Comparison

Hyday MD vs Metis

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

Head to head
About

Hyday MD

Features
Read full description

Hyday MD is a Markdown tool built for reading. Originally designed as the mobile reader for the Hyday note-taking app, it lets you comfortably read notes stored in iCloud Drive on your iPhone and iPad. It is also a general-purpose lightweight Markdown reader — any .md file written with other tools displays just fine. DESIGN PRINCIPLES • Hands off your syntax — your files stay untouched • Content first — the UI stays quietly in the background • Typography is the design — hierarchy through type and whitespace, not decoration FEATURES • Frontmatter parsing: title, type, tags, createdAt, and lastModified extracted and displayed automatically • Wiki links: [[note name]] jumps straight to the linked note; the back button returns to the previous one • Mermaid diagrams: flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more rendered inline, with full-screen viewing • Reading font size: four levels (S / M / L / XL), independent of the system setting • Edit and write back: tap edit, make changes, save — lastModified updates in your local time zone • LaTeX math: inline and block syntax both supported • Code blocks: syntax highlighting, language labels, one-tap copy • Tables: GFM alignment syntax supported • Task lists: GFM checkboxes rendered in brand colors • Local images: paths resolved relative to the .md file • hyday-asset custom scheme: maps to the assets/ folder at the vault root • Hyday life log marks: start, end, now, idea, important — five states told apart by color • Subfolder browsing: only folders containing Markdown are shown, keeping lists clean • Recent files: jump back to your last-read note straight from the home screen • Recent folders: persisted with iOS security-scoped bookmarks — no re-picking after relaunch • Bundled fonts: Fira Sans Condensed and Fira Code, fully rendered even offline PRIVACY • No user data collected • No analytics, no tracking • No network requests (unless your files reference web images) • Recent files and folders lists live only on your device GOOD FOR • Writers, engineers, and researchers who keep Markdown notes • Hyday note app users • Anyone who reads technical docs, lecture notes, or study notes on their phone NOT FOR • Rich-text (WYSIWYG) editing • Team collaboration or cloud version control • Reading PDF, Word, or other formats

About

Metis

Read full description

Metis is a native Markdown editor and local-first knowledge base. Your notes are just .md files in a folder you own - Metis is a fast, beautiful, native view over them. No lock-in, no proprietary format, no account required to write. WRITE IN LIVE PREVIEW A clean Obsidian-style editor styles your Markdown as you type - headings, bold, lists, quotes and code - while keeping the raw syntax one tap away. It feels like writing in a document, not in code. On iPad it's a full three-pane workspace with hardware-keyboard shortcuts. CONNECT YOUR IDEAS Link any two notes with [[wiki links]]. Backlinks appear automatically, so you always see what references the note you're reading. An interactive link graph shows your whole knowledge base at a glance - zoom, pan, and drag nodes to explore the connections. READ BEAUTIFULLY Reading mode renders the full document: headings, tables, task lists, images, syntax-highlighted code, Mermaid diagrams, and real math (LaTeX) rendered natively - no web view. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Tag anything with #tags, group notes into folders, and see typed properties (status, owner, due...) that live as YAML front matter and are preserved as you edit. A fast switcher and full-text search get you anywhere instantly. ON-DEVICE AI (Apple Intelligence) Summarize a note, suggest tags or related links, and ask your whole vault a question - all running privately on your device. AI is optional; the app is fully functional without it. SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Keep your vault in iCloud and the same notes are on your Mac, iPad and iPhone - still as plain .md files you can open anywhere. Edits sync in the background, and Metis helps you resolve conflicts if two devices change the same note. LOCK WHAT MATTERS Any note can be locked with your notes password and opened with Face ID or Touch ID. Locked notes are encrypted on disk and stay encrypted in iCloud - and they're kept out of search and previews. PRIVATE AND YOURS Everything stays in plain files on your device. No tracking, no cloud lock-in. Open the same folder in any other Markdown editor whenever you like. Import an existing folder of notes (from Obsidian or anywhere) and Metis just works. ONE PURCHASE, ALL YOUR DEVICES A single one-time purchase unlocks Metis Pro on your Mac, iPad and iPhone - no subscription. Try everything free for 7 days. Metis is made by Empiric Apps. Questions or feedback? contact@empiricapps.com

Screenshots

Hyday MD4 screens
Metis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Metis at Free against Hyday MD's $0.99. Metis also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Hyday MD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On ads and device support 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

Metis is free to download; Hyday MD costs $0.99 up front. Metis sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hyday MD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hyday MD ships an update every 3 weeks, Metis every 2 days. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Hyday MD versus Metis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHyday MDMetis
Price$0.99Free — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTZU YING WUBurlac Mihail

In-app purchases

None

Hyday MD

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Metis

One-time1
  • Metis Pro$14.99

Questions

Is Hyday MD free?
Hyday MD costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Metis free?
Metis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hyday MD or Metis have ads?
Neither Hyday MD nor Metis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hyday MD or Metis?
Hyday MD ships an update every 3 weeks, and Metis every 2 days. Most recently, Hyday MD was updated on September 30, 2026 and Metis on September 30, 2026.

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