# MarkNote vs MarginNote 3

The clearest difference is price: MarginNote 3 at Free against MarkNote's $1.99. MarginNote 3 also leads on ratings volume (5K vs 5) and iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.0). MarkNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (86% vs 75%). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

MarginNote 3 is free to download; MarkNote costs $1.99 up front. MarginNote 3 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MarkNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for MarkNote against 4.7 for MarginNote 3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 3 has 5K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of MarkNote's written reviews are positive against 75% of MarginNote 3's.

MarkNote ships an update every 3 weeks, MarginNote 3 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarkNote | MarginNote 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marknote-markdown-note/id991297585/reviews)** | [4.7 (5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-3/id1348317163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **5K** |
| Positive reviews | **85.7% of reviews** | 74.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 63 MB | 392 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [淑敏 孙](https://appshunter.io/developer/991297584) | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) |

## 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


### MarginNote 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-3/id1348317163)

This app redefines studying by integrating e-reading with powerful annotation, mind mapping, and flashcard tools. Organize knowledge, connect ideas with hashtags, and enhance memory retention through spaced repetition. It offers a seamless workflow across multiple documents and devices.

**Highlights:** Integrated PDF/EPUB reader, Advanced annotation tools, Mind mapping and outline organization, Flashcard creation and Anki export, Multi-document support, Handwriting and Apple Pencil support, OCR for scanned PDFs

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OCR Pro (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| OCR Pro (Annually) | $9.49 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Unlock Full | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Full | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful and efficient for studying and research
- 👍 Excellent mind mapping and note-taking features
- 💡 Unique and innovative functionality like video annotation
- 🚀 Handles large volumes of documents and notes well
- 👍 Useful for organizing and synthesizing information from multiple sources

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 👎 Steep learning curve and lack of comprehensive documentation
- 👎 Unreliable cloud syncing between devices
- 👎 Cluttered and unintuitive user interface in some areas
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches with certain features like handwriting and OCR

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues causing data loss across devices
- Crashes and freezes when working with large documents
- Inconsistent behavior with highlighting, erasing, and text formatting
- OCR not functioning reliably for non-Latin scripts
- Difficulty managing and organizing large document libraries

**Requested features**

- Improved export options and ability to share projects
- Better integration with other productivity apps like Anki
- More customization options for mind maps and annotations
- Smoother handwriting experience and better palm rejection
- Support for more file formats like PowerPoint


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarkNote free?

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

### Is MarginNote 3 free?

MarginNote 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MarkNote or MarginNote 3?

MarkNote is rated higher. MarkNote averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MarginNote 3 averages 4.7 from 5K ratings.

### Do MarkNote or MarginNote 3 have ads?

Neither MarkNote nor MarginNote 3 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarkNote or MarginNote 3?

MarkNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and MarginNote 3 every 6 weeks. Most recently, MarkNote was updated on September 18, 2026 and MarginNote 3 on September 24, 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.*