Comparison

Markdown My Words vs Phantasm

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

Head to head
About

Markdown My Words

Features
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Markdown is everywhere now. It is in coding-agent plans, AI-generated research notes, README files, study guides, project specs, lecture material, technical drafts, and the surprisingly long β€œquick summary” an AI tool gave you at 1:13 a.m. Markdown My Words gives those documents a calmer place to live than a chat window. Open a folder of Markdown files, read them in a clean rendered view, highlight the passages that matter, and leave yourself precise notes. When you are done, export your comments as Markdown, TSV, CSV, or an annotated copy of the document. Your original file stays clean. Your thoughts stay attached. WHAT YOU CAN DO β€’ Read Markdown in a quiet, comfortable layout β€’ Navigate long documents with an automatic outline β€’ Highlight passages in seven colours β€’ Add notes to any highlight β€’ Search and filter your annotations β€’ Export feedback as Markdown, TSV, CSV, or annotated Markdown β€’ Toggle source view when you want the raw text β€’ Keep annotations beside your files as lightweight sidecar data WHY IT FEELS DIFFERENT Markdown My Words is built for focused reading, not fiddling. It works with ordinary .md files in folders you choose. Your annotations are stored separately, so the source document stays untouched and portable. That makes it useful for reviewing AI-generated plans, coding-agent proposals, study notes, research reports, technical docs, and long drafts you actually need to think through. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No server. No tracking. No analytics. No document upload. Just your files, your notes, and a quieter way to think. Markdown My Words is for the moment after something generates a serious document for you β€” when you need to stop skimming, sit with it, question it, mark it up, and decide what you actually think.

About

Phantasm

Features
Read full description

Phantasm is a private AI chat client for the backend you already run. Point it at your own server: Ollama, vLLM, llama.cpp, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint and chat with your own models over your own network. No account, no middleman, no data collection. YOUR SERVER, YOUR RULES β€’ Connect with just a URL and a token β€” works against a bare Ollama out of the box β€’ Add the open-source Phantasm orchestrator to unlock web search, image generation, and research modes β€’ Multiple backend profiles for home network, VPN, or tunnel setups β€’ Your token lives in the iOS Keychain; conversations are stored only on your phone A REAL CHAT EXPERIENCE β€’ Fast streaming responses with markdown, syntax-highlighted code blocks with copy, and charts β€’ Attach photos and files β€” vision models can see your images β€’ Generated images appear inline; save or share them β€’ Dictate messages with on-device transcription and have replies read aloud β€’ Long generations survive backgrounding and pick up where they left off β€’ Ask Phantasm from Siri and Shortcuts TOOLS ON YOUR TERMS β€’ Per-chat toggles for web access and image generation β€’ Optional device tools β€” location, calendar, Apple Health β€” are off by default and only shared with your own backend when you enable them β€’ See the model's reasoning when a thinking model is selected PRIVATE BY DESIGN Phantasm operates no servers and collects no data. The app talks exclusively to the backend you configure β€” nothing else. What you say to your AI is between you and your hardware. Phantasm requires an OpenAI-compatible server that you provide (for example, Ollama running on your own machine). Feature availability depends on your backend's capabilities.

Screenshots

Markdown My Words4 screens
Phantasm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Phantasm at every 8 days against Markdown My Words's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Markdown My Words ships an update monthly, Phantasm every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Markdown My Words versus Phantasm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkdown My WordsPhantasm
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYARON AMIR BENJAMIN DR. GOLDSTEINBenjamin Carman

In-app purchases

None

Markdown My Words

No in-app purchases

None

Phantasm

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Markdown My Words free?
Markdown My Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phantasm free?
Phantasm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Markdown My Words or Phantasm have ads?
Neither Markdown My Words nor Phantasm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Markdown My Words or Phantasm?
Markdown My Words ships an update monthly, and Phantasm every 8 days. Most recently, Markdown My Words was updated on September 14, 2026 and Phantasm on September 23, 2026.

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