Comparison

Etched vs em

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

Head to head
About

Etched

Features
Read full description

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

About

em

A privacy-focused Markdown editor for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It offers distraction-free writing, goal tracking, location mapping, smart search, and version history. Seamlessly publish and edit content on Ghost sites, with optional AI-powered editorial feedback.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free Markdown editor
  • Word and deadline goal tracking
  • Location mapping of writing sessions
  • Smart search with advanced operators
  • Automatic version history with iCloud backup
  • Ghost API integration for publishing
  • On-device AI for editorial feedback
Features
Read full description

em is a privacy-first universal Markdown writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that takes advantage of Apple's Foundation Models to give you editorial feedback. It also connects to the Ghost API to publish and edit your website. Your files are yours, and you're the only one who should decide what to do with 'em. WRITE 'EM WITH MARKDOWN Capture your thoughts in a distraction-free Markdown editor tuned for each device, including the iPhone Duo. em counts your words and reading time, but only if you want it to. TRACK 'EM Set a word goal or a deadline for a file, or a daily, weekly, or monthly goal for everything you write. Want 500 words a day? 50,000 by the end of the month? em keeps track, shows your pace and your streak, and holds you to it. MAP 'EM em can remember where you started writing each file, including every place you worked on 'em. See all of them on a map and follow your writing journey in a whole new way. Location is off until you turn it on for a library, and it stays out of anything you share or send to AI. FIND 'EM WITH SMART SEARCH Smart Search lists every file holding your words. Use quotes, +, -, OR, and * for precision, filter by library, tag, status, or year, and save any search as a Smart Folder that stays current. Only remember what a piece was about? Ask em. PROTECT 'EM WITH VERSION HISTORY Every edit is automatically versioned and backed up to iCloud. Compare and restore versions from any device, so an accidental deletion never costs you your writing. PUBLISH 'EM WITH GHOST Connect em to your Ghost site to edit, back up, and publish natively in Markdown that maps to Ghost's cards. em supports 19 Ghost editorial cards, drafts, scheduling, newsletters, and Ghost pages. EXPLORE 'EM WITH AI (BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO) Ask em questions and get answers grounded in your files, not the internet. On OS 27, Siri can search, add, or edit notes in the libraries you approve. Get an Editorial Review from a prompt you can read and edit. em doesn't write your drafts; it helps you edit 'em. ALL FEATURES - GOALS: Word and deadline goals, daily, weekly, and monthly, with pace and streaks - CALENDAR: Every day you wrote, in one place - PLACES: Every place you've written, on a map - SMART SEARCH: Search operators, filters, and Smart Folders - VERSION HISTORY: Automatic versioning, stored in iCloud - GHOST SITES: Sync, edit, publish, and send newsletters, for posts and pages - AI ON YOUR TERMS: On-device Apple Intelligence by default; optionally Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your API key - SIRI AI: Search, add, or edit notes in approved libraries (OS 27) - ASK EM AND EDITORIAL REVIEW: Answers and feedback from your own writing - APPLE SHORTCUTS: Create files, add visits, or publish to Ghost - APPLE JOURNALING SUGGESTIONS: Capture memories in Markdown (iOS) - READ ALOUD: Hear your draft to catch what your eyes miss - CUSTOMIZATION: Reader and Editor fonts and colors - OFFLINE EDITING: Works without an iCloud or Ghost connection PRIVACY, PLAINLY em has no server. That's not a promise about what the developer does with your data. There's no backend, no account, and no company database where your writing could end up. Your writing syncs through your iCloud and nowhere else. AI features are off by default and, if turned on, run on-device with Apple Intelligence. Want a larger model? Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your own API key; your account, your billing, revocable anytime. em names the model answering, every time. Location data is never sent from em with your AI requests. Transparency Statement: AI was used in developing this app, but every feature idea, design call, and architectural decision was made by a human.

Screenshots

Etched4 screens
em4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Etched at Free against em's $14.99. Etched also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). em's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Etched is free to download; em costs $14.99 up front. Etched sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. em asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Etched ships an update every 2 days, em every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Etched versus em: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEtchedem
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSoyeon NohJustin Cox

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Etched

One-time1
  • Etched Pro$14.99
None

em

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Etched free?
Etched is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is em free?
em costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Etched or em have ads?
Neither Etched nor em shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Etched or em?
Etched ships an update every 2 days, and em every 9 days. Most recently, Etched was updated on November 10, 2026 and em on November 10, 2026.

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