Comparison

Folio vs MarkWrite

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

Head to head
About

Folio

Features
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Folio is a local-first library for Markdown and plain text on Mac. Bring notes and docs into one place, organize them with folders and tags, explore connections with Link Map, and write with private on-device assistanceβ€”without juggling loose files in the Finder. Library & organization β€’ Import Markdown and text via the file picker, drag-and-drop, or Import from Git Link for public GitHub repositories and individual files. β€’ Needs Organizing gives new imports a clear inbox before you file them. β€’ Folders and nested structures help you group work the way you think. β€’ Tags cut across folders so you can filter by topic or project. β€’ Pinned favorites and Recently Opened put what you need one click away. Explore connections β€’ Link Map visualizes connections between your notes. β€’ Follow links to explore related ideas and navigate your library from a new perspective. Reading & writing β€’ Use Editor, Preview, or Split View to draft and see rendered Markdown side by side. β€’ Use Writing Assistant to refine drafts, improve wording, and turn rough ideas into clearer notes with private on-device help. β€’ Find text within the current document. β€’ Sort notes by title, date added, last opened, and more. β€’ Search across your library from the sidebar. Share & export β€’ Share notes as Markdown or plain text. β€’ Export documents to a folder you choose in Finder. Whether you’re collecting research, drafting READMEs, or building a personal knowledge base, Folio keeps your Markdown connected, organized, searchable, and easy to revisit.

About

MarkWrite

Features
Read full description

WYSIWYG Markdown editor that allows embedding pictures and natural language mathematics. MarkWrite is a fast, focused Markdown editor for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Your writing formats itself as you type β€” headings, bold, lists, quotes, tables and code appear the moment you write them, while the Markdown syntax stays visible only on the line you are editing. Nothing to toggle, no split screen required. EMBED IMAGES, NOT LINKS Drag a picture into your document and it is really there. Grab its corner to resize it and MarkWrite writes the new size back into the Markdown for you. Text and images are saved together in one self-contained document you can move, rename, duplicate or send without leaving a single broken link behind. Images can be embedded in any of the common formats: VS Code, Pandoc or HTML. WRITE EQUATIONS BY DESCRIBING THEM Say what you mean: "x equals minus b, plus or minus the square root of b squared minus four a c, all over two a." MarkWrite turns that sentence into a properly typeset formula. There is no LaTeX to memorise β€” though you can type LaTeX directly whenever you would rather. Powered by on-device Apple Intelligence; requires a supported device. ALSO β€’ Tables that line up in the editor, not only in the preview β€’ Live preview that follows your cursor, side by side or full width β€’ Themes: fonts, colours, spacing, line height, list spacing β€” saved as presets β€’ Callouts, footnotes, highlights, code blocks and inline code β€’ Export to PDF or print, with your theme applied β€’ Open a whole folder in tabs and work across files β€’ Find and replace, including regular expressions STILL JUST MARKDOWN MarkWrite writes ordinary .md files. Nothing is trapped in a proprietary format, nothing is locked in a cloud, and nothing you have written is ever held behind a subscription. Open your work in any other editor, any time, or share it with anyone and they will be able to open it with any Markdown viewer, including the embedded images. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Folio4 screens
MarkWrite3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Folio at 17.0 against MarkWrite's 26.4. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Folio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MarkWrite sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Folio ships an update every 3 weeks, MarkWrite every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Folio versus MarkWrite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFolioMarkWrite
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks β€” betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better26.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size44 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDinh Bao Thang DuongGuy Shaviv

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Folio

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$9.99
1 purchases

MarkWrite

Subscriptions1
  • MarkWrite Pro$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MarkWrite free?
MarkWrite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Folio or MarkWrite have ads?
Neither Folio nor MarkWrite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Folio or MarkWrite?
Folio ships an update every 3 weeks, and MarkWrite every 4 weeks. Most recently, Folio was updated on October 25, 2026 and MarkWrite on October 14, 2026.

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