# Etched vs em

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Etched | em |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 87 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Soyeon Noh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1201270238) | [Justin Cox](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797005005) |

## What reviewers say

### Etched

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etched-markdown-notes/id6780505987)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Etched Pro | $14.99 | one-time |


### em

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003)

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:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


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