Comparison

TextEdit vs Nora

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TextEdit

A fast and versatile text editor for mobile devices, offering compatibility with various file formats and editors. It provides a distraction-free writing experience with advanced formatting, organization, and sharing features.

Highlights
  • Supports TXT, RTF, Markdown, TeX, and PDF formats
  • Cross-device and computer syncing via iCloud/Files
  • Distraction-free writing interface
  • Customizable keyboard extension for faster typing
  • Visual rich text formatting and one-tap options
  • Syntax highlighting for Markdown and TeX
  • Instant statistics and counters
Features
Read full description

TextEdit+ gives you the control of a capable word processor without the clutter of a full desktop office suite. Create plain-text and rich-text documents, work with Markdown and LaTeX, improve your writing with AI, and keep your files organized in Files and iCloud Drive. You can also open, edit and sync documents created with macOS TextEdit, Microsoft WordPad, Microsoft Word, and Scrivener RTF files directly on your device. WRITE IN THE FORMAT YOU NEED • Create and edit TXT, RTF, RTFD, Markdown, and LaTeX files • Open your documents directly from Files and iCloud Drive • Organize your work with folders and subfolders • Choose where you want to keep your files WRITE AND EDIT WITH AI • Turn your ideas or prompts into a first draft • Rewrite, improve, or summarize any selected text • Adjust the tone, clarity, grammar, and structure of your writing • Use AI without leaving your document FORMAT YOUR DOCUMENT YOUR WAY • Choose your fonts, styles, colors, highlights, and alignment • Create lists and adjust line, paragraph, and document spacing • Use superscript and subscript • Add images and tables to supported document formats • Stay focused with a clean, distraction-free editor WORK WITH MARKDOWN AND LATEX • Preview your Markdown while you write • Write and compile LaTeX directly on your device • Switch easily between your source and the rendered result EDIT FASTER • Find and replace text throughout your document • Check your word, character, sentence, paragraph, and page counts • See the estimated reading time for your text • Use keyboard shortcuts when you work with a hardware keyboard • Move the cursor and select text more precisely with the extended keyboard EXPORT AND SHARE YOUR WORK • Export your documents to PDF, DOCX, RTF, Markdown, plain text, and PNG • Print, email, or send your files to other apps • Keep your documents in Files or cloud storage and continue working with compatible apps on your other devices Whether you’re writing a quick text file, preparing a formatted document, taking Markdown notes, or working on a LaTeX project, TextEdit+ gives you more control than a notes app without overwhelming you with the complexity of a traditional office suite. Privacy Policy https://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Nora

Features
Read full description

Nora is a bank account for your time. Your balance is minutes. Focusing makes a deposit. Opening a distracting app makes a withdrawal. Run out, and Nora locks those apps until you earn them back. A focus timer with real stakes. Nora requires a subscription (free trial first) or a one-time lifetime unlock. Everything below is included - full pricing under SUBSCRIPTION. HOW IT WORKS 1. Mark the time-wasting apps as Drainers and the good ones as Earners. 2. Lock In to focus. Every minute you focus is deposited into your balance. 3. Open a Drainer and it withdraws from your balance, minute for minute. 4. Reach zero and your Drainers lock. Only focus reopens them. YOUR TIME BANK Your balance stays front and center. Give yourself a daily allowance from 30 minutes to 6 hours, credited each morning. Stay off your Drainers for a Pickup Bonus of up to 60 extra minutes tomorrow. Every deposit and withdrawal lands in a full statement, app by app. LOCK IN Lock In is how you make deposits. Pick a preset - Sprint (15m), Pomodoro (25m), Deep Work (45m), Ultradian (90m) - or set any length. The timer runs even if you close Nora, and your Drainers stay blocked all session. Focus over a calm, moving scene, and add a Boost to multiply what you earn, up to 10x. FOCUS ROOMS Invite up to 7 friends - 8 of you in one live, shared session. Everyone's timer and ghost appear in real time, with hearts to cheer each other on. Leave anytime; the room stays open. TRACK YOUR APPS Choose which apps to track with Apple Screen Time, then label each one. A Drainer withdraws a minute for every minute you use it. An Earner deposits a minute for every minute you spend in it, no cap. THE SHIELD Run low and your Drainers get shielded behind a lock screen. Out of minutes, hold to borrow a few into overdraft and earn them back later. Cap any Drainer's daily minutes, and Late Night Guard blocks every Drainer while you sleep. STATS Net charts by week, month, year, and all time weigh deposits against withdrawals. See your most-drained and most-earned apps, daily pickups, and best focus days. No streaks, no guilt. THE SHOP Your minutes are yours to spend. Unlock over 155 cosmetics: 36 ghost skins, 20 Lock-In scenes, 24 app themes, 56 home-screen icons, and 19 widget backgrounds, from everyday classics to rare collectibles. Boosts cost minutes too - nothing in the Shop costs real money. Redeem codes for secret skins found nowhere else. FRIENDS Add friends with an invite code or your Wallet pass. See who is locked in and how everyone ranks on the daily and weekly leaderboards. Send minutes from your own balance to a friend in need, or gift an exclusive ghost skin - Hearts Nora or Poo Nora, $0.99 each as a one-time in-app purchase. ON EVERY SCREEN A live countdown in the Live Activity and Dynamic Island, home-screen and lock-screen widgets, and an Apple Wallet pass that updates over the air. STAY IN CONTROL Choose the notifications you want. Sign in with Apple keeps your account secure, and cloud backup restores your balance, history, and collection on any new device. SUBSCRIPTION Nora is a paid app with no free tier. Pick one to unlock everything: - Nora Monthly: 3-day free trial, then $3.99/month, auto-renewing. - Nora Yearly: 7-day free trial, then $24.99/year, auto-renewing. Best value. - Nora Lifetime: $59.99 one-time purchase. Yours forever, nothing renews. The only other purchases are the optional $0.99 friend gifts above. Prices in USD; they may vary by region, and your exact price is shown before you buy. Free trials are once per Apple ID. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends; manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms: https://noratime.app/terms Privacy: https://noratime.app/privacy Open your time bank. Start your free trial.

Screenshots

TextEdit4 screens
Nora4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Nora at 16.0 against TextEdit's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TextEdit sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Nora sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TextEdit ships an update weekly, Nora every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
TextEdit versus Nora: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextEditNora
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (379 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews17.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings379 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size580 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKairoos Solutions SLKilian Borowsky

Bugs and requests

TextEdit

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when opening certain file types
  • Formatting issues when copying/pasting text
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow users to choose iCloud directory
  • Offer one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Restore previous paid versions without AI

Nora

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

TextEdit

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • TextEdit+ Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • TextEdit+ Annual3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • TextEdit+ Full Unlock$14.99
5 purchases

Nora

Subscriptions2
  • Nora Pro Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Nora Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time3
  • Hearts Nora Gift Skin$0.99
  • Poo Nora Ghost Skin$0.99
  • Nora Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is TextEdit free?
TextEdit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nora free?
Nora is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TextEdit or Nora have ads?
Neither TextEdit nor Nora shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TextEdit or Nora?
TextEdit ships an update weekly, and Nora every 5 days. Most recently, TextEdit was updated on October 18, 2026 and Nora on October 16, 2026.

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