An Inkdrop alternative you pay for once
Inkdrop is a carefully made Markdown notebook with end-to-end encrypted sync on every platform, and it is a subscription. Inkiostro covers Mac, iPad and iPhone with a free tier that never expires and a Pro upgrade you buy once, and it keeps your documents as plain .md files rather than in a database.
Inkdrop is $9.98 a month, or $99.80 a year, after a 30-day trial. Its pricing page lists a single plan, sync service included, and it runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It is the work of one independent developer with a loyal following, especially among programmers, and the plugin API, the Vim mode and the option to sync through your own server are real reasons to choose it.
The question is what you are paying for every month. Inkdrop keeps notes in its own local database and syncs them through its service; Markdown files come out of it through export. Inkiostro works directly on .md files in iCloud Drive or in any folder you choose, and iCloud keeps them current on Mac, iPad and iPhone in the free tier. There is no subscription to keep up: the free tier has no time limit, and Pro is $19.99 once.
The two also lean different ways. Inkdrop is a notebook for many short notes, organised by notebooks, tags and statuses. Inkiostro is a document editor: two editors to choose from, version history that restores a single paragraph, and exports meant to be handed to someone else — a PDF where formulas and diagrams stay selectable text, an EPUB, a self-contained HTML file.
Inkiostro vs Inkdrop, feature by feature
A ✓ means it ships today. Notes mark the differences worth knowing about.
| Feature | Inkiostro | Inkdrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro $19.99 once | $9.98/month or $99.80/year |
| Use it without paying | Free tier, no time limit | 30-day trial |
| Editing model | Your choice: visual editor (Pro, 7-day trial) or Markdown + rendered preview | Markdown editor with a preview |
| Mac, iPad and iPhone | Native, one purchase for all three | Included in the subscription |
| Windows / Linux | — | ✓ |
| Android | Separate app and purchase, no sync with Apple devices | Included, synced with everything else |
| Sync | iCloud, free | Included, end-to-end encrypted · or your own CouchDB server |
| Where your notes live | Plain .md files in iCloud Drive or any folder | Inkdrop’s own database · export to Markdown |
| Version history with restore | Pro · 40 versions per file, restore a single paragraph | — |
| LaTeX math | Free (KaTeX) | Yes (KaTeX) |
| Mermaid diagrams | Free | ✓ |
| PDF export | Free · formulas, diagrams and code stay selectable text | ✓ |
| EPUB export | Pro | — |
| HTML export | Pro · single file, styles and images embedded | ✓ |
| Plugins, Vim mode, custom interface CSS | — | ✓ |
Inkdrop — pricing and features checked on 10 October 2026 from the official site of Inkdrop. Both products change — verify before you buy.
Where Inkdrop is still the right choice
- You want Windows, Linux or Android in the same synced library as your Mac. Inkdrop syncs all five platforms; Inkiostro syncs Mac, iPad and iPhone, and its Android app is a separate purchase without sync.
- You keep hundreds or thousands of short notes — snippets, logs, meeting notes — and organise them with notebooks, tags and statuses. That is what Inkdrop is built for.
- You want end-to-end encrypted sync, or a sync server of your own. Inkdrop offers both; Inkiostro relies on iCloud.
- You extend your tools. Inkdrop has a plugin API, a Vim mode and a stylesheet for the interface itself; Inkiostro has none of the three.
Where Inkiostro pulls ahead
- No subscription. The free tier never expires, and Pro is $19.99 once — about what two months of Inkdrop cost.
- Your documents are ordinary .md files in iCloud Drive or a folder you choose, readable by any other app, today and in ten years. Nothing has to be exported to get them out.
- A choice of how to write: a visual editor with no symbols on screen, or a Markdown editor with the rendered preview alongside. The file is plain Markdown either way.
- Version history built in: up to 40 automatic versions per document, a line-by-line diff, and restoring a single paragraph rather than the whole file.
- Exports meant for other people: a PDF where equations, diagrams and highlighted code stay selectable text, an EPUB with a navigation table of contents and a cover, a self-contained HTML file.
- A free tier that is a real app: unlimited documents, iCloud sync, the Markdown editor, live preview, LaTeX, Mermaid and PDF export, with no countdown.
One export, then nothing to convert
Inkdrop keeps notes in its own database, so moving takes one step: File › Export › All Notes writes them out as Markdown files into a folder you pick. Put that folder in Inkiostro’s iCloud folder, or point Pro’s external folders at it, and the notes open as they are — LaTeX and Mermaid included. Tags and statuses are Inkdrop data rather than Markdown, so check how they come through before you rely on them.