Comparison

KineScribe vs Archimedes Editor

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

Head to head
About

KineScribe

This application allows users to create, edit, and read dance notation scores using Laban movement principles. It offers a comprehensive symbol palette and tools for customization, enabling easy sharing and integration with other notation software.

Highlights
  • Create and edit structured notation scores
  • Support for Motif and Language of Dance scores
  • Import and read LabanWriter scores
  • Extensive symbol palette for movement notation
  • Customizable tools with multiple colors and backgrounds
  • Save and share scores as PDFs
  • Multi-page score creation
Read full description

KineScribe reimagines LabanWriter for iOS and MacOS, allowing you to write dances in Laban movement notation and quickly edit scores and symbols. Development of this app was supported by Reed College and the National Endowment for the Humanities, with the cooperation and continued support of The Ohio State University.
 Make Scores: KineScribe creates and edits structured notation scores on the staff, Motif scores, and scores using Language of Dance.
 Read Scores: KineScribe reads all scores imported from LabanWriter.
 Edit Scores: KineScribe edits scores created in-app or with LabanWriter.
 Symbol Palette: Includes directions, levels, paths, rotations, bows, staff, floor plan, text input, and more. App updates will increase the number of available symbols and modifications.
 Tools: Choose graph paper or plain background. Make multiple-page scores. Choose from 20 colors for each symbol.
 Save and Share: Email KineScribe files as PDFs from in-app command. Read, edit, and print saved KineScribe files in LabanWriter through iTunes sync.
 For more information: https://u.osu.edu/kinescribe/

About

Archimedes Editor

This app is a powerful Markdown editor that simplifies mathematical writing with integrated LaTeX support. It offers features like inline LaTeX, autocompletion, live previews, and a math library to help users create beautifully typeset documents.

Highlights
  • Markdown editing with syntax highlighter
  • Inline LaTeX support with autocompletion
  • Magic Type for drawing mathematical symbols
  • Live preview with custom themes and Dark Mode
  • Math library for LaTeX commands
  • iCloud document sync with Mac counterpart
  • Export to PDF and HTML
Read full description

Archimedes is a Markdown editor designed to make mathematical writing easy with inline LaTeX support. MARKDOWN EDITING At its core, Archimedes is a fully-featured plain text and Markdown editor. It includes a fast syntax highlighter and provides convenient keyboard shortcuts for common actions, such as inserting images and links. With complete support for Markdown and the Format Bar floating above the keyboard, Archimedes makes formatting and structuring documents elegant and easy. MATH MODE + AUTOCOMPLETE In Math Mode, Archimedes lets you write mathematics in a subset of LaTeX, making it an approachable LaTeX editor. Just enter $$ to get started. Over 700 intuitive commands, such as \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}, help you produce stunning mathematical output. Archimedes even autocompletes commands and intelligently matches closing braces, brackets, and parenthesis as you type. MAGIC TYPE Just getting started with LaTeX syntax? Don't know the code for the asymptotically equal symbol? Just draw it! Archimedes will recognize the symbol and insert the corresponding code for you. LIVE PREVIEW As you work, a beautifully-typeset live preview of your document is always visible. You can even select a custom theme, and Dark Mode is fully supported. Themes come with various font faces. MATH LIBRARY Browse the math library to see all available LaTeX commands and their previews in one place. NAVIGATOR Working on a long document? Use the Navigator to pull up a table of contents and quickly jump between sections. IMAGES Insert images from your Photos library, via the Document Camera, or by drawing sketches right inside the document. DOCUMENT SYNC Archimedes is the only app of its kind that supports syncing documents via iCloud with its Mac counterpart. SHARING Share your work with the rest of the world via email, iMessage, AirDrop, and more. Export documents to the Files app in PDF or HTML formats. You can even print with AirPrint. SEARCH Use the Find bar to quickly find text in any document. STATISTICS View the character count, word count, and reading time as you work. MATH SNIPPET EDITOR Quickly typeset mathematical expressions and copy the rendered result as a vector image for use in apps like Keynote. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Take advantage of Magic Keyboard and keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate the app.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KineScribe at none against Archimedes Editor's 1. KineScribe also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15 vs 18.0). Archimedes Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Archimedes Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KineScribe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KineScribe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Archimedes Editor has 26 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KineScribe ships an update every 11 months, Archimedes Editor every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
KineScribe versus Archimedes Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKineScribeArchimedes Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (26 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings126 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPad, Mac — betteriPad
Requires iOS15 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid RalleyFurnace Creek Software LLC

Customer experience

KineScribe

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Archimedes Editor

All ratings25 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

KineScribe

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Archimedes Editor

One-time1
  • Pro: One Time Purchase$9.99

Questions

Is KineScribe free?
KineScribe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Archimedes Editor free?
Archimedes Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, KineScribe or Archimedes Editor?
KineScribe is rated higher. KineScribe averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Archimedes Editor averages 4.8 from 26 ratings.
Do KineScribe or Archimedes Editor have ads?
Neither KineScribe nor Archimedes Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KineScribe or Archimedes Editor?
KineScribe ships an update every 11 months, and Archimedes Editor every 5 weeks. Most recently, KineScribe was updated on October 16, 2026 and Archimedes Editor on October 24, 2026.

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