# Vanta vs Smolpad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vanta at none against Smolpad's 3. Vanta also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). Smolpad's advantage is device support (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

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

Vanta ships an update every 4 days, Smolpad every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Vanta | Smolpad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanta-minimalistic-notes/id6791427937/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smolpad-markdown-notes/id6792438749/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 1 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ASTRID MARIE MINONDO WRIGHT-CROWE](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789325370) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### Vanta

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanta-minimalistic-notes/id6791427937)

Capture ideas and organize tasks with a clean, distraction-free notes app. Features include reminders, checklists, and dark mode for a focused experience. It's completely free and easy to use for all ages.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free interface, Reminders, Checklists, Dark mode, Simple organization, Formatting tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Smolpad

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

This app offers a minimalist Markdown editor that stores your notes as plain .md files. It syncs via iCloud and allows for beautiful writing with syntax highlighting and task lists. Upgrade for unlimited notes, more sync options, and export features.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder organization and search, Trash and version history, Export to PDF/HTML (Pro)

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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 Vanta free?

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

### Is Smolpad free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Vanta or Smolpad?

Vanta and Smolpad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Vanta or Smolpad have ads?

Neither Vanta nor Smolpad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Vanta or Smolpad?

Vanta ships an update every 4 days, and Smolpad every 10 days. Most recently, Vanta was updated on October 7, 2026 and Smolpad on October 31, 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.*