# Smolpad vs Fold

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fold at none against Smolpad's 3. Smolpad's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and 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. Fold asks for nothing beyond the download.

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

Smolpad ships an update every 10 days, Fold every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smolpad | Fold |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smolpad-markdown-notes/id6792438749/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fold-structured-notes/id6796576717/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 76 MB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) | [Mofura Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796576719) |

## What reviewers say

### Smolpad

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

A minimalist Markdown editor that stores your notes as plain .md files, accessible across all your devices via iCloud. Offers beautiful writing tools and robust file management without bloat.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder organization and search, File version history, Menu bar app on Mac

**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 |


### Fold

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fold-structured-notes/id6796576717)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smolpad free?

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

### Is Fold free?

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

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

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

### Do Smolpad or Fold have ads?

Neither Smolpad nor Fold shows ads.

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

Smolpad ships an update every 10 days, and Fold every 2 months. Most recently, Smolpad was updated on November 6, 2026 and Fold on November 13, 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.*