# iA Writer vs MarkText

The clearest difference is price: MarkText at $3.99 against iA Writer's $19.99. iA Writer's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.0) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

iA Writer costs $19.99 and MarkText $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

iA Writer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iA Writer has 1.5K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of iA Writer's written reviews are positive against 54% of MarkText's.

iA Writer ships an update fortnightly, MarkText every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iA Writer | MarkText |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **$3.99** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ia-writer/id775737172/reviews)** | [3.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marktext-markdown-editor/id948768793/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **73.3% of reviews** | 54.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#31** | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Information Architects AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/775737175) | [刘生 林](https://appshunter.io/developer/948768792) |

## What reviewers say

### iA Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ia-writer/id775737172)

**Currently charting:** #31 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

A distraction-free writing environment designed to help you focus on your words. It offers features like Focus Mode, plain text writing with HTML preview, and robust organization tools. Customize your writing experience and export to various formats.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing environment, Focus Mode for enhanced concentration, Plain text writing with HTML preview, Document organization and search, Customizable keyboard layout, Export to various formats (Word, PDF, HTML, WordPress, Medium)

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Distraction-free writing experience
- 👍 Elegant and minimalist design
- 💡 Helpful syntax highlighting and formatting tools
- 🚀 Seamless sync across devices
- 👍 Reliable and stable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and sync issues
- 🔒 Limited cloud storage integration options
- 👎 Lack of advanced organization and navigation features
- 👎 Subpar text selection and cursor control
- 👎 Dated app icon and visual design

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain files
- Sync issues leading to data loss
- Formatting problems when exporting to other formats

**Requested features**

- Improved cloud storage integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- Enhanced file management and organization tools
- Better text selection and cursor control
- More customization options for appearance and layout
- Integrated outline/table of contents view


### MarkText

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marktext-markdown-editor/id948768793)

This app is a markdown editor and note-taking tool for iOS devices. It offers real-time syntax highlighting, conversion to various formats like HTML, PNG, and PDF, and seamless syncing across Apple devices via iCloud Drive.

**Highlights:** Real-time markdown syntax highlighting, Convert notes to HTML, PNG, PDF, Share to Evernote, Dropbox, Email, iCloud Drive sync across devices, FlowChart & Diagrams support, LaTeX and MathML rendering

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iA Writer free?

iA Writer costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MarkText free?

MarkText costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iA Writer or MarkText?

iA Writer is rated higher. iA Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while MarkText averages 3.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do iA Writer or MarkText have ads?

Neither iA Writer nor MarkText shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iA Writer or MarkText?

iA Writer ships an update fortnightly, and MarkText every 4 months. Most recently, iA Writer was updated on October 12, 2026 and MarkText on October 8, 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.*