Comparison

Metis vs Sencha

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

Head to head
About

Metis

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Metis is a native Markdown editor and local-first knowledge base. Your notes are just .md files in a folder you own - Metis is a fast, beautiful, native view over them. No lock-in, no proprietary format, no account required to write. WRITE IN LIVE PREVIEW A clean Obsidian-style editor styles your Markdown as you type - headings, bold, lists, quotes and code - while keeping the raw syntax one tap away. It feels like writing in a document, not in code. On iPad it's a full three-pane workspace with hardware-keyboard shortcuts. CONNECT YOUR IDEAS Link any two notes with [[wiki links]]. Backlinks appear automatically, so you always see what references the note you're reading. An interactive link graph shows your whole knowledge base at a glance - zoom, pan, and drag nodes to explore the connections. READ BEAUTIFULLY Reading mode renders the full document: headings, tables, task lists, images, syntax-highlighted code, Mermaid diagrams, and real math (LaTeX) rendered natively - no web view. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Tag anything with #tags, group notes into folders, and see typed properties (status, owner, due...) that live as YAML front matter and are preserved as you edit. A fast switcher and full-text search get you anywhere instantly. ON-DEVICE AI (Apple Intelligence) Summarize a note, suggest tags or related links, and ask your whole vault a question - all running privately on your device. AI is optional; the app is fully functional without it. SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Keep your vault in iCloud and the same notes are on your Mac, iPad and iPhone - still as plain .md files you can open anywhere. Edits sync in the background, and Metis helps you resolve conflicts if two devices change the same note. LOCK WHAT MATTERS Any note can be locked with your notes password and opened with Face ID or Touch ID. Locked notes are encrypted on disk and stay encrypted in iCloud - and they're kept out of search and previews. PRIVATE AND YOURS Everything stays in plain files on your device. No tracking, no cloud lock-in. Open the same folder in any other Markdown editor whenever you like. Import an existing folder of notes (from Obsidian or anywhere) and Metis just works. ONE PURCHASE, ALL YOUR DEVICES A single one-time purchase unlocks Metis Pro on your Mac, iPad and iPhone - no subscription. Try everything free for 7 days. Metis is made by Empiric Apps. Questions or feedback? contact@empiricapps.com

About

Sencha

Features
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A native LLM client for on-device inference, LLM APIs, and self-hosted servers, built around a minimal, responsive interface. Download a supported model and chat offline without an API key or account. Or connect OpenRouter, direct providers, and compatible endpoints using your own credentials. On-Device Models • Download models from the built-in catalog, including Gemma 4, Qwen 3.5, Bonsai, and LFM 2.5 • Choose model sizes and quantization options to suit your device • Configure context window, reply length, and image detail where supported • Use streaming, thinking traces, image attachments, and web tools with compatible models • Reduce reprocessing of earlier messages with on-disk prompt caching Model capabilities and performance depend on the selected model and available device memory. Connections and Models • Connect OpenRouter, OpenCode, and direct providers • Add OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible endpoints, including self-hosted runtimes such as Ollama and LM Studio • Use Chat Completions, Responses API, or Messages API • Choose an on-device or connected model per chat • Browse model catalogs and inspect context size, output limits, pricing, and capabilities where available • Configure reasoning effort, prompt caching, routing, and model tools where supported Web Search and Fetch • Use the included free web search via Markdown.new • Or configure Brave Search, Tavily, Exa, Serper, SerpApi, Parallel, or Keenable • Choose search-depth presets for Exa and Tavily • Fetch pages on device or through Markdown.new or Firecrawl • Configure fetch providers and fallbacks independently Files and Output • Attach photos, documents, and PDFs • Send PDFs natively, extract embedded text, run on-device OCR, or render pages as images • Read responses with formatted Markdown, code, mathematical formulas, and tables • Copy generated tables as a table, Markdown, or a complete image Voice Input • Use Apple Speech for on-device dictation • Download local transcription models • Connect API-based transcription providers The app is free, with no ads or app subscription. On-device models require no provider account or API key. Connected services are subject to their own pricing, limits, and data policies.

Screenshots

Metis4 screens
Sencha4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sencha at none against Metis's 1. Metis's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Metis ships an update every 2 days, Sencha every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Metis versus Sencha: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetisSencha
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB88 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBurlac MihailMax Helvetia

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Metis

One-time1
  • Metis Pro$14.99
None

Sencha

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Metis free?
Metis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sencha free?
Sencha is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Metis or Sencha have ads?
Neither Metis nor Sencha shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Metis or Sencha?
Metis ships an update every 2 days, and Sencha every 6 days. Most recently, Metis was updated on October 16, 2026 and Sencha on October 10, 2026.

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