Comparison

Ariv vs Levity Markdown Notes

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

Head to head
About

Ariv

Features
Read full description

Ariv is a local-first second brain for notes, tasks, journaling, study, projects, and personal knowledge management. Capture ideas, organize work, search your vault, ask questions about your notes, and keep your thinking connected without building a complicated plugin setup. Everything is built in: - Markdown notes and daily writing - Smart dashboard for active work - Tasks and Kanban - Quick capture - Voice memos with transcription - Ask Brain, an AI assistant for your notes - Calendar-aware planning and meeting context - Graph view and visual maps - Templates and presentation mode - Unified search across files, tags, and content Ariv is designed around a simple idea: your notes have a life. New thoughts land in your inbox. Active notes stay visible while you are working on them. Older notes move out of the way but stay searchable, linkable, and ready to resurface when you need them. No manual filing system required. No weekend spent setting up plugins. Open the app and start thinking. Your files stay yours: - Notes are stored as plain Markdown - Works with existing Markdown folders and vaults - No proprietary format - No account required to use the local app - Optional end-to-end encrypted sync is available AI is optional and on your terms. Use your own API key, run supported local models, or use Ariv's managed AI add-on. Ask Brain can answer questions from your vault and point back to the notes it used. Whether you are a student, writer, researcher, developer, founder, or lifelong learner, Ariv gives you one place to capture, connect, and use what you know. Think freely. No setup required.

About

Levity Markdown Notes

Features
Read full description

Levity is a fast Markdown editor for your own plain-text notes, based on a folder in iCloud Drive or on your device. No account, no proprietary database, no separate sync service to set up. Point Levity at a folder and it mirrors every Markdown file inside it, and keeps mirroring as they change. Built for speed on your phone and read-compatible with Obsidian vaults. Levity opens, scrolls, and searches instantly, even in a large vault. It's tuned for mobile from the first line of code. If you already keep an Obsidian vault, Levity reads it as-is: the same files, the same folders, the same frontmatter. Your notes are just text files. They live in your own iCloud Drive or on your device, sync through your own Apple account, and open in any other editor. A live, clean editor: • Formatting appears as you type. The raw Markdown symbols stay out of your way, while your files stay pure Markdown on disk • Headings, bold, italic, task lists, checkboxes, blockquotes, code blocks, and tables you can edit cell by cell • [[Wiki-links]] between notes, with autocomplete • Inline images • A formatting bar, so you never have to hunt for a raw symbol Organize without a database: • Tag your notes and filter by tag • YAML frontmatter — add any property you like (status, type, dates, lists) and build filtered views around it • Folders, templates, archive, and trash • Full-text search across every note, instantly Made yours: • Seven themes, plus an automatic day / night mode that follows your surroundings • Adjustable font, size, and spacing • Designed for both iPhone and iPad Levity is focused and supports text, tags, and links; no graph view or plugins, just the fastest way to write and read Markdown on iOS, on top of files you already own. Free to start. One optional yearly subscription unlocks unlimited note creation and editing; reading your notes is never limited. Your privacy, by design: your notes stay in your own iCloud or device storage. Levity Premium is an auto-renewing subscription billed yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ariv4 screens
Levity Markdown Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ariv at none against Levity Markdown Notes's 1. Ariv also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Levity Markdown Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $11.99 per year. Ariv asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 3 level
Ariv versus Levity Markdown Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArivLevity Markdown Notes
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAriv StudiosS Tan

In-app purchases

None

Ariv

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Levity Markdown Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Levity Premium$11.991 Year

Questions

Is Ariv free?
Ariv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Levity Markdown Notes free?
Levity Markdown Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ariv or Levity Markdown Notes have ads?
Neither Ariv nor Levity Markdown Notes shows ads.

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