data. No account, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. Your notes stay in files you own. SoloMD is open source under the MIT license: github.com/zhitongblog/solomd 100% FREE FOREVER & SUPPORTER BADGE Every feature in SoloMD is 100% free forever — no paywalls, no subscriptions, and no locked features. Optional one-time In-App Purchases (Buy a Coffee / Buy a Lunch / Generous Support) are purely voluntary tips to support independent open-source development, and permanently unlock the exclusive "Supporter" badge in Settings and About.

About

Markdown Lite

Features
Read full description

Markdown 本地编辑器是一款专注于本地文本文件的轻量工具,适合在 iPhone 和 iPad 上快速查看、编辑和保存 Markdown、TXT、JSON、XML、CSV 以及常见源码文本。 你可以新建空白文档,打开系统文件中的文本,直接编辑内容,并在预览模式下查看 Markdown 渲染效果。应用支持覆盖保存、另存为、分享、关闭确认、多窗口叠加编辑,以及自动存档,减少后台被关闭或误操作造成的内容丢失。 主要功能: - 编辑和预览 Markdown 文件 - 支持多种纯文本格式 - 新建、打开、保存、另存为和分享 - 多窗口叠加编辑,可快速切换 - 输入法上方 Markdown 常用符号快捷栏 - 自动存档未保存内容 - 支持浅色、深色和跟随系统外观 应用不需要账号,不接入广告,不收集用户数据。你的文件内容保存在本机或你主动选择的位置。

Screenshots

SoloMD4 screens
Markdown Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Markdown Lite at none against SoloMD's 3. SoloMD's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence 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. SoloMD sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Markdown Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SoloMD ships an update every 2 days, Markdown Lite every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SoloMD versus Markdown Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoloMDMarkdown Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer向东 李立明 倪

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SoloMD

One-time3
  • Buy a Coffee$0.99
  • Buy a Lunch$2.99
  • Generous Support$9.99
None

Markdown Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SoloMD free?
SoloMD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Markdown Lite free?
Markdown Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SoloMD or Markdown Lite have ads?
Neither SoloMD nor Markdown Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SoloMD or Markdown Lite?
SoloMD ships an update every 2 days, and Markdown Lite every 3 days. Most recently, SoloMD was updated on October 31, 2026 and Markdown Lite on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons