# MarkNote vs MarginNote 5

The clearest difference is price: MarginNote 5 at Free against MarkNote's $1.99. MarginNote 5 also leads on ratings volume (736 vs 5). MarkNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (86% vs 58%). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

MarginNote 5 is free to download; MarkNote costs $1.99 up front. MarginNote 5 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 5 has 736 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 58% of MarginNote 5's.

MarkNote ships an update every 4 weeks, MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarkNote | MarginNote 5 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marknote-markdown-note/id991297585/reviews)** | [4.5 (736 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **736** |
| Positive reviews | **85.7% of reviews** | 58.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 63 MB | 371 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 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app enhances reading and study with integrated note-taking and flashcard creation. It offers task-based templates for focused learning, AI assistance for content breakdown, and spaced repetition for effective review. Organize your research and master material efficiently.

**Highlights:** Task-based reading templates, AI-powered content breakdown and question extraction, Integrated flashcard creation and spaced repetition, Mind-map organization of notes, PDF and EPUB import, Handwriting and annotation tools, Sync across devices

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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 5 free?

MarginNote 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MarkNote or MarginNote 5?

MarkNote is rated higher. MarkNote averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 from 736 ratings.

### Do MarkNote or MarginNote 5 have ads?

Neither MarkNote nor MarginNote 5 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarkNote or MarginNote 5?

MarkNote ships an update every 4 weeks, and MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. Most recently, MarkNote was updated on October 24, 2026 and MarginNote 5 on October 30, 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.*