# Clarity Vault vs markdown notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Clarity Vault at none against markdown notes's 3. Clarity Vault also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days). markdown notes's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Clarity Vault asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Clarity Vault against 5.0 for markdown notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Clarity Vault ships an update every 2 days, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clarity Vault | markdown notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clarity-vault/id6770633416/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 36 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [nerdo.space](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896758987) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### Clarity Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clarity-vault/id6770633416)

A native Markdown notebook for fast capture and clean writing with durable local files. Organize notes, capture links, and import media without proprietary databases. Your notes remain readable as ordinary .md files.

**Highlights:** Plain Markdown notes in user-selected folders, Native Mac, iPhone, and iPad workspace, Folder organization and fast search, Edit and rendered view modes, Wiki links and Markdown links, Media library for various file types, Voice capture with AI Markdown organization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### markdown notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749)

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores all your notes as plain text files, accessible across your devices. It offers beautiful writing tools, seamless cloud sync, and powerful organization features without any bloat.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud Drive sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder and instant search organization, Menu bar app on Mac, Export to PDF, HTML, RTF (Pro)

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smolpad Pro | $1.49 | per month |
| Smolpad Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| Smolpad Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Clarity Vault free?

Clarity Vault is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is markdown notes free?

markdown notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Clarity Vault or markdown notes?

Clarity Vault and markdown notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Clarity Vault or markdown notes have ads?

Neither Clarity Vault nor markdown notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Clarity Vault or markdown notes?

Clarity Vault ships an update every 2 days, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, Clarity Vault was updated on October 20, 2026 and markdown notes on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*