MarginNote for OS X is available

Posted by Paul Korm
Dec 31, 2015 at 05:15 PM

I’ve been using MarginNote and LiquidText and can point out a few differences:

MarginNote has an OS X version, LiquidText does not. I think a LiquidText version on a desktop or laptop would be quite different than the IOS version because it depends so much on touch interaction with the user. MarginNote can sync “notebooks” between the two platforms.

MarginNote can export in mind map (.mmap) and OmniOutliner format, for the mind map and outlines, respectively. As well as in Anki format (flashcard app). LiquidText exports an annotated PDF or the highlights and comments as RTF. MarginNote can export/import from Evernote. LiquidText interacts with the common cloud services for importing PDFs and exporting PDFs or notes. LiquidText can export an annotated PDF that uses standard PDF annotation objects. MarginNote cannot export an annotated PDF.

Both apps can import from built in browsers, it is a little less obvious how to do this in MarginNote.

Notes in MarginNote can be tagged and color-coded. A MarginNote highlight extract can have a title and comment added to it. In LiquidText you have to add a comment separately.

Outlines and mindmaps can be rearranged in MarginNote and the rearranged report exported. Notes and comments can be rearranged in LiquidText, but exporting doesn’t seem to honor the user’s arrangements, so the exported RTF would have to be edited after the fact.

I believe MarginNote got its start as a app for students to create flashcards for studying, so that metaphor continues in many of the features of the app and its design. Personally, I prefer the outline and/or mind map exports because they can be reworked more easily for my purposes. But LiquidText is better if a polished, close-to-final report is what the user needs. I also feel LiquidText has a better UI—hard to explain the value of that. Both apps are somewhat fiddly and take getting used to, IMO