Raven keeps every note as an ordinary .md file
in a folder you control, and puts native Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps around it.
Local first, so it opens before the network does.
US$14 lifetime through August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
If you quit Raven tomorrow, your notes are still sitting in the folder.
Instead of an export button
Raven writes ordinary .md files into a folder you pick. Nothing is imported, nothing is converted, and there is no database holding your writing hostage.
Instead of a sync spinner
Raven reads and writes the local file first, so a plane, a basement, or a dead hotspot changes nothing. Sync keeps your devices in step; it isn't what lets you type.
Instead of a plugin weekend
Plain text usually means you assemble the app yourself. Raven ships the daily Journal, tasks, tables, and backlinks already built, on real Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps.
Raven is one app opening your notes folder. It was never the only one that could.
What changes once the note is just a note.
| Dimension | Raven
| Database-first notes |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Plain .md files in a folder you pick | An app database or cloud workspace |
| Opening a note elsewhere | Open the file directly | Export, copy, or call an API first |
| Offline | Reads and writes local files first | Depends on sync state or a cached copy |
| Leaving the app | Stop using Raven; the files stay put | Export, then clean up the export |
| Readable in ten years | It's text | Depends on the app and its export format |
| Automation | Files on disk, plus Companion CLI/MCP | App search, API, or integrations |
| Sync | Included and optional | Usually the centre of the product |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Often web, Windows, and Android too |
| Best for | Personal writing, PKM, developer notes | Team documents and shared databases |
| Pricing | US$14 lifetime through August 31, then US$25/year | Usually a monthly seat |
Three things worth knowing before you pay.
Your notes work from your device, and that's all it means. Raven does not claim end-to-end encryption. What you sync, and which tools you point at the folder, is still your call.
Mac, iPhone, and iPad. No Windows, no Linux, no Android, no browser app. A work laptop running Windows is a hard stop.
Raven is a single-person app. No live co-editing, no shared databases, no comment threads. Teams should look elsewhere.
One purchase includes Raven and future updates.
US$14 one time
Lifetime offer ends August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
New purchases are US$25/year.
Questions
A plain-text notes app keeps notes in readable text files instead of inside a private database. Raven uses Markdown, so each note is an ordinary .md file and a heading still reads as a heading with the app closed.
A local-first notes app works from the copy on your device rather than the copy on a server. Raven is local-first because the notes are Markdown files in a folder you control. Sync sits on top of that, not underneath it.
Close enough. Markdown is plain text with a few formatting conventions on top. The file stays readable in any text editor, and apps like Raven render the symbols into headings, links, and tasks.
As .md files in a folder you choose. On Mac you can open that folder in Finder and use it with anything else. Raven keeps its own app metadata separate from the writing.
Yes. Opening and editing a note reads and writes a local file, with no server round trip. Only sync between devices needs a connection.
Yes, including at the same time. The files are ordinary Markdown, so another editor can have the folder open while Raven does.
Plain text describes the storage, not the app. Raven puts native Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps around those files, with search, folders, backlinks, tables, tasks, and a daily Journal.
No. Local-first means the app works from your device first. Privacy depends on what you sync, what you install, and which tools get folder access. Raven does not claim end-to-end encryption.
Those tools read files. Notes that are already Markdown need no export step, so a folder of Raven notes is readable as-is. Raven Companion adds a permissioned CLI and MCP path for Raven-aware note and task edits.
US$14 once for lifetime access through August 31, 2026, sync and future updates included. From September 2026, new purchases are US$25/year. Lifetime buyers keep everything. Apple handles refunds.