# Marten vs markdown notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marten at none against markdown notes's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. markdown notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Marten asks for nothing beyond the download.

Marten ships an update weekly, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Marten | markdown notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Size | 15 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [joseph hamawi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854729220) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### Marten

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marten-markdown-code-notes/id6782895141)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### markdown notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smolpad Pro | $1.49 | per month |
| Smolpad Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| Smolpad Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Marten free?

Marten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is markdown notes free?

markdown notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Marten or markdown notes have ads?

Neither Marten nor markdown notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Marten or markdown notes?

Marten ships an update weekly, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, Marten was updated on September 10, 2026 and markdown notes on September 24, 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.*