markru vs Simple Notes Widget
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
markru
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Markdown notes are easy to write โ and easy to forget. markru is built for what comes after writing: shelving, binding, and rereading your own notes like books. (Markdown writing, shelving, binding, and rereading all work without AI; only the AI helpers, such as tag suggestions and summaries, need a supported device and settings where Apple Intelligence is available.) No markru account to sign up for. Import .md and .txt files, and export your notes as .md files or a ZIP. YOUR NOTES, SHELVED LIKE BOOKS Promote finished notes from drafts to your bookshelf. Browse by shelf, search, and sort by what you read last. BIND NOTES INTO ONE READABLE BOOK Combine related pages into one book. Reorder pages, add new ones, and read them as a single piece โ or unbind anytime. WRITE IN CLEAN MARKDOWN A focused Markdown editor with a formatting bar for headings, lists, checklists, tables, code, and more. Save your note, then read it in a clean, formatted layout. Some writing helpers โ tag suggestions, formatting, and summaries โ are partly powered by Apple Intelligence, on your device by default. Note: Whether the AI helpers appear depends not only on your device, but also on whether Apple Intelligence is turned on and ready. To check your device, open Settings in markru and look under Apple Intelligence. Where it isn't available, these helpers fall back to manual entry โ everything else in the app still works. If you turn on Private Cloud Compute in the app's settings, formatting, summaries, and save comments are processed by Apple's Private Cloud Compute instead; tag suggestions always stay on your device. Your notes are never sent to our servers or any third-party server. CAPTURE IDEAS IN SECONDS Quick Capture works like a paper memo: jot it down, the title can come later. Send text from any app with the share sheet. IMPORT & EXPORT Import .md and .txt files. Export notes as .md files, or bundle them into a single .zip. KEEP YOUR SHELVES IN ORDER See your note, shelf, and book counts at a glance. Select the paragraphs you need and bring them together in a new note. Clean up or bind notes as your library grows. PICK UP RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT OFF markru remembers your reading progress in every book, so returning to your notes feels like reopening one. USAGE AND COLLECTION LIMITS You can currently use markru without making a purchase. Your collection starts with room for 100 books and can be expanded without a purchase in steps of 50, up to 300. Each standalone page or book on your bookshelf counts as one book. Pages inside a bound book do not count separately toward your collection. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your notes live as plain Markdown files on your device or in iCloud Documents โ never on our servers. iCloud sync uses the Apple Account signed in on your device, with iCloud Drive turned on โ not a markru account. Without iCloud, notes are saved on this device. Write lightly. Reread deeply.
Simple Notes Widget
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Simple Notes Widget is the fastest way to keep your lists where you can see them โ on your home screen, your desktop, and every device you own. WIDGET FIRST Put a page of notes right on your iPhone or iPad home screen, or your Mac desktop. Check things off directly in the widget โ no need to open the app โ and flip between pages with the widget's arrows. PAGES, NOT PILES Organize notes into simple pages: Groceries, To-Do, Trip, Ideas. Reorder with a drag. Rename or add pages anytime. CHECK IT OFF Tap the circle to mark a note done and it gets a clean strikethrough. Completed notes can sink to the bottom automatically. REMINDERS THAT REPEAT Give any note a reminder โ one-time, or repeating daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Tapping the notification opens the note. PRIORITIES Flag notes low, normal, or high priority with a colored dot. EVERYWHERE WITH ICLOUD Your notes sync automatically between iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your private iCloud account. No sign-ups, no accounts โ and your notes are never visible to us. SAFETY NET Deleted notes wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so an accidental swipe never costs you a list. Simple Notes Widget is free, with no ads and no tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: markru at weekly against Simple Notes Widget's every 2 months. Simple Notes Widget's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
markru ships an update weekly, Simple Notes Widget every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | markru | Simple Notes Widget |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac โ better |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | 17.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | kazunobu tsujino | Qvyshift LLC |
In-app purchases
markru
No in-app purchases
Simple Notes Widget
No in-app purchases








