iOS · on-device · markdown notesYou wrote it down. Now you’ll find it.
Etched is a markdown notes app that finds what you wrote by meaning — not just by keyword. Write in plain markdown that renders as you type, find any note by what it meant, and turn the ones worth keeping into memory. All on your device.
Free · iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+ · Pro is a one-time $14.99, no subscriptionYour notes app is where ideas go to die.
You write things down — a thought, a quote, a half-formed idea — and then you can’t find them again. You search the exact word and get nothing, because you don’t remember the exact word. Capturing was never the hard part. Finding it again is.
Write it. Find it. Keep it.
Find by meaning
Ask for “the note about slowing down to think” and it surfaces — even if those exact words were never written. On-device semantic search finds the thought, not just the keyword.
Write, don’t format
Plain markdown renders as you type — bold, headings, lists, tables, callouts, code. No symbols, no preview pane, no modes. What you see is the file, and the file is portable .md.
Make it memory
Turn the notes worth keeping into flashcards, and study them with spaced repetition. Your notes stop being a graveyard and start being something you actually remember.
Yours, and private
Everything runs on your device. No account, no tracking, no ads — the App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected. Your notes sync across your own devices through private iCloud.
Turn plain text into more.
Reading every format is always free. Pro unlocks creating the visual ones — drawn live by the same engines you’ll be writing with. Pay once, keep it forever.
Your notes never leave your devices.
No account. No tracking. No ads. Everything runs on your iPhone and iPad, the App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected, and your notes sync only through your own private iCloud. Yours, in plain .md, forever.
Download on theApp StoreQuestions, answered.
How is this different from Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Bear?
Etched is built around the half most note apps neglect — getting it back. Search finds notes by meaning, not just exact words, so you find the thought even when you’ve forgotten how you phrased it. It’s a true WYSIWYG markdown editor (no preview pane, no plugin setup), it runs entirely on your device with no account, and your notes stay portable .md you own. Coming from another app? Your markdown imports as plain text.
Does anything leave my device?
No. Writing, the semantic search, and every rendered format run on your iPhone or iPad. There are no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs, and the App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected. Your notes sync across your own devices through your private iCloud — nothing is ever sent to us.
What’s free, and what’s Pro?
Everything you need to write and find is free: the WYSIWYG editor, on-device semantic search, tables, callouts, code, footnotes, iCloud sync, and export to .md, PDF, or plain text. Etched Pro unlocks creating the visual formats — diagrams, math, charts, scores, drawings, flashcards, present mode, and per-note themes. Reading every format is always free; Pro is for authoring them.
Is it really a one-time purchase?
Yes. Etched Pro is a single $14.99 purchase — yours forever, no subscription, ever. Pay once and keep it.
Can I import my existing notes?
Yes. Etched reads and writes standard markdown (.md), so notes from Obsidian, Bear, iA Writer, or any plain-text app come in as-is — and you can export any note back out to .md, PDF, or plain text whenever you like. Your notes are never locked in.