After years and years of delays and promises, MarginNote 4 is now available. Pricing structure is a mess, but for $49.99 U.S. it is available as a “Max” version — meaning it can be used on all platforms. There’s no upgrade from previous versions to Max, but there is an upgrade to “Pro” (single machine only) from MN3. The app looks nice and the interface cleaned up and refreshed. I use MN all the time and bought it.

Don’t bother looking for info on MN4 on their website. The site hasn’t be updated yet.

Hi Paul:

I too have been using MN intensively since version 2. For me it is a fundamental tool for the analysis, understanding and outlining of important documents.

Could you comment on what's new in version 4?

It is true that the information the developers have distributed about MN4 is poor. And from what you say the update policy, this time, is a bit miserly. I use MN on two macs and two iPads.

Best regards.

Paul Korm wrote:

Pricing structure is a mess

Apple's IAP format is always a mess because it lists all possible permutations, including ones that are not available to all users (like upgrade tiers) but this is especially confusing, especially without additions information on the dev's site. And at least one review indicates an inability to get a listed upgrade via an in-app purchase.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/marginnote-4/id1531657269

In-App Purchases

Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS) $0.00

Upgrade to MAX from MN3 (macO... $6.99

14 days Free Trial

14 days Free Trial

Unlock MAX Forever $49.99

Unlock MAX based on PRO (New) $38.00

Unlock MAX based on PRO $39.99

Unlock PRO Forever $12.99

Subscription to MAX (3 months) $4.99

Unlock MAX Forever (New) $49.99

How does it stack up against its competitors, in particular Liquidtext?Based on its feature set I anticipated using it way more than I actually did.

I found a link inside MN4 to a demo resource for this version.

https://www.wolai.com/4sVcGrJrUr4hRbG3D5umwp

One issue that always prevented me from adopting MarginNote was that it only exports annotated PDF in a format that makes the highlights and notes unusable by other apps. It flattens everything. Something like PDFexpert for example can’t automatically pick up the highlights from a PDF exported from MN, while the opposite is possible ( both PDF Expert and Adobe Actobat export in standard formats.)

It’s been consistently requested for more than 6 years now on their forums. I suspect that it is done to prevent users from switching to competing apps.
I wonder if this is finally solved in version 4. This would convince me to switch to MN , because I don’t like to be forcefully locked into an app.

I see no PDF export options in MN4 except the flattened file, and an export package (a type of Apple folder) for backup purposes.