Comparison

QingMo vs smalltype

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

Head to head
About

QingMo

Features
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QingMo is a cross-platform Markdown editor built for a smooth writing flow. Edit on the left, see the rendered result on the right in real time โ€” no more switching back and forth between syntax and output. โ€” Live Preview โ€” Rendering kicks in the moment you stop typing, with millisecond response. Switch freely between source, split, and preview modes. In split mode the editor and preview scroll in sync, so you never lose your place in long documents. โ€” Navigate Long Documents โ€” - Minimap: a structural overview on the right edge, color-coded by headings, body, and code. Click or drag to jump โ€” accurate even with soft wrapping. - Sticky Header: keeps the full heading path of your current position pinned at the top while scrolling; click any level to jump back. - Two-way Linked Highlight: select text on one side and the matching text on the other is highlighted automatically. (All optional, toggleable in Settings, off by default.) โ€” Full Markdown Support โ€” - CommonMark: headings, emphasis, lists, quotes, links, images, rules - GitHub Flavored Markdown: tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks - KaTeX math: inline $...$ and block $$...$$, rendered offline - Superscript and subscript for chemical formulas and math notes - Syntax highlighting for dozens of languages: Python, Swift, Rust, Go, Java, JavaScript, SQL, and more โ€” Fast Input โ€” One-tap toolbar for bold, headings, lists, tables, formulas and more. On mobile, a quick-symbol bar sits above the keyboard so hard-to-type characters are always within reach. Full keyboard shortcuts for external keyboard users. โ€” Consistent Across Devices + iCloud Sync โ€” iPhone, iPad, and Mac share the same rendering core for consistent results everywhere. Turn on iCloud and your documents sync automatically across devices signed in to your Apple ID. โ€” Handy File Management โ€” A built-in file explorer: create, rename, delete, duplicate, and drag items into folders. Export to PDF or a single self-contained HTML file for easy sharing and archiving. โ€” Privacy First โ€” QingMo collects no personal data and contains no ads or trackers. Your documents stay in the local folder you choose or in your own iCloud container. โ€” QingMo Pro (optional) โ€” The core writing experience is free forever. A one-time QingMo Pro purchase (no subscription) unlocks advanced extras: - Mermaid diagrams (flowcharts, sequences, Gantt) - One-tap publishing and Chinese typography tools (auto spacing, simplified/traditional conversion) - Advanced PDF export (themes, headers/footers, page numbers, watermark, cover) and long-image export - Version history, detailed word count, focus mode, and image archiving Purchase is handled entirely by the App Store, and "Restore Purchases" is available. Whether you are writing technical notes, organizing to-dos, drafting papers, or capturing ideas, QingMo keeps you focused on the content.

About

smalltype

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Short notes, many times a day, saved as plain .md files in real folders. Open the same folder on your Mac in VS Code, Vim, or any editor. Calm, minimal, and ready for iPhone Duo. smalltype is for your notes. The small ones, the quick ones, the big ones, the unpolished ones. It's a fast, quiet place to type. ## Start No tutorial, no setup screen. Tap New Note and start typing. Leave one empty and it quietly disappears, so you never end up with a pile of blank untitled notes. That's the whole app. ## Yours Every note is a real .md file, sitting right there in the Files app. You can open it, copy it, or back it up yourself, anytime. Delete one and it still goes to Recently Deleted, same as any other file: nothing's gone for good. ## Sync or Don't Keep notes in iCloud Drive to have them on every device. Or keep them On My iPhone, fully local, never leaving your device. Either way, you can switch anytime. ## Visible Markdown Markdown markers stay gently visible as you type. What you see is exactly what's in the file. A bar above the keyboard types the markers for you, with undo and redo a tap away. ## Organize Folders, search, and quick note-making, all from one screen. Nothing to set up first. Put "daily" in a folder's name and new notes inside it get today's date as their name. ## No Catch No ads. No subscription. No tracking. No account, ever. Markdown notes. Yours to keep.

Screenshots

QingMo4 screens
smalltype4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: smalltype at none against QingMo's 1. smalltype also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). QingMo's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. QingMo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. smalltype asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

QingMo ships an update every 3 weeks, smalltype every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
QingMo versus smalltype: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQingMosmalltype
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size28 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerๅ…†ๅ“ ๅผ Herman Haidin

In-app purchases

1 purchases

QingMo

One-time1
  • QingMo Pro (Lifetime)$4.99
None

smalltype

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is QingMo free?
QingMo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is smalltype free?
smalltype is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do QingMo or smalltype have ads?
Neither QingMo nor smalltype shows ads.
Which is updated more often, QingMo or smalltype?
QingMo ships an update every 3 weeks, and smalltype every 4 days. Most recently, QingMo was updated on September 23, 2026 and smalltype on September 22, 2026.

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