# MarkNote vs MarginNote 4

The clearest difference is price: MarginNote 4 at Free against MarkNote's $1.99. MarginNote 4 also leads on ratings volume (716 vs 5). MarkNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (86% vs 59%). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

MarginNote 4 is free to download; MarkNote costs $1.99 up front. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MarkNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

MarkNote holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 4 has 716 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of MarkNote's written reviews are positive against 59% of MarginNote 4's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarkNote | MarginNote 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marknote-markdown-note/id991297585/reviews)** | [4.5 (716 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **716** |
| Positive reviews | **85.7% of reviews** | 58.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 63 MB | 330 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| 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 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app integrates reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards into a unified study environment. It supports active learning with features like study sets, book compilation, and dual-article views. Enhance your understanding with visual learning tools and AI-powered content extraction for long-term memory retention.

**Highlights:** Integrated reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards, Quick Extend Note and Handwriting Layers for annotation, Study Set for organizing PDFs, EPUBs, videos, and audio, Mind Map and Concept Diagram for visual learning, AI Content Detection for formula and chart extraction, FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm for reviews, iCloud sync across Apple devices

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Subscription to MAX (6 months) | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Subscription to MAX (Annually) | $12.99 | per year |
| MarginNote Max Annual | $16.99 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock PRO Forever (New) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO (New) | $40.00 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX Forever (New) | $51.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 📚 Great for academic/research use
- 👍 Useful note-taking and organization
- 🖊️ Improved handwriting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🕰️ Slow and laggy sync between devices
- 🤯 Steep learning curve, poor documentation
- 💰 Expensive upgrade from previous version

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing annotations when using extend function
- Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
- Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management

**Requested features**

- Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
- More intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Better support for external document libraries
- Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarkNote free?

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

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

MarginNote 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MarkNote or MarginNote 4?

MarkNote is rated higher. MarkNote averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 from 716 ratings.

### Do MarkNote or MarginNote 4 have ads?

Neither MarkNote nor MarginNote 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarkNote or MarginNote 4?

MarkNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and MarginNote 4 every 3 weeks. Most recently, MarkNote was updated on September 29, 2026 and MarginNote 4 on October 7, 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.*