HipMark vs Smolpad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HipMark
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HipMark is a native Markdown editor designed for immersive writing. Whether you're working deeply on your Mac or capturing fleeting inspiration on your iPad or iPhone, HipMark provides a pure, smooth, and secure creative experience. [Key Features] • Ultimate Native Experience: Built entirely with Apple's native technologies, ensuring incredibly low memory usage and lightning-fast launch times. Say goodbye to bloated frameworks. • Live Preview & Outline Navigation: Experience WYSIWYG ultra-fast rendering. The built-in document outline makes managing and navigating long-form writing a breeze. • Deep System Integration: Seamlessly supports Finder Quick Look, Spotlight search, iPad multitasking, and multiple windows. • Privacy First: Runs completely locally within a secure sandbox. Zero ads, zero user tracking, and zero data collection. Your writing belongs solely to you. • Smart Document Management: Features intelligent draft recovery, word count statistics, and external file change detection to ensure your inspiration is never lost or overwritten. • Global Localization: Deeply localized interfaces available in English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Rediscover the essence of writing with HipMark.
Smolpad
This app offers a minimalist Markdown editor that stores your notes as plain .md files. It syncs via iCloud and allows for beautiful writing with syntax highlighting and task lists. Upgrade for unlimited notes, more sync options, and export features.
- Plain .md file storage
- iCloud sync
- Markdown syntax highlighting
- Task list checkboxes
- Folder organization and search
- Trash and version history
- Export to PDF/HTML (Pro)
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Smolpad is a smol Markdown editor with respect for your files. Every note is a plain .md file you can open with any app, on any device, forever. Your files are your own. No database. No lock-in. No bloat. Just a tiny, fast home for your notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. WRITE IN MARKDOWN, BEAUTIFULLY • Syntax dims as you type, or hides away entirely with one tap • Task lists become real checkboxes. Checkboxes that check. • Headings, bold, italic, code, quotes, and tables, styled as you write • A formatting bar for common touches, plus full keyboard shortcuts • Pictures too: drag or paste one in, resize it by its corner, and it lives as a plain file beside the note YOUR FILES, ANYWHERE • Notes sync through your own iCloud Drive, included free • Open your notes folder in Finder or Files any time • Organize with folders, pins, and instant search • A Trash for deleted notes, and a history of every note's earlier versions • Find notes in Spotlight, and open them with Siri or Shortcuts • Your notes never leave your devices except to your own cloud SMOL ON PURPOSE • On the Mac, Smolpad lives in your menu bar, one hotkey away • Tear off a note into its own window when you want to stay a while • On iPhone and iPad, it opens fast and stays out of your way • Eight hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO • Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) • Dropbox, pCloud, or Google Drive sync, in a folder that belongs to you • Notepads: open any folder of Markdown files as its own notepad, an Obsidian vault or a Bear export among them • Export to PDF, HTML, or rich text, and print • Widgets on the Mac, iPhone and iPad, Lock Screen widgets on iPhone, and Smolpad on Apple Watch • Twenty-nine editor themes, from Tokyo Night to Catppuccin • Seventeen app icons and the full menu bar icon set Smolpad Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The free tier is a real notes app, not a trial. Made by a smol team that believes plain text outlives everything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://smolpad.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HipMark at every 3 days against Smolpad's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HipMark sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smolpad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
HipMark ships an update every 3 days, Smolpad every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HipMark | Smolpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 力 程 | BaconWorks, LLC |
In-app purchases
HipMark
- Pro Lifetime Unlock$5.99
Smolpad
- Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
- Smolpad Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99









