Sono Note vs markdown notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Sono Note
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Speak naturally. Walk away with writing you're proud of. Sono Note turns the messy way you actually think ā out loud ā into clean, structured writing in seconds. Capture a thought, a lecture, a client call, or a quick update, and Sono Note transcribes it, tidies it up, and hands you a finished note: a clear summary, the key points, your action items, and a follow-up email ready to send. Often before you've even put your phone down. This isn't a meeting bot or a plain recorder. It's a private writing studio that turns your voice into work you can actually use. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT ⢠Speak for seconds ā get a polished note, not a wall of raw text ⢠A crisp summary and key points, so you never have to listen again ⢠Action items pulled out for you as a ready-to-check list ⢠A follow-up email, drafted in the exact tone you choose ⢠Replay the original recording any time, right inside the note ⢠Export as text, Markdown, or PDF and share it anywhere PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your notes live on your iPhone. No account. No ads. No tracking. We run no servers of our own, so nothing is ever uploaded to us. Transcription uses Apple's speech recognition, which may send audio to Apple for some languages; choose Local Only mode and everything stays on your device, even in airplane mode. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Back up everything to a single dated file and restore it in one tap. Browse, replay, share the original audio, or delete every recording from one simple place. You're always in control. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE Ready-made templates for work updates, client calls, classes, interviews, doctor visits, ideas, support cases, and project recaps get you a genuinely useful result on the very first try ā in dozens of languages you can switch any time. START FREE, GO UNLIMITED Start free with 3 notes a day, up to 3 minutes each. Go Pro with a single one-time purchase ā no subscription, ever ā for unlimited notes, recordings up to 3 hours, PDF export, advanced templates, custom vocabulary, every follow-up email tone, and full backup & restore. Your best thinking happens out loud. Sono Note makes sure none of it slips away. Generated text is meant to be reviewed before use. The clearest results come from clear, single-speaker recordings.
markdown notes
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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, and quotes, 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 ⢠Nothing ever leaves 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 ⢠Seven hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO ⢠Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) ⢠Dropbox sync, in an app folder that belongs to you ⢠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: Sono Note at every 4 days against markdown notes's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Sono Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sono Note ships an update every 4 days, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sono Note | markdown notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days ā better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 ā better | 18.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Guan Feng Lai | BaconWorks, LLC |
In-app purchases
Sono Note
- Sono Note Pro$5.99
markdown notes
- Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
- Smolpad Pro$14.991 Year
- Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99
Questions
Is Sono Note free?
Is markdown notes free?
Do Sono Note or markdown notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sono Note or markdown notes?
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