# MarkNote vs zOutline

The clearest difference is price: zOutline at Free against MarkNote's $1.99. zOutline also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). MarkNote's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 50%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

zOutline is free to download; MarkNote costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

zOutline holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of MarkNote's written reviews are positive against 50% of zOutline's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarkNote | zOutline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marknote-markdown-note/id991297585/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoutline/id1179222435/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **85.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 63 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [淑敏 孙](https://appshunter.io/developer/991297584) | [Zack Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/388860537) |

## What reviewers say

### MarkNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marknote-markdown-note/id991297585)

Create and manage markdown notes with rich formatting, image embedding, and code snippets. Sync across Apple devices via iCloud and access notes from any web browser. Publish notes as blog posts or share them easily.

**Highlights:** Markdown editing with live preview, Embed photos, images, and code snippets, iCloud synchronization across devices, Web browser access for notes, Publish notes as blog posts, Graph view for note relations

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### zOutline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoutline/id1179222435)

This is a simple outline editor that allows for easy creation and management of hierarchical lists. It supports multiple outlines in tabs, text formatting, and various export options like HTML, RTF, and plain text. The app remembers your progress and allows sharing via email attachments.

**Highlights:** Simple tap and gesture controls, Multiple outlines in tabs, Text formatting (bold, italic, underline), Export to HTML, RTF, and text, Email attachment sharing, Persistent editing state

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarkNote free?

MarkNote costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is zOutline free?

zOutline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, MarkNote or zOutline?

zOutline is rated higher. MarkNote averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while zOutline averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do MarkNote or zOutline have ads?

Neither MarkNote nor zOutline shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarkNote or zOutline?

MarkNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and zOutline every 3 weeks. Most recently, MarkNote was updated on September 18, 2026 and zOutline on June 11, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*