Ledge Notebook vs TabForge

Ledge is a Markdown notebook that runs the code in your notes. Write the commands for a deploy, a fix or a setup once, with the reasoning beside them, and run each block with a tap. The output appears right under the block. On iPhone and iPad, Ledge opens the notes on your own server: a Linux machine or a Mac running the free Ledge server, reached over SSH. Your notes, shells and commands stay on your machine. RUN ANYTHING • Shell, Python, Node, TypeScript, Ruby, PHP and Redis blocks run with the tools on your server • Add SQL or any other language by naming the command that runs it, such as psql or mysql • Prompt blocks hand a request to an AI agent on your server, such as Claude Code, which can read your notes • Answer a running command's prompts by typing into its output, with ^C, ^D, Esc and arrow keys above the keyboard • Each note keeps its own shell, so a cd or an exported variable carries into the next block • Give a note its own working directory, environment and secrets, kept outside the note • Run a note's blocks on another machine over SSH with one line at the top of the note • Mark a risky block to ask before it runs • A command keeps running on the server after you lock the phone, and its output is waiting when you come back WRITE AND ORGANIZE • Markdown with live preview, tables, checklists and images, including photos from the camera • Link notes to each other, with outline, backlinks and tags panels • Workspaces, folders, favorites and full-text search • Use the same notes from Ledge for Mac and from every phone and iPad you pair PRIVATE AND SECURE • You stay in control of your notes: they live on your own machine, not on our servers or anyone else's • No Ledge account, no sign-up and no third party in between • Sign in with a key made in the Secure Enclave that never leaves the device, or with a password kept in the keychain • Each server's host key is confirmed on the first connection and checked on every one after • Lock sensitive notes with a passphrase • Add a server by scanning the QR code it prints WHAT YOU NEED A Mac or a Linux machine you can reach over SSH, with the Ledge server installed. One command installs it, with no root access, no open port and no background service. The guide in the app walks you through it. Ledge is free and open source.

TabForge is an open-source programming keyboard for iPhone and iPad. Write code, scripts and terminal commands with punctuation and editing controls beside the letter keys. Indent a line, move the cursor or insert a saved snippet. The keyboard's gear menu gives you access to settings and code tools in the app you're typing in. Programming keys - Type braces, square brackets, angle brackets, parentheses and full ASCII punctuation. - Choose Tab, two spaces or four spaces, with indent, outdent and automatic newline indentation. - Use arrows, Escape and Control, Option and Command keys. Their behavior depends on the input profile and host app. - Hold a key for its digit or related operators, and choose which keys the toolbar shows. - Save snippets for commands, operators and repeated text. - Get language suggestions for Swift, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Shell and JSON. Layouts for your screen Phone layouts keep familiar letter keys with coding controls close by. Compact landscape layouts leave more room for the app above the keyboard. Larger iPad and supported Duo layouts show more controls. Choose your key size and keyboard height, follow iOS light and dark appearance, or select a code palette. Editing and input profiles Use Code editor for pairing and indentation, Terminal · ANSI for supported control text, or Remote desktop for literal input. Terminal and remote behavior depends on the client: a keyboard extension inserts text and cannot send arbitrary hardware-key events. Line edits need enough context from the host app to verify the change. Optional English prose autocorrect runs on the device in eligible text fields. Apple's spelling service finds misspellings, and TabForge picks the replacement from a bundled word list and the words around the cursor, weighing where you tapped. It is off by default, skips code-like input and stays inactive in Terminal, Remote desktop and the code playground. Space applies a correction; immediate Delete restores your spelling. An optional Learn my tap positions setting keeps average tap offsets for each key on this device to sharpen corrections. Turning it off erases them. The companion playground Edit text with syntax highlighting, line numbers, undo and a share action. The playground does not run code. Its keyboard and layout previews use temporary settings, separate from the installed keyboard. Voice to code lets you dictate, review spoken punctuation and insert the result. It requires microphone and Speech permission plus available on-device English recognition. Voice input runs in the companion app; iOS controls system Dictation availability. Optional swipe typing uses a bundled English word list with word frequencies, programming words and names from the text around the cursor, with alternatives in the gear menu. It works offline, is off by default and remains experimental. Tap typing works better for some identifiers. Optional support TabForge is free. If you would like to support its development, the companion app's Tip Jar offers optional one-time purchases through Apple. Tips unlock no features and are not subscriptions. Open source and privacy TabForge is MIT licensed, with source and privacy details linked in the companion app. The keyboard does not log or transmit keystrokes. There are no ads, analytics or accounts. Keyboard preferences, custom snippets and optional tap learning are saved in the keyboard's own container. Configure them from its gear menu; they are not shared with the companion app. Full Access is not requested. The companion playground saves its draft separately. Apps you type into, Apple system services, device backups and destinations you choose when sharing have their own data practices. Requires iOS or iPadOS 27.0 or later. Duo-specific layouts require 27.1. iOS uses its system keyboard in secure and phone fields, and some apps decline third-party keyboards.