Smolpad vs Tackboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smolpad
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.
- 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)
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Smolpad is a smol Markdown editor with respect for your files. Every note is a plain .md file you can open with any app, on any device, forever. Your files are your own. No database. No lock-in. No bloat. Just a tiny, fast home for your notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. WRITE IN MARKDOWN, BEAUTIFULLY • Syntax dims as you type, or hides away entirely with one tap • Task lists become real checkboxes. Checkboxes that check. • Headings, bold, italic, code, quotes, and tables, styled as you write • A formatting bar for common touches, plus full keyboard shortcuts • Pictures too: drag or paste one in, resize it by its corner, and it lives as a plain file beside the note YOUR FILES, ANYWHERE • Notes sync through your own iCloud Drive, included free • Open your notes folder in Finder or Files any time • Organize with folders, pins, and instant search • A Trash for deleted notes, and a history of every note's earlier versions • Find notes in Spotlight, and open them with Siri or Shortcuts • Your notes never leave your devices except to your own cloud SMOL ON PURPOSE • On the Mac, Smolpad lives in your menu bar, one hotkey away • Tear off a note into its own window when you want to stay a while • On iPhone and iPad, it opens fast and stays out of your way • Eight hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO • Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) • Dropbox, pCloud, or Google Drive sync, in a folder that belongs to you • Notepads: open any folder of Markdown files as its own notepad, an Obsidian vault or a Bear export among them • Export to PDF, HTML, or rich text, and print • Widgets on the Mac, iPhone and iPad, Lock Screen widgets on iPhone, and Smolpad on Apple Watch • Twenty-nine editor themes, from Tokyo Night to Catppuccin • Seventeen app icons and the full menu bar icon set Smolpad Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The free tier is a real notes app, not a trial. Made by a smol team that believes plain text outlives everything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://smolpad.com/privacy
Tackboard
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Tackboard turns your ideas into colorful sticky notes on a huge, zoomable canvas. • Quick Capture — jot text, photos, and voice memos onto notes in seconds • Organize Your Way — group notes into boards, duplicate notes across boards, add tags, and pin your favorites • Never Miss a Thing — set a time alarm (one-time on any date, or repeating weekly, monthly, or yearly) or a location reminder so nothing slips by • Rich Formatting — bulleted, numbered, and checklist lists, with Undo & Redo for every change • Links & Paste — add links as rich preview cards, and paste from the web with fonts, colors, and links kept • Sketch & Draw — freehand drawings plus clean lines, rectangles, circles, and arrows right on any note • Personalize — choose a solid color or a background photo/illustration for every note • Stay in Sync — notes, boards, tags, and settings sync automatically across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud • Full History — every edit is saved, so you can always look back and restore an earlier version • Backup & Restore — export all your notes and boards to one file and restore them anytime • Search Instantly — find any note by content, tag, or board — even text inside your photos • Attach Anything — add photos, documents, and voice memos, and merge voice clips into one • Lock Private Notes — protect sensitive notes with Face ID or a passcode Tackboard is free to use on iPhone and iPad, with an optional ad-free upgrade. One purchase removes ads everywhere, including Mac. Terms of Use: https://vincentchiu.com/tackboard/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://vincentchiu.com/tackboard/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Smolpad at none against Tackboard's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Smolpad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Tackboard sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Smolpad ships an update every 10 days, Tackboard every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smolpad | Tackboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BaconWorks, LLC | Vincent Chiu |
In-app purchases
Smolpad
- Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
- Smolpad Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99
Tackboard
- Weekly7 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Lifetime$29.99









