# noglow vs markdown notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: noglow at none against markdown notes's 3. markdown notes's advantage is device support (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for noglow against 5.0 for markdown notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

noglow ships an update every 5 days, markdown notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | noglow | markdown notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noglow-quick-notes-scratchpad/id6791146689/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-notes-smolpad/id6792438749/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 23 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GRABA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855545082) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### noglow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noglow-quick-notes-scratchpad/id6791146689)

This app offers a minimalist scratchpad experience for quick note-taking on iPhone and Mac. It features eight distinct color-coded slots that clear after use, with finished notes archived and searchable. Optional cloud sync is available for free.

**Highlights:** Titleless scratchpad, Eight color slots, Searchable archive, Cross-device sync, Plain text notes

**In-app purchases:** none


### markdown notes

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

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores all your notes as plain text files, accessible across your devices. It offers beautiful writing tools, seamless cloud sync, and powerful organization features without any bloat.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud Drive sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder and instant search organization, Menu bar app on Mac, Export to PDF, HTML, RTF (Pro)

**Features:** Apple Watch app, 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 noglow free?

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

### Is markdown notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, noglow or markdown notes?

noglow and markdown notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do noglow or markdown notes have ads?

Neither noglow nor markdown notes shows ads.

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

noglow ships an update every 5 days, and markdown notes every 10 days. Most recently, noglow was updated on October 4, 2026 and markdown notes on October 10, 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.*