Metis vs PlainScribe
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
PlainScribe
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Turn spoken thoughts into editable text. Record or import audio, transcribe it, optionally clean it up, then edit, copy, or share. EDIT WITH YOUR VOICE Tap Voice command and say what you want to do with your text, such as “Translate into English,” “Make this shorter,” or “Rewrite this more formally.” Tap Apply to update your draft. Undo lets you restore the previous text. Customize the voice-command prompt separately in Settings. RECORD LONGER Continue microphone recordings when your iPhone locks or you switch apps. Choose Standard audio quality for smaller files or High for a higher bitrate. Recordings stop safely before your transcription provider’s size or duration limit, with the audio retained until you choose Transcribe or Discard. FEATURES • One-tap recording and continued recording into the same draft • Import MP3, M4A, and WAV audio files • Send supported audio from apps such as Voice Memos • OpenAI GPT Transcribe or ElevenLabs Scribe v2 transcription • Optional Clean Up, Concise, AI Prompt, and custom transformations • Voice commands with an editable prompt and Undo • Edit, copy, and share your text • Multiple color themes YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR PROMPTS Use Scribe in English, Polish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch. Built-in prompt instructions follow your app language. Any prompt you edit keeps your changes until you reset it. The AI Prompt option turns a spoken request into a structured prompt for an AI assistant. BRING YOUR OWN API KEY PlainScribe is free to download and use, with no ads, subscription, or PlainScribe account. Add your own OpenAI or ElevenLabs API key for transcription. Voice commands and optional text transformations also require an OpenAI API key. An internet connection is required for AI processing. Any usage charges are billed directly by the provider under its pricing and terms. Credentials are stored securely in your device’s Keychain. Audio is sent directly to the selected transcription provider. For voice commands, the transcribed command and current draft are sent to OpenAI; optional transformations send the new transcript and selected prompt. PlainScribe does not send your content through a separate PlainScribe server. Processing is subject to the selected providers’ terms and privacy policies.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PlainScribe at none against Metis's 1. Metis's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Metis sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PlainScribe asks for nothing beyond the download.
Metis ships an update every 2 days, PlainScribe every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Metis | PlainScribe |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Burlac Mihail | Artur Wronski |
In-app purchases
Metis
- Metis Pro$19.99
PlainScribe
No in-app purchases









