Comparison

Markd.ly vs Etched

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

Head to head
About

Markd.ly

Features
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The markdown editor that respects your output. Markd.ly is a native Markdown editor for iPhone and iPad with live preview, built for people who write in plain .md and ship a real deliverable. Open a file, write, and watch the preview render as you type. The same Bravely Account unlocks Markd.ly on Mac, Windows, and Linux too, so the document you start on your phone is waiting on your desktop. WRITE & EDIT • Native SwiftUI editor with adjustable font size and syntax highlighting • Live preview with multiple themes, side by side • Mermaid diagrams render right inside the preview • KaTeX math, inline and block • Open .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, and .mkdn files from anywhere DOCUMENT INTEGRATION • Open files from the Files app and from any Markdown share • Save back to iCloud Drive, Files, or any document provider • Multi-document tabs to switch between drafts • Recent files for one-tap return FOLDER-BASED, NO LOCK-IN Your files stay plain .md on disk — no vault, no proprietary format, nothing to migrate out of later. Git-friendly, and the same files open everywhere else you use Markd.ly. WHAT MARKD.LY IS FOR Blog posts. README files. Documentation. Technical writing. Markd.ly is for writing that lives in markdown but leaves the app as something polished — not a note-graph or a second brain. If you need wikilinks and a graph, use a vault tool. If you want documents that look great when you ship them, this is the editor. ONE PURCHASE, EVERY PLATFORM Markd.ly is a tool, not a service. A single one-time purchase unlocks the complete app on every platform — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Linux — carried by your Bravely Account. Buy it once on any platform and the rest unlock automatically, with no per-feature paywalls. The deeper export pipeline — Pandoc to DOCX, EPUB, LaTeX, and slides, a custom CSS editor, a snippet library, vim mode, encrypted documents, the command-line tool, and an MCP server for AI agents — lives on the desktop builds, included in the same one purchase. SIGN IN Signing in is free. Sign in with Apple, Google, or email — the same sign-in works on every Markd.ly app you install. Try it free, then a single one-time purchase unlocks everything. Already bought Markd.ly on another platform? Sign in to restore it here at no extra charge. SUPPORT Questions, bug reports, and feature requests: support@bravely.dev Privacy: https://bravely.dev/privacy/markdly Terms: https://bravely.dev/terms

About

Etched

Features
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Stop losing your own notes. Etched finds what you wrote by meaning — not just by keyword. Ask for "the note about slowing down to think" and it surfaces, even if those exact words were never written. Everything runs on your device. Write in plain markdown and watch it render as you type — no symbols, no preview pane, no modes. What you see is the file. Your notes stay portable .md, yours forever. FREE, and complete: • On-device semantic search — find notes by meaning • Live WYSIWYG markdown — bold, headings, lists, quotes, code • Tables, callouts, code blocks, footnotes, highlights, links • iCloud sync across your devices • Export to .md (raw or with rendered images), PDF, plain text ETCHED PRO — one-time purchase, yours forever: • Flashcards + spaced repetition — turn notes into memory • Diagrams from plain text (flowcharts, sequences, mind maps) • Typeset math and chemistry (LaTeX) • Charts from a few rows of data • Sheet music from ABC notation • Handwriting / sketches • Present mode — turn a note into full-screen slides • Per-note themes Reading every format is always free — Pro unlocks creating them. No subscription, ever. Pay once and keep it. Coming from Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Bear? Your markdown imports as plain .md, and you finally get search that finds notes by meaning — privately, with no account. Private by design: your notes never leave your devices except through your own iCloud. No account, no tracking, no ads. Your notes, etched in memory. — Made by Hyojin Mo. Support: support@vibeland.app

Screenshots

Markd.ly4 screens
Etched4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Etched at every 2 days against Markd.ly's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Markd.ly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $95.99 per year and Etched sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Markd.ly ships an update fortnightly, Etched every 2 days. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Markd.ly versus Etched: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkd.lyEtched
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBravely StudiosSoyeon Noh

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Markd.ly

Subscriptions1
  • Bravely Premium (Annual)$95.991 Year
One-time2
  • Markdly Pro$19.99
  • Bravely Premium (Lifetime)$399.99
1 purchases

Etched

One-time1
  • Etched Pro$14.99

Questions

Is Markd.ly free?
Markd.ly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Etched free?
Etched is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Markd.ly or Etched have ads?
Neither Markd.ly nor Etched shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Markd.ly or Etched?
Markd.ly ships an update fortnightly, and Etched every 2 days. Most recently, Markd.ly was updated on September 23, 2026 and Etched on September 23, 2026.

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