Comparison

SoloMD vs azEditor

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

azEditor

Features
Read full description

azEditor is a Markdown editor that stays out of your way. No account, no cloud, no ads. WRITING - Plain Markdown source editing, with preview a tap away - Syntax bar above the keyboard for headings, lists, links and code - Custom snippets for text you type often - Auto-pairing brackets, adjustable indent width, autosave - Full IME support for Chinese, Japanese and Korean input PREVIEW - Tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks - Syntax highlighting for code blocks - Math via KaTeX - Diagrams via Mermaid EXPORT & SHARE - Markdown, plain text (optionally stripped of syntax), single-file HTML, and PDF - PDF embeds CJK fonts, so nothing is missing when others open it - Share to any app through the system share sheet FILES - Create, rename, duplicate, move and delete; nested folders - Grid and list views; sort by name, date, size or kind - Mount folders from the Files app and edit documents in place - iPhone and iPad PRIVACY azEditor collects no personal data. No analytics, no third-party ad SDKs. Your documents stay on your device or in folders you choose. PRO (one-time purchase, not a subscription) PDF and HTML export, PDF margin settings, custom accent colour, more snippets. Editing, preview, file management and Markdown/text export are free. Privacy: https://ipost.tw/azeditor/privacy Licenses: https://ipost.tw/azeditor/licenses Support: support@ipost.tw

Screenshots

SoloMD4 screens
azEditor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SoloMD at none against azEditor's 1. SoloMD also leads on device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. azEditor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SoloMD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SoloMD ships an update weekly, azEditor every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
SoloMD versus azEditor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoloMDazEditor
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer向东 李Zheng-Feng Chen

In-app purchases

None

SoloMD

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

azEditor

One-time1
  • 專業版$9.99

Questions

Is SoloMD free?
SoloMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is azEditor free?
azEditor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SoloMD or azEditor have ads?
Neither SoloMD nor azEditor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SoloMD or azEditor?
SoloMD ships an update weekly, and azEditor every 2 weeks. Most recently, SoloMD was updated on October 21, 2026 and azEditor on October 5, 2026.

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