Comparison

Levity Markdown Notes vs em

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Levity Markdown Notes

Features
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Levity is a fast Markdown editor for your own plain-text notes, based on a folder in iCloud Drive or on your device. No account, no proprietary database, no separate sync service to set up. Point Levity at a folder and it mirrors every Markdown file inside it, and keeps mirroring as they change. Built for speed on your phone and read-compatible with Obsidian vaults. Levity opens, scrolls, and searches instantly, even in a large vault. It's tuned for mobile from the first line of code. If you already keep an Obsidian vault, Levity reads it as-is: the same files, the same folders, the same frontmatter. Your notes are just text files. They live in your own iCloud Drive or on your device, sync through your own Apple account, and open in any other editor. A live, clean editor: • Formatting appears as you type. The raw Markdown symbols stay out of your way, while your files stay pure Markdown on disk • Headings, bold, italic, task lists, checkboxes, blockquotes, code blocks, and tables you can edit cell by cell • [[Wiki-links]] between notes, with autocomplete • Inline images • A formatting bar, so you never have to hunt for a raw symbol Organize without a database: • Tag your notes and filter by tag • YAML frontmatter — add any property you like (status, type, dates, lists) and build filtered views around it • Folders, templates, archive, and trash • Full-text search across every note, instantly Made yours: • Seven themes, plus an automatic day / night mode that follows your surroundings • Adjustable font, size, and spacing • Designed for both iPhone and iPad Levity is focused and supports text, tags, and links; no graph view or plugins, just the fastest way to write and read Markdown on iOS, on top of files you already own. Free to start. One optional yearly subscription unlocks unlimited note creation and editing; reading your notes is never limited. Your privacy, by design: your notes stay in your own iCloud or device storage. Levity Premium is an auto-renewing subscription billed yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

em

A privacy-focused Markdown editor for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It offers distraction-free writing, goal tracking, location mapping, smart search, and version history. Seamlessly publish and edit content on Ghost sites, with optional AI-powered editorial feedback.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free Markdown editor
  • Word and deadline goal tracking
  • Location mapping of writing sessions
  • Smart search with advanced operators
  • Automatic version history with iCloud backup
  • Ghost API integration for publishing
  • On-device AI for editorial feedback
Features
Read full description

em is a privacy-first universal Markdown writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that takes advantage of Apple's Foundation Models to give you editorial feedback. It also connects to the Ghost API to publish and edit your website. Your files are yours, and you're the only one who should decide what to do with 'em. WRITE 'EM WITH MARKDOWN Capture your thoughts in a distraction-free Markdown editor tuned for each device, including the iPhone Duo. em counts your words and reading time, but only if you want it to. TRACK 'EM Set a word goal or a deadline for a file, or a daily, weekly, or monthly goal for everything you write. Want 500 words a day? 50,000 by the end of the month? em keeps track, shows your pace and your streak, and holds you to it. MAP 'EM em can remember where you started writing each file, including every place you worked on 'em. See all of them on a map and follow your writing journey in a whole new way. Location is off until you turn it on for a library, and it stays out of anything you share or send to AI. FIND 'EM WITH SMART SEARCH Smart Search lists every file holding your words. Use quotes, +, -, OR, and * for precision, filter by library, tag, status, or year, and save any search as a Smart Folder that stays current. Only remember what a piece was about? Ask em. PROTECT 'EM WITH VERSION HISTORY Every edit is automatically versioned and backed up to iCloud. Compare and restore versions from any device, so an accidental deletion never costs you your writing. PUBLISH 'EM WITH GHOST Connect em to your Ghost site to edit, back up, and publish natively in Markdown that maps to Ghost's cards. em supports 19 Ghost editorial cards, drafts, scheduling, newsletters, and Ghost pages. EXPLORE 'EM WITH AI (BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO) Ask em questions and get answers grounded in your files, not the internet. On OS 27, Siri can search, add, or edit notes in the libraries you approve. Get an Editorial Review from a prompt you can read and edit. em doesn't write your drafts; it helps you edit 'em. ALL FEATURES - GOALS: Word and deadline goals, daily, weekly, and monthly, with pace and streaks - CALENDAR: Every day you wrote, in one place - PLACES: Every place you've written, on a map - SMART SEARCH: Search operators, filters, and Smart Folders - VERSION HISTORY: Automatic versioning, stored in iCloud - GHOST SITES: Sync, edit, publish, and send newsletters, for posts and pages - AI ON YOUR TERMS: On-device Apple Intelligence by default; optionally Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your API key - SIRI AI: Search, add, or edit notes in approved libraries (OS 27) - ASK EM AND EDITORIAL REVIEW: Answers and feedback from your own writing - APPLE SHORTCUTS: Create files, add visits, or publish to Ghost - APPLE JOURNALING SUGGESTIONS: Capture memories in Markdown (iOS) - READ ALOUD: Hear your draft to catch what your eyes miss - CUSTOMIZATION: Reader and Editor fonts and colors - OFFLINE EDITING: Works without an iCloud or Ghost connection PRIVACY, PLAINLY em has no server. That's not a promise about what the developer does with your data. There's no backend, no account, and no company database where your writing could end up. Your writing syncs through your iCloud and nowhere else. AI features are off by default and, if turned on, run on-device with Apple Intelligence. Want a larger model? Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini with your own API key; your account, your billing, revocable anytime. em names the model answering, every time. Location data is never sent from em with your AI requests. Transparency Statement: AI was used in developing this app, but every feature idea, design call, and architectural decision was made by a human.

Screenshots

Levity Markdown Notes4 screens
em4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Levity Markdown Notes at Free against em's $14.99. Levity Markdown Notes also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). em's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Levity Markdown Notes is free to download; em costs $14.99 up front. Levity Markdown Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $11.99 per year. em asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Levity Markdown Notes versus em: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLevity Markdown Notesem
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperS TanJustin Cox

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Levity Markdown Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Levity Premium$11.991 Year
None

em

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Levity Markdown Notes free?
Levity Markdown Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is em free?
em costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Levity Markdown Notes or em have ads?
Neither Levity Markdown Notes nor em shows ads.

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