Comparison

Markd.ly vs Marten

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” 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 โ€ข Native SwiftUI editor with adjustable font size and syntax highlighting โ€ข Live preview with multiple themes, side by side โ€ข Mermaid diagrams render right inside the preview โ€ข KaTeX math, inline and block โ€ข Open .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, and .mkdn files from anywhere DOCUMENT INTEGRATION โ€ข Open files from the Files app and from any Markdown share โ€ข Save back to iCloud Drive, Files, or any document provider โ€ข Multi-document tabs to switch between drafts โ€ข Recent files for one-tap return FOLDER-BASED, NO LOCK-IN Your files stay plain .md on disk โ€” 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 โ€” 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 โ€” iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Linux โ€” 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 โ€” 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 โ€” lives on the desktop builds, included in the same one purchase. SIGN IN Signing in is free. Sign in with Apple, Google, or email โ€” 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

Marten

Features
Read full description

Marten is a clean, distraction-free note app built for developers. Write in Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks, then turn any note into a project with just the tabs you need. Keep a plain note, or add API keys, secrets, passwords, social logins, links, references, and checklists. Each filled tab becomes an item, so one note holds everything about a project. FEATURES Markdown editor Fenced code blocks with an olive, editor-style highlight. Toggle a live preview anytime. Project tabs Note, List, API, Ref, Link, Secret, Password, and Social. Add only the tabs you want with a tap. Secrets vault Store API keys, passwords, and accounts with masked fields and a quick reveal. Checklists Reminders-style lists with tap-to-complete items. Tags and search Organize with #hashtags and find anything instantly with full-text search. Sync, your way Local-first storage that works offline, with optional cloud sync across your devices. Turn sync on or off whenever you want. Built for every screen A native app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with an adaptive three-column layout on iPad and Mac. Light and dark themes. Private by design Your notes are yours. No ads, no tracking, and you can delete your account and all data from inside the app at any time. Marketing URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com Privacy Policy URL: https://marten.kodefoundry.com/privacy

Screenshots

Markd.ly4 screens
Marten4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marten at none against Markd.ly's 5. Markd.ly's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Markd.ly sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $95.99 per year. Marten asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Markd.ly ships an update every 11 days, Marten every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Markd.ly versus Marten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarkd.lyMarten
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 days โ€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size20 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBravely Studiosjoseph hamawi

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Markd.ly

Subscriptions3
  • Bravely Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$95.991 Year
  • Bravely Premium (Annual)$95.991 Year
  • Bravely Premium (Annual)1 Month trial$95.991 Year
One-time2
  • Markdly Pro$19.99
  • Bravely Premium (Lifetime)$399.99
None

Marten

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Markd.ly free?
Markd.ly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marten free?
Marten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Markd.ly or Marten have ads?
Neither Markd.ly nor Marten shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Markd.ly or Marten?
Markd.ly ships an update every 11 days, and Marten every 2 months. Most recently, Markd.ly was updated on October 31, 2026 and Marten on October 28, 2026.

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